“I’ve Never Heard of That Before”
When it comes to MEANINGFUL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP and the organization of a church around an agreed upon statement of membership responsibilities (a church covenant), many folks first response is “I’ve never heard of that before!” That response gets to the very heart of the problem which meaningful church membership seeks to correct.
Taking the church seriously is not new. Ephesians 5:25-27 describes how Christ died for the church, to present her to himself as a holy, radiant church. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
Splendor. Without spot or wrinkle. Holy and without blemish. If such was the goal of Christ’s cross-bearing, such must also be the goal of our ministries. Christ is honored when his bride is holy, but that cannot be as long as many of the members making up that bride live like lost people. Christ is honored when churches are composed of people whose church membership means first of all a genuine, vital commitment to Christ, and second, a commitment to the people of that local body. Christ is honored when church membership is meaningful.
MEANINGFUL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP in an integral part of the heritage of many Person County churches. According to The Blessings of Beulah - A History of the Beulah Baptist Association written by Ron Boswell, Mill Creek Baptist Church is one example. Mill Creek was organized in 1835. Concerning the early days of this church we read: “In the early days new members were examined by the church membership regarding beliefs before being accepted as members. All members were required to be faithful in attendance and maintain good relations with other members according to a set of principles adopted by the church….” (pg. 162)
It is clear from Rev. Boswell’s history of our association that our forefathers gave serious consideration of the responsibilities and ramifications of church membership. “Some of the cases and questions may seem trivial to us, but they were taken as a serious part of our forefather’s church responsibility”, which included “to maintain the church’s witness before the world. It is also noted in their favor, that early Baptists of our area placed a high value on their fellowship within the church” and showed “genuine concern for the life of a Christian brother.” (pg. 32-33)
Imagine being able to respond to the common excuse, “Your church is full of hypocrites,” by saying, “Well, I agree we’re not perfect, but we are committed to following Christ,” knowing that the lives and ministries of church members backed that up. Rather than driving people away, meaningful membership could be the most attractive witness a church could offer. Recovery of meaningful membership will allow the light of the gospel to shine through us with greater clarity and beauty. Pastor Mark Dever writes: “If you can get a reputation in the community as a church in which people’s lives are actually changed, you will begin to see some amazing things.”
Changed lives. People committed to one another for the glory of God. That’s what many people have never seen or heard of. That’s what they need to see! That's what meaningful church membership is all about.
GH
When it comes to MEANINGFUL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP and the organization of a church around an agreed upon statement of membership responsibilities (a church covenant), many folks first response is “I’ve never heard of that before!” That response gets to the very heart of the problem which meaningful church membership seeks to correct.
Taking the church seriously is not new. Ephesians 5:25-27 describes how Christ died for the church, to present her to himself as a holy, radiant church. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
Splendor. Without spot or wrinkle. Holy and without blemish. If such was the goal of Christ’s cross-bearing, such must also be the goal of our ministries. Christ is honored when his bride is holy, but that cannot be as long as many of the members making up that bride live like lost people. Christ is honored when churches are composed of people whose church membership means first of all a genuine, vital commitment to Christ, and second, a commitment to the people of that local body. Christ is honored when church membership is meaningful.
MEANINGFUL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP in an integral part of the heritage of many Person County churches. According to The Blessings of Beulah - A History of the Beulah Baptist Association written by Ron Boswell, Mill Creek Baptist Church is one example. Mill Creek was organized in 1835. Concerning the early days of this church we read: “In the early days new members were examined by the church membership regarding beliefs before being accepted as members. All members were required to be faithful in attendance and maintain good relations with other members according to a set of principles adopted by the church….” (pg. 162)
It is clear from Rev. Boswell’s history of our association that our forefathers gave serious consideration of the responsibilities and ramifications of church membership. “Some of the cases and questions may seem trivial to us, but they were taken as a serious part of our forefather’s church responsibility”, which included “to maintain the church’s witness before the world. It is also noted in their favor, that early Baptists of our area placed a high value on their fellowship within the church” and showed “genuine concern for the life of a Christian brother.” (pg. 32-33)
Imagine being able to respond to the common excuse, “Your church is full of hypocrites,” by saying, “Well, I agree we’re not perfect, but we are committed to following Christ,” knowing that the lives and ministries of church members backed that up. Rather than driving people away, meaningful membership could be the most attractive witness a church could offer. Recovery of meaningful membership will allow the light of the gospel to shine through us with greater clarity and beauty. Pastor Mark Dever writes: “If you can get a reputation in the community as a church in which people’s lives are actually changed, you will begin to see some amazing things.”
Changed lives. People committed to one another for the glory of God. That’s what many people have never seen or heard of. That’s what they need to see! That's what meaningful church membership is all about.
GH
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