MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES
At FMBC, we believe in “Meaningful Membership.” Meaningful Membership is a term created to describe biblical (church) membership. It basically means each person is making a commitment to the other people they are joining and being joined to in a specific local church. The commitment they are making includes responsibilities. In the “American church” today, commitment is a scary word. We have been taught that commitments are bad or dangerous or foolish. Commitment is not bad or dangerour or foolish. Commitment is godly. There should be a conviction that God is calling you to commit to anything you do. That is the life of faith. And the Bible makes it clear everything we do should be done in faith (Col. 3:17). What you will read below is from the last session of our FMBC 101 class. It outlines the responsibilities each person who comes into membership is committing to do as part of the larger group. The expectation is the member will keep their commitment. These responsibilities are God-given, not FMBC given and every church member everywhere would be expected to embrace them for the glory of God, the joy of all peoples, and their own good. Not all churches administer or expect these despite the Bible clearly assigning them to each of us, but at FMBC we do. We want to be “a faithful, biblically literate church.” To do that, we teach each person that joins or wants to consider joining the following information.
OUR MODEL FOR
MEMBERSHIP:
THE FIRST CHURCH
What the First Christians Did in the Jerusalem Church
And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”
ACTS 5:42 (NLT)
All the believers met together . . . and shared everything they had . . . They worshiped together regularly in the temple courts. They also met together in small groups in homes and fellowshipped with communion and eating together.
They also shared whatever they had with joy and generosity. They praised God together and the whole city liked them so every day more people were saved, and the Lord added to the number of believers in the church.
ACTS 2:44, 46–47 (NLT)
1. They united into a congregation.
2. They shared to meet each other’s needs.
3. They worshiped in the Temple courts.
4. They met in small groups in homes for fellowship.
5. They celebrated communion.
6. They ate together.
7. They gave generously and joyfully.
8. They built a reputation for love.
9. They brought people to Christ every day.
10. Never stopped growing!
What Does It Mean to Be a Member of FMBC?
The Bible is very clear about the privileges and responsibilities of belonging to a church family. These are spelled out in our Membership Covenant, which has been signed by everyone who is now a member of our FMBC family.
Having received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and been baptized by full immersion, and being in agreement with FMBC’s statements, strategy, and structure, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with the Freedom Missionary Baptist Church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members to do the following:
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I will protect the unity of my church.
- By acting in love towards other members
- By refusing to gossip and by resolving conflicts using Matthew 18:15–17
- By following the leaders
“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.”
MATTHEW 18:15–17 (NLT)
So let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character.
ROMANS 14:19 (PHILLIPS)
Live in complete harmony with each other—each with the attitude of Christ toward the other.
ROMANS 15:5 (TLB)
Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.
1 PETER 1:22 (GNT)
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
EPHESIANS 4:29 (NIV)
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you.
HEBREWS 13:17 (NET)
2. I will share the responsibility of my church.
- By praying for its growth
- By inviting the unchurched to attend
- By warmly welcoming those who visit
We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.
1 THESSALONIANS 1:2 (NLT)
“ ‘Go out into the country lanes . . . and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.’ ”
LUKE 14:23 (TLB)
So warmly welcome each other into the church, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified.
ROMANS 15:7 (TLB)
3. I will serve the ministry of my church.
- By discovering my gifts and talents
- By being equipped by my pastors to serve
- By developing a servant’s heart
Serve one another with the particular gifts God has given each of you.
1 PETER 4:10 (PHILLIPS)
It was [God] who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed . . . others to be pastors and teachers.
He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.
EPHESIANS 4:11–12 (GNT)
When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. But [Christ] gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant.
PHILIPPIANS 2:3–4, 7 (NCV)
4. I will support the testimony of my church.
- By attending faithfully
- By living a growing and godly life
- By giving regularly
Let us not give up the habit of meeting together . . . let us encourage one another.
HEBREWS 10:25 (GNT)
But whatever happens, make sure that your everyday life is worthy of the Gospel
of Christ.
PHILIPPIANS 1:27 (PHILLIPS)
On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week.
1 CORINTHIANS 16:2 (TLB)
One-tenth of all crops belongs to the Lord, including the crops from fields and the fruit from trees. That one-tenth is holy to the Lord.
LEVITICUS 27:30 (NCV)