So you want to be a Pastafarian?

Great. Consider yourself a member.  You’ll notice there’s no hoops to jump through. You don’t need to pay anything. 

How to help the church

You can do that by spreading the word.  Tell people about Pastafarianism.  Point out that we’re the world’s most peaceful mainstream religion, having started no wars in our God’s name.  As far
as I know there are no deaths attributed to our religion.

Can I be a member if I don’t literally Believe in the FSM?

Yes you can.  For the same reason that many in other religions don’t literally believe their scripture, you can be a Pastafarian without being a True Believer of our scripture.   In other words, do you know
Christians who don’t take the Bible literally – but who consider
themselves True Christians, nonetheless?  So do I.  In fact, True Belief
is not often a requirement of religion.   Most religions are comprised
of a group of people with similar – but not exact – world views. 
Pastafarianism is no different in that regard.

Whatever you decide, remember this

FSM is a real, legitimate religion, as much as any other.  The fact that many see this is as a satirical religion doesn’t change the fact that by any standard one can come up with, our religion is as legitimate
as any other.  And *that* is the point.