Membership: Expectations According to God’s Standard
Many Christians struggle when there are no clear expectations within a church’s membership structure. By clarifying roles and responsibilities for both the member and the church at large, both can minister more effectively.
Author
Travis Agnew
Lead Pastor
Membership
Membership: Expectations According to God’s Standard
Many Christians struggle when there are no clear expectations within a church’s membership structure. By clarifying roles and responsibilities for both the member and the church at large, both can minister more effectively.
Travis Agnew
Lead Pastor
The Need
- Front-Door Problem: If expectations aren’t clearly defined at a member’s entry point, it is doubtful that those individuals will ever meet them.
- Back-Door Problem: Without a defined system of evaluating and removing church members, roles get inflated, and people get overlooked.
- Open Door Problem: Too many options in a church leave people unsure of what is necessary.
- Closed Door Problem: Without clear guides for development within a church, people can become frustrated with a lack of forward motion.
- Next Door Problem: Churches cannot make decisions for their members based on the activities of the other churches around them.
The Word: Hebrews 13:17
- Within the New Testament, we never discover a Christian seeking to follow Jesus in isolation.
- The phrase “church membership” is not found in the Bible, but the principle is taught throughout.
- In Hebrews 13:17, the author implies two critical things:
- Christians should know who they submit to
- Pastors should know who they are responsible for
- Acts 2:37-47 – The early Church tracked who was converted and how they connected.
- Acts 6:1-7 – When problems arose within a group of Christians, a set group of pastors assigned duties to select individuals.
- Acts 20:29-30 – Paul warns about dangerous people inside and outside the church.
- Romans 16:1-16 – Like this chapter, many New Testament letters end with a list of specific church leaders and members.
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-12 – Paul encourages the church to enact discipline on a sinning member among them.
- 1 Timothy 5:3-17 – Paul gave this pastor directions on how to care for needs within his distinctive church.
- 1 Peter 5:1-5 – Peter instructs how pastors should interact with their congregations.
The Task
- First Step
- How do you describe your church online and onsite?
- What is your system for connecting people once they visit?
- Step In
- How is salvation assessed?
- How is baptism handled?
- How is membership confirmed?
- Step Up
- How will you connect the member to the church?
- How will you care for the member?
- Step Out
- How will you utilize the giftings?
- What process do you have to keep them on mission?
