Psalms 84:10
For a day in thy courts is better
than a thousand.
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,
than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness
What an amazingly awesome cry from the psalmist.
He would rather spend one day in the court of the Lord than a 1000 days on the lake or golf course or at a ballgame or in the woods hunting.
This man is in love with the Lord—he is bananas for God.
He would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell inside a tent with wickedness.
This man is in love with the Lord—he would rather suffer the cold or heat outside the tent of the Lord than to be inside out of the weather but in with the wicked.
This man or woman of God is in love with God.
He serves as an usher or greeter. She is in love with being a church and serves as the keeper of the door—ready to greet all who come to the House of God.
As men, woman, and children approach for worship he or she extends to them a greeting in the name of the Lord, to the glory of the Lord.
He or she is standing by ready to show them the location of the nursery, first class, crown room, chapel or restroom. This doorkeeper in the house of the Lord makes being at a new place much easier.
Being in the court of the Lord, at the house of God, is a JOY to this person.
Getting up for worship is what he was created for and it is his joy to extend to God songs of love and adoration.
Would to God that every member, of every Christ-exalting, gospel-centered, God-glorifying, and Bible-believing church, would exclaim, with all their heart, that a day with the body of Christ is better than 1000 days elsewhere!
Would to God that every Christian would find a church to be a doorkeeper at—this moving from place to place and half-hearted commitment to the local church is not what is pictured in this Psalm.
In this psalm, the psalmist knows where he is going to worship each Lord’s day—do you?
Showing posts with label Church Membership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church Membership. Show all posts
Something Super Practical--How to get to Church on Time!
Being on time and faithful to church on Sundays begins the night before. Being present and present early must be a priority for every Christian on Sunday mornings. Praise God for those who arrive late as we would rather have them late than absent. However, those who arrive late are missing some very important fellowship time: five to ten minutes early is some quality time to connect with other brothers and sisters in Christ and to greet those who are new to Fayetteville and Berean. Arriving to church early sets the conditions, ever so well, to hear from God—it allows everyone to enter church without the hurriedness that distracts us from worship and hearing from God. We are uncomfortable and embarrassed stepping into class late.
So let me give you some very practical ways you can be on time and make the most of your attendance at Berean. First, lay the clothes that you intend on wearing out the night before. Don’t go to bed until everything that everyone is going to wear is laid out. This may sound old-fashioned, but it works so well it is still something that should be done in the 21st century. Think from head down to shoes. Pick out everything that the children and yourself are going to wear, get into the weeds, lay out socks, pans, dresses, belts, purses, stockings, undergarments, ties, jewelry, handkerchiefs—everything. Make sure you don’t have to iron in the morning. Check fingernails and anything else that previously has distracted you from departing on time. Second, put the Bibles, journals, and pens in the car or next to the door you will use when you leave. Pack the diaper bag the night before. Third, don’t go to bed until the kitchen is clean. A dirty kitchen in the morning could easily delay your departure. Plan ahead and know what you are going to feed the children for breakfast. Fourth, check out the inside of the car—if it is too cluttered or messy it could become a point of contention or embarrassment on the way to church—eliminate that by taking a minute to quickly straighten the car out on Saturday. Fifth, set an alarm clock and don’t hit the snooze button. Place the alarm clock across the room if you need to. Resolve the night before that when the alarm goes off you will get out of bed. Everyone is tired in the mornings, but Sunday mornings are not to set aside for sleep. It is the Lord’s Day; you can take a nap in the afternoon between lunch and evening choir practice. Resolve the night before that you will not sleep in.
Then close Saturday night out with a prayer that God will awaken you even before the alarm goes off for some quiet time. Ask Him to help everything to go smoothly in the morning as everyone prepares for church; tell Him you desire to be faithful and need His help. Then in the morning work as though everything depends on your effort and praise Him on the way to church for helping everyone get out of the house on time.
Finally, something is wrong if are deciding on Sunday mornings if you are going to go to church—it should be just the opposite. Of course, we are going to church; we made that decision a long time ago. If you think these old-fashioned suggestions are a bit too much, let me challenge you to try them one Saturday and see if God doesn’t honor your preparation.
So let me give you some very practical ways you can be on time and make the most of your attendance at Berean. First, lay the clothes that you intend on wearing out the night before. Don’t go to bed until everything that everyone is going to wear is laid out. This may sound old-fashioned, but it works so well it is still something that should be done in the 21st century. Think from head down to shoes. Pick out everything that the children and yourself are going to wear, get into the weeds, lay out socks, pans, dresses, belts, purses, stockings, undergarments, ties, jewelry, handkerchiefs—everything. Make sure you don’t have to iron in the morning. Check fingernails and anything else that previously has distracted you from departing on time. Second, put the Bibles, journals, and pens in the car or next to the door you will use when you leave. Pack the diaper bag the night before. Third, don’t go to bed until the kitchen is clean. A dirty kitchen in the morning could easily delay your departure. Plan ahead and know what you are going to feed the children for breakfast. Fourth, check out the inside of the car—if it is too cluttered or messy it could become a point of contention or embarrassment on the way to church—eliminate that by taking a minute to quickly straighten the car out on Saturday. Fifth, set an alarm clock and don’t hit the snooze button. Place the alarm clock across the room if you need to. Resolve the night before that when the alarm goes off you will get out of bed. Everyone is tired in the mornings, but Sunday mornings are not to set aside for sleep. It is the Lord’s Day; you can take a nap in the afternoon between lunch and evening choir practice. Resolve the night before that you will not sleep in.
Then close Saturday night out with a prayer that God will awaken you even before the alarm goes off for some quiet time. Ask Him to help everything to go smoothly in the morning as everyone prepares for church; tell Him you desire to be faithful and need His help. Then in the morning work as though everything depends on your effort and praise Him on the way to church for helping everyone get out of the house on time.
Finally, something is wrong if are deciding on Sunday mornings if you are going to go to church—it should be just the opposite. Of course, we are going to church; we made that decision a long time ago. If you think these old-fashioned suggestions are a bit too much, let me challenge you to try them one Saturday and see if God doesn’t honor your preparation.
1,500 per month
Here is a shocking statistic: Every month 1500 pastors leave the ministry. Some leave for moral failure, others for spiritual burnout or contention in their churches.
Now here is a thought: Are you the kind of Christian or church member that contributes to the 1,500 staying or leaving?
Are you the church member who is a joy to have in the church or are you the church member that the pastor is thankful to see move their membership?
I believe this is precisely what Hebrews 13.17 is describing when the author describes some who are a joy to lead and others are just the opposite.
Members who are contentious don’t want to be led.
It is critical that Christians find an under-shepherd that they can submit to under God's headship of their lives. But everyone needs a local shepherd to submit to as described in Hebrews 13.17.
Just as the Son submitted to the authority of the Father without losing His identity and individuality; likewise, church members submit to the leadership of spiritual shepherds in the church.
And when members find themselves un-reconciled with their pastor, God’s will is not for them to become instruments to run the pastor out of the ministry. God takes care of that.
If it be God’s will, they will often disqualify themselves. 50 a day, 2 an hour, every 30 minutes another pastor throws in the towel.
Are you helping increase, maintain or lower that number? That’s the question of this posting. Christians who lower that number are commended by the Apostle Paul. People who increase that number are rebuked by the same author.
Now here is a thought: Are you the kind of Christian or church member that contributes to the 1,500 staying or leaving?
Are you the church member who is a joy to have in the church or are you the church member that the pastor is thankful to see move their membership?
I believe this is precisely what Hebrews 13.17 is describing when the author describes some who are a joy to lead and others are just the opposite.
Members who are contentious don’t want to be led.
It is critical that Christians find an under-shepherd that they can submit to under God's headship of their lives. But everyone needs a local shepherd to submit to as described in Hebrews 13.17.
Just as the Son submitted to the authority of the Father without losing His identity and individuality; likewise, church members submit to the leadership of spiritual shepherds in the church.
And when members find themselves un-reconciled with their pastor, God’s will is not for them to become instruments to run the pastor out of the ministry. God takes care of that.
If it be God’s will, they will often disqualify themselves. 50 a day, 2 an hour, every 30 minutes another pastor throws in the towel.
Are you helping increase, maintain or lower that number? That’s the question of this posting. Christians who lower that number are commended by the Apostle Paul. People who increase that number are rebuked by the same author.
"Purpose Driven Church" Book Review
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In 1995, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church, wrote The Purpose Driven Church in an effort to help pastors and lay leaders see their churches grow. Warren believes that he can significantly help dying churches recover and church plants take off. It appears that his tremendous success has afforded him credibility from a pragmatic—consumer driven perspective.
W.A. Criswell seems to make this exact point in the forward of the text with a statement that Saddleback’s tremendous growth is “sufficient evidence that Rick Warren knows whereof he speaks” (11). Churches that follow Warren’s model are called “Purpose Driven Churches,” somehow implying that churches that do not follow Saddleback’s model do not have a purpose. Moreover, Warren writes and thinks from a very business-oriented aspect. Warren avoids the tough issues and writes from a standpoint that is not always contextually accurate. The Purpose Driven Church deserves a mixed review. Furthermore, its use must be limited to discerning pastors who will not blindly apply Warren’s model without analysis.
The Purpose Driven Church is a manual of sorts written to teach one how to follow the Saddleback Valley Community Church model of growth. The text has five major sectional divisions beginning with a two chapter introduction, next is a substantial section on how to become a purpose-driven church, then a portion about reaching out to the community, followed by a section on how to attract a crowd, and finally the conclusion that deals with moving the crowd into membership. Each section is easy to follow along, and the text is certainly an easy read. There is not anything theological about Warren’s book. His work is an exciting read—everyone loves to read about success.
Warren is absolutely correct when he writes about God’s sovereignty being “overlooked in almost all current church-growth literature” (14). He wants his reader to understand that Saddleback did not instantly become a large church—Pastor Warren battled from scratch and made, by his own admission, lots of mistakes in developing a strategy for church grow.
Warren believes that a Baptist pastor may struggle a bit as he explains how he went about determining what type of church he would establish. Warren contends that his area already had many strong, Bible-believing churches, yet his list of names of the pastors of these large successful churches makes you wonder what Warren means. A reader with some knowledge of American pastors would know that there is a substantial difference between John MacArthur, Robert Schuller, and Greg Laurie. This insight should alert the reader into what one can expect of the text with regard to the depth of theological application.
In chapter two, Warren defends the development of mega-churches by presenting eight myths concerning things that are not true about large churches. Warren is trying to break through to small church pastors who have an unwarranted bias toward large churches.
Part two is the best section of the book and is a must read for all church pastors and lay leaders. Warren is right when he insists that every church needs a purpose—of course, the church needs a purpose. He writes, “Until you know what your church exists for, you have no foundation, no motivation, and no direction for ministry” (81). There is no real argument to this philosophy because it is clearly biblical. Every church has a purpose. The head of the church Jesus Christ has established the church’s purpose. Warren believes that the “first step in getting a church which is plateaued or declining is to redefine your purpose” (81). Using statistics to prove his point, Warren shows how there is a significant disconnect between what the members of the church and the pastors of that same church believe the purpose of the church to be. Pastors and members are exactly opposite in their understanding of the church—90 percent of pastors believe the church exists to win the lost while only ten percent of members believe this to be true; and then the reverse happens with regard to the purpose of the church being to care for its own (82-83).
In an attempt to guide pastors, the text presents five benefits to having a clearly defined purpose statement. First, Warren believes that the reason Saddleback people get along so well is that they all understand their purpose which promotes harmony and builds morale. Perhaps he is right, but that is a difficult point to prove in so much as Saddleback has had only one pastor and does not have the years of baggage that many other churches have acquired through years of existence. Baggage, which often brings frustration and friction, is supposed to be reduced by this purpose statement. Obviously the statement does reduce the frustration, but strong pastoral leadership must be insistent while leading the church through living in accordance with its agreed upon purpose statement. Next, he builds a strong case on how purpose statements can help the church cooperate and concentrate—which, again, is good. Lastly, the purpose statement assists in evaluating effectiveness. Warren asks “what is our business?” and then “How’s business?” (93). Again, this is a stretch—it is difficult to hear Jesus teaching the apostles to ask, “How is business?”
Based on his tremendous success, Warren presents Saddleback’s purpose statement as an example of what right looks like in the development of a statement. He is especially convinced of this because he believes that each of the five church purposes is articulated in his statement equally well. Warren suggests that Saddleback’s purpose statement is biblical, specific, transferable, and measurable which is the standard by which all statements should be measured. Measuring God’s work is especially difficult. “A great commitment to the great commandment and the great commission will grow a great church” is a true statement, but who measures great (102)? When the author of the text pastors a church of 10,000 members, great is measured numerically. Care must be exercised in measuring success by a non-biblical standard. Can a church of fifty be a great church? Of course it can, but when the author of the text says “great,” the reader is left to wonder how he can measure greatness with something other than numerical growth—especially when the title the book puts such a premium on growth.
Using the “Nehemiah Principle,” pastors learn to continually put before the people the purpose of the church in as many different ways as possible. According to Warren, “once you have defined the purposes of your church, you must continually clarify and communicate them to everyone in your congregation. It is not a task you do once and then forget about it” (112). Statements like this are so true that, in spite of the some of the less desirable parts of the text, The Purpose Driven Church should be read in conjunction with other church growth books by discerning leaders. Warren rightly suggests that vision and purpose can be communicated through scripture, symbols, slogans, and stories (112-3). The text is full of profitable examples.
About midway through the text, Warren moves to application of the purposes of the church. Overusing the word “purpose,” Warren gives ten ways to become a purpose driven church. First, churches are to consciously focus on assimilating new members into the church. Using the five purposes of the church: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism- Warren shows how Saddleback brings the unchurched (unsaved) to church, moves them into the congregation, then into a small group, then into a core group and then back out to the community for evangelism (136-8). The application of a purpose statement in a meaningful way is a solid message, but the reader must remember that this is only one model.
The value of Warren’s work is without question, but there are definite reasons why readers must be discerning as they work through the application of his purpose driven model. First, Warren is very loose in his uses of multiple paraphrases of the Word of God in order to make his point. Warren has no apparent conviction toward an essentially literal translation of the Word of God. Moving from paraphrase to paraphrase, the lack of continuity reveals perhaps a willingness to search for a proof text and then go with it. Warren gives advice about the translations and paraphrases as though there are no issues with different Bibles and the profitability of using a text that is not faithful to the original languages. Often moving a church from one translation to another can be an exceptionally hard task, and Warren offers no advice on how to make a transition like that happen. Furthermore, Warren tells pastors to “select Scripture readings with the unchurched in mind” (297). Warren uses a ridiculous example of what to read and what not to read but does not provide enough guidance to be of any real value. Certainly one wonders where the Scriptural support is for such guidance. How does one preach the gospel and not offend the unchurched? (Warren is careful not to refer to people as “sinners” or “lost” in his text.)
Pastor Warren believes that God does not have a preference with regard to felt-needs preaching and expository preaching. He writes, “I honestly don’t think God cares at all whether you teach the Bible book by book or topic by topic, as long as you teach the Bible. He doesn’t care whether you start with the text and move to applying it to people’s needs, or start with people’s needs and move to the text” (295). Warren adamantly defends his felt-needs technique; he suggests that the preacher should decide what the people need to hear and then find supporting verses from the Bible which justifies the truth. This is nearly the same thing he does with his purpose driven books. This technique is an exceptionally slippery slope that has the potential for theological disaster. The pastor of a church with a large homosexual contingent would never get to scriptures that condemn homosexuality in a seeker-sensitive perspective based on felt-needs. Yet the student of the Bible knows that God sent His prophets with messages that were anything but seeker-sensitive.
The god of church growth cannot become an idol that influences what one preaches. Certainly Warren is not suggesting anything like that, but it appears that this is not beyond the realm of possibilities when Paul predicates a latter day when people will accumulate to themselves preachers and teachers that suit their own passions (2 Timothy 4). While Rick Warren is writing about church growth, Dr. David F. Wells is writing just as prolifically about the decay of truth within the greater protestant community of believers with a book like No Place for Truth. Also, Wells is not alone, it appears; for every church growth book, there is a book encouraging pastor to not compromise on the truth of the Word of God. It takes a discerning pastor to read a church book with a seeker-sensitive model and not be influenced to compromise to build a “work for God.”
A third area where pastors will need to be discerning is whether they will choose to embrace Warren’s method of handling a call to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Pastors should “be creative in inviting people to receive Christ” (304) is what Warren suggests. The pastor truly seeking to be as Biblically correct as possible struggles at determining exactly what Warren means by this guidance. Moreover, the purpose-driven pastor is instructed to lead people to Jesus with a model prayer (304). Once again Warren does not provide apostolic precedent for creative invitations or model prayers which teach people to “ask Jesus into [their] hearts.” This is very problematic because a Biblical message of “repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” is not very creative—it is prescriptive not descriptive. Therefore, the apostles have tied the hands of pastors and evangelists seeking to follow their example.
The Purpose Driven Church is not the kind of book a pastor can wholeheartedly suggest to all the members of his church to read. Warren’s work must be examined and reexamined from a critical perspective. In light of the reality that Warren began his church in a substantially less postmodern perspective, church planters will have to critically examine whether they want to follow his model of surveying the unchurched, appealing to the crowd, and then turning the crowd into a church. While this model obviously worked, it remains to be seen whether Pastor Warren will remain committed to orthodox, uncompromising, evangelical Christian truth. Although clearly beyond the scope of this review the handwriting on the wall seems to suggest that Warren may not remain as committed to Biblical standards of morality as he once was, but this is not to suggest that there is not much that can be learned from Warren’s monumental work. However, in an age of doctrinal compromise and wavering on the exclusivity of Christ by pastors of mega-churches, it appears that now more than ever churches will need to know what their purpose is and what core Biblical values will guide them into the future.
Membership Matters
This is a simple brochure I wrote as the pastor of Berean to try and effectively communicate that Berean is not looking for any more spectators to become members and stay spectators. Now let me emphasize anyone is allowed to come and spectate as long as they want, but membership must mean something in the local church.
Question: Have you ever considered what the expectations of a member of a local church are?
Answer: Yes, as the Pastor of BBC, I certainly have given that question quite a bit of thought and would like to share my view of church membership.
Please know that my thoughts are based on a love for our Lord, His Church, His Word and you. Some of what I say will be challenging, and this may be the first time you have thought in these terms. My goal is NOT to discourage anyone from becoming a part of this family of believers; we welcome all. However, I want to clearly communicate the expectations for the members of this fellowship.
BORN AGAIN AND BAPTIZED
The single most important expectation is that members of Berean have been radically changed by the power of God’s grace into sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit dwells within them and He, as the Spirit of Christ, has regenerated their heart. This means that Berean’s members are new creatures in Christ and are different from the world because of the power of conversion. Additionally, members of Berean are expected to be baptized by immersion after repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—their Savior.
FAITHFULNESS
Members are expected to be faithful and dependable. A person should not unite with a church if they are not going to be faithful to the church. Occasional attendance is NOT acceptable for members. Members of Berean are expected to be faithful in their attendance to our Sunday worship services and Bible study opportunities. Furthermore, members will make knowing and learning God’s Word a priority in their life.
GIVING
No church needs another person to join it that isn’t going to give something back to the ministry. All members need to give something back to their church. If your children enjoy the nurseries, Sunday school, or Power Hour, AWANA, Upward—you need to be giving your time back to a similar ministry. Some volunteers are being completely worn out while other members do very little—this simply is unacceptable. Every member of the church is expected to consistently and routinely give some amount of time back to the church as a volunteer. If you enjoy the music, preaching, air conditioning and cushioned seats, realize that they are not free. We make no money outside the tax-deductible gifts of our members and other attendees. If you do not plan on giving to the ministry, please, recognize that every member who does not give limits the growth of the ministry. Now I understand there is a great variance in the financial situations of our members, so I am not talking about a specific amount. However, I am saying unequivocally that the goal is for everyone to do their part. Members are expected to help with the ministry’s needs. In the Bible, God’s people are taught to give no less than a tithe or 10% to the work of the Lord.
CHURCH BUSINESS
In the New Testament, the local church made decisions, based on the consensus of the congregation. Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and His Word, members are expected to attend the quarterly business meetings and vote.
THE LORD’S TABLE
When we assemble to remember the death of our Lord and celebrate the resurrection, every member should go out of their way to be present. Imagine that other brothers and sisters in Christ, members of your church, are assembling to worship and celebrate a very significant ordinance given to us by the Lord Himself and some members are at home watching football or HBO. God is not mocked; God’s grace does not hold back all judgment. If you are not going to go out of your way to be present when we remember the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord again, ask yourself why you are uniting with a church. I must remind you that Christ gave His life for the church.
PRAYER
Prayer makes a difference. Members are expected to pray for themselves and others in a consistent and routine basis. Prayer is the means in which we beseech God’s blessing upon the members of the church. Prayer is a way we can share in another’s burdens and sorrows. Members pray one for another and pray for God’s help in living according to His Word.
HOLY LIVING
According to God’s Word, disciples of Christ are commanded to be separate and different from the world; therefore, members of this Bible-believing church would live lives that are morally upright. In short, how we live matters. Members of Berean Baptist Church are expected to abstain from gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, infidelity, smoking, gossip, lying, and any other conduct that would bring discredit to God’s name and His church. This does not mean that our members will not be struggling with these sins, but as disciples of Christ they know their sin is against God’s law and they are working to have the victory. They are repentant and have established accountability partners to win the victory. If you are battling one or more of these sins or other habitual struggles, we have support groups that help you gain the victory.
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
Membership means something and matters. This does not mean that all are not welcome because they are, but there is a distinct difference between a member and an attendee. Nor does it mean you have to be perfect before you can be a member, for each of us are battling through sins, but members realize that they cannot habitually remain in sin. If all this seems overwhelming to you let me encourage you to be faithful in your attendance to worship, Bible study and prayer and submit to God’s work in your life. God’s grace is powerful. The decision to unite with a local New Testament Bible-believing church (Baptist is this case) is something that should be prayed about. One should sense a clear direction from the Holy Spirit before proceeding forward. In many cases an interview with a pastor from the church will be very helpful in seeking direction or confirming a decision. Finally, members must affirm that they agree with the doctrinal statement of the church they are joining.
Pastor, having read what you believe membership in the local New Testament Bible-believing church means, I am still interested in becoming a member of this fellowship. Can you tell me the steps of membership?
ATTEND
The FIRST step is to begin acting like a member. The first expectation of our members is that they faithfully attend the Lord’s Day services and that they involve themselves in a small group Bible study/fellowship group. These groups meet on Sunday mornings before the worship service all over the campus. Someone at the welcome center, or a pastor, can give you the details. The Lord’s Day—Sunday—is just that. It is not another day to catch up on what I didn’t get done at work or to stay to home to read the Sunday paper and wash the car. If you are not ready to be faithful to God on Sundays, quite frankly, you are not ready for the commitment that church membership involves. Please continue to attend our services and pray that Christ will give you a love for His church. If there is something that routinely keeps you out of church, it would be good to discuss that with a pastor prior to uniting with the church.
PRAY
The second or simultaneous step is to pray about this significant decision. When a person becomes a member of a church, he or she is entering into a covenant between God, the church and themselves. Before you unite with any church it is imperative that you know the Holy Spirit is guiding your decision. God is not glorified by the church-hopping and unfaithfulness of so many so-called disciples of Jesus today. Today people join a church and four weeks later leave after the preacher offends them with a solid Bible based message. So-called Christians are routinely offended by the truth of God’s word. Once you are sure the Holy Spirit of God led you in your decision, you must then conclude that the message you heard, which may be offending, is in reality the convicting power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Word of God. Hopefully this confidence in God will help you to remain committed to your decision.
INFORM
Once you are sure God has called you to Berean you will need to let someone know you want to be a candidate for membership. You can do this after any service by walking down the aisle during our invitation or by seeing a pastor, deacon or your small group Bible study teacher anytime. The counselor, or your teacher, will ask you for your address, home and cell phone numbers, e-mail, dates of birth, and the church from which you may be transferring your membership. If you were not a member of a church prior to Berean, then you will not have a church from which to transfer your membership. The next step in membership is a personal interview. If you do not want to provide contact information like cell phone numbers and e-mail then I must honestly ask why you want to be a member of the church. Church membership involves mutual accountability. While I am your pastor you are a member of this congregation.
TESTIFY
You must be born-again and baptized by immersion after your conversion. A pastor and deacon will listen to your testimony of salvation and baptism. This is your opportunity to share how the gospel of Jesus Christ has changed your life. This can be done in your home or at the church, in the pastor’s office or one of our conference rooms. If you are not sure you are born-again our pastors and deacons will share God’s plan of salvation with you.
LEARN
Finally, members must complete our First Class. One of the pastors teaches this class. In First Class you will learn what Berean Baptist Church believes to be truth from the Bible. In this class you will have the opportunity to get your questions answered and be able to ensure you know what the church believes before you finalize your membership. This class meets for 6 or 7 weeks on Sunday mornings and must be completed before a candidate’s membership is confirmed by the congregation. If you are not willing to complete this class on Sundays or through a DVD lesson series, you may not be ready for the commitment membership involves. I hope you will continue to be faithful to Bible study and worship services and pray God strengthens you in your love for His church.
Those who complete First Class are confirmed as members by the vote of the church and welcomed into the fellowship.
If all this seems too much to you, I want to encourage you to attend First Class to determine whether you agree with what is taught and then upon completion you can make a more informed decision about church membership.
Question: Have you ever considered what the expectations of a member of a local church are?
Answer: Yes, as the Pastor of BBC, I certainly have given that question quite a bit of thought and would like to share my view of church membership.
Please know that my thoughts are based on a love for our Lord, His Church, His Word and you. Some of what I say will be challenging, and this may be the first time you have thought in these terms. My goal is NOT to discourage anyone from becoming a part of this family of believers; we welcome all. However, I want to clearly communicate the expectations for the members of this fellowship.
BORN AGAIN AND BAPTIZED
The single most important expectation is that members of Berean have been radically changed by the power of God’s grace into sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit dwells within them and He, as the Spirit of Christ, has regenerated their heart. This means that Berean’s members are new creatures in Christ and are different from the world because of the power of conversion. Additionally, members of Berean are expected to be baptized by immersion after repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—their Savior.
FAITHFULNESS
Members are expected to be faithful and dependable. A person should not unite with a church if they are not going to be faithful to the church. Occasional attendance is NOT acceptable for members. Members of Berean are expected to be faithful in their attendance to our Sunday worship services and Bible study opportunities. Furthermore, members will make knowing and learning God’s Word a priority in their life.
GIVING
No church needs another person to join it that isn’t going to give something back to the ministry. All members need to give something back to their church. If your children enjoy the nurseries, Sunday school, or Power Hour, AWANA, Upward—you need to be giving your time back to a similar ministry. Some volunteers are being completely worn out while other members do very little—this simply is unacceptable. Every member of the church is expected to consistently and routinely give some amount of time back to the church as a volunteer. If you enjoy the music, preaching, air conditioning and cushioned seats, realize that they are not free. We make no money outside the tax-deductible gifts of our members and other attendees. If you do not plan on giving to the ministry, please, recognize that every member who does not give limits the growth of the ministry. Now I understand there is a great variance in the financial situations of our members, so I am not talking about a specific amount. However, I am saying unequivocally that the goal is for everyone to do their part. Members are expected to help with the ministry’s needs. In the Bible, God’s people are taught to give no less than a tithe or 10% to the work of the Lord.
CHURCH BUSINESS
In the New Testament, the local church made decisions, based on the consensus of the congregation. Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and His Word, members are expected to attend the quarterly business meetings and vote.
THE LORD’S TABLE
When we assemble to remember the death of our Lord and celebrate the resurrection, every member should go out of their way to be present. Imagine that other brothers and sisters in Christ, members of your church, are assembling to worship and celebrate a very significant ordinance given to us by the Lord Himself and some members are at home watching football or HBO. God is not mocked; God’s grace does not hold back all judgment. If you are not going to go out of your way to be present when we remember the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord again, ask yourself why you are uniting with a church. I must remind you that Christ gave His life for the church.
PRAYER
Prayer makes a difference. Members are expected to pray for themselves and others in a consistent and routine basis. Prayer is the means in which we beseech God’s blessing upon the members of the church. Prayer is a way we can share in another’s burdens and sorrows. Members pray one for another and pray for God’s help in living according to His Word.
HOLY LIVING
According to God’s Word, disciples of Christ are commanded to be separate and different from the world; therefore, members of this Bible-believing church would live lives that are morally upright. In short, how we live matters. Members of Berean Baptist Church are expected to abstain from gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, infidelity, smoking, gossip, lying, and any other conduct that would bring discredit to God’s name and His church. This does not mean that our members will not be struggling with these sins, but as disciples of Christ they know their sin is against God’s law and they are working to have the victory. They are repentant and have established accountability partners to win the victory. If you are battling one or more of these sins or other habitual struggles, we have support groups that help you gain the victory.
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
Membership means something and matters. This does not mean that all are not welcome because they are, but there is a distinct difference between a member and an attendee. Nor does it mean you have to be perfect before you can be a member, for each of us are battling through sins, but members realize that they cannot habitually remain in sin. If all this seems overwhelming to you let me encourage you to be faithful in your attendance to worship, Bible study and prayer and submit to God’s work in your life. God’s grace is powerful. The decision to unite with a local New Testament Bible-believing church (Baptist is this case) is something that should be prayed about. One should sense a clear direction from the Holy Spirit before proceeding forward. In many cases an interview with a pastor from the church will be very helpful in seeking direction or confirming a decision. Finally, members must affirm that they agree with the doctrinal statement of the church they are joining.
Pastor, having read what you believe membership in the local New Testament Bible-believing church means, I am still interested in becoming a member of this fellowship. Can you tell me the steps of membership?
ATTEND
The FIRST step is to begin acting like a member. The first expectation of our members is that they faithfully attend the Lord’s Day services and that they involve themselves in a small group Bible study/fellowship group. These groups meet on Sunday mornings before the worship service all over the campus. Someone at the welcome center, or a pastor, can give you the details. The Lord’s Day—Sunday—is just that. It is not another day to catch up on what I didn’t get done at work or to stay to home to read the Sunday paper and wash the car. If you are not ready to be faithful to God on Sundays, quite frankly, you are not ready for the commitment that church membership involves. Please continue to attend our services and pray that Christ will give you a love for His church. If there is something that routinely keeps you out of church, it would be good to discuss that with a pastor prior to uniting with the church.
PRAY
The second or simultaneous step is to pray about this significant decision. When a person becomes a member of a church, he or she is entering into a covenant between God, the church and themselves. Before you unite with any church it is imperative that you know the Holy Spirit is guiding your decision. God is not glorified by the church-hopping and unfaithfulness of so many so-called disciples of Jesus today. Today people join a church and four weeks later leave after the preacher offends them with a solid Bible based message. So-called Christians are routinely offended by the truth of God’s word. Once you are sure the Holy Spirit of God led you in your decision, you must then conclude that the message you heard, which may be offending, is in reality the convicting power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Word of God. Hopefully this confidence in God will help you to remain committed to your decision.
INFORM
Once you are sure God has called you to Berean you will need to let someone know you want to be a candidate for membership. You can do this after any service by walking down the aisle during our invitation or by seeing a pastor, deacon or your small group Bible study teacher anytime. The counselor, or your teacher, will ask you for your address, home and cell phone numbers, e-mail, dates of birth, and the church from which you may be transferring your membership. If you were not a member of a church prior to Berean, then you will not have a church from which to transfer your membership. The next step in membership is a personal interview. If you do not want to provide contact information like cell phone numbers and e-mail then I must honestly ask why you want to be a member of the church. Church membership involves mutual accountability. While I am your pastor you are a member of this congregation.
TESTIFY
You must be born-again and baptized by immersion after your conversion. A pastor and deacon will listen to your testimony of salvation and baptism. This is your opportunity to share how the gospel of Jesus Christ has changed your life. This can be done in your home or at the church, in the pastor’s office or one of our conference rooms. If you are not sure you are born-again our pastors and deacons will share God’s plan of salvation with you.
LEARN
Finally, members must complete our First Class. One of the pastors teaches this class. In First Class you will learn what Berean Baptist Church believes to be truth from the Bible. In this class you will have the opportunity to get your questions answered and be able to ensure you know what the church believes before you finalize your membership. This class meets for 6 or 7 weeks on Sunday mornings and must be completed before a candidate’s membership is confirmed by the congregation. If you are not willing to complete this class on Sundays or through a DVD lesson series, you may not be ready for the commitment membership involves. I hope you will continue to be faithful to Bible study and worship services and pray God strengthens you in your love for His church.
Those who complete First Class are confirmed as members by the vote of the church and welcomed into the fellowship.
If all this seems too much to you, I want to encourage you to attend First Class to determine whether you agree with what is taught and then upon completion you can make a more informed decision about church membership.
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