I Am a Church Member

I Am a Church Member

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through
the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3
https://www.amazon.com/Am-Church-Member-Discovering-Difference/dp/1433679736/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547356904&sr=8-1&keywords=i+am+a+church+member+by+thomas+rainer

Vestry members are reading I am a Church Member for study and self-reflection about what church membership means from a biblical viewpoint. What does God say about church membership? What does it mean as a member of Christ’s body and for our local church?

Christ Church is currently facing very difficult financial decisions that will affect how we serve our purpose in the Gospel. Additionally, many of our members are feeling divided on several issues. If we truly desire to operate in unity as one healthy body in Christ, we must also develop healthy individual members.

We invite you to join us in prayerfully reading I Am a Church Member to consider what being a member means and how each of us may discover or rediscover the privilege and joy of church membership. The book is organized into six short chapters covering the attitudes that make the difference for unity and healthy church members. Each chapter ends with a biblically based member pledge and study questions for challenge and reflection.

We are organizing small group discussions in the coming weeks for those that are interested. Please contact Lori Dierckes at ldierckes@yahoo.com or Kim French at kimberlyfrench777@gmail.com if you would be interested in joining a small group discussion.

The following six pledges are discussed in the six chapters of I Am a Church Member.

I am a church member.
I like the metaphor of membership. It’s not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It’s the kind of membership given to us in 1 Corinthians 12: “Now you are the body of Christ and individual members of it” (I Corinthians 12:27). Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an “eye,” an “ear,” or a “hand.” As a functioning member, I will give. I will serve. I will minister. I will evangelize. I will study. I will seek to be a blessing to others. I will remember that “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

I am a church member.
I will seek to be a source of unity in the church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension. One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God’s power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.

I am a church member.
I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires. That is self-serving. I am in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My Savior went to a cross for me. I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that are just not my preference or style.

I am a church member.
I will pray for my pastor every day. His work is never-ending. His days are filled with constant demands for his time; with the need to prepare sermons; with those who are rejoicing in births; with those who are traveling through the valley of the shadow of death; with critics; with the hurts and hopes of others; and with the need to be a husband and a father. My pastor cannot serve our church in his own power. I will pray for God’s strength for him and his family every day.

I am a church member.
I will lead my family to be good members of this church as well. We will pray together for our church. We will worship together in our church. We will serve together in our church. And we will ask Christ to help us fall deeper in love with this church, because He gave His life for her.

I am a church member.
This membership is a gift. When I received the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, I became a part of the body of Christ. I soon thereafter identified with a local body and was baptized. And now I am humbled and honored to serve and to love others in our church. I pray that I will never take my membership for granted but see it as a gift and an opportunity to serve others, and to be a part of something so much greater than any one person or member.

I am a church member.
And I thank God that I am.