What is a Church Member?
Many of us have been members of something at one point in our lives. Think about some of the organizations that you might have been a member of in the past such as a local gym or a store like Costco. Get that idea in your mind. Now understand, becoming a member of a local church is nothing like that.
In a normal organization, members are more committed to the services rendered than they are to each other. Take a gym for example. People become members for its convenience, classes, and equipment. Their commitment is completely based on their wants and needs. This means that if another member of the gym doesn’t show up for three months, they are unaffected.
In the church, membership is the opposite. A church member is committing to the other members, and the other members are committing to them. This commitment is not kindled by convenience and consumption, but a conviction and calling to participate in the church’s ministry to itself, to its guests, and to those outside its walls.
This kind of membership leads us to live together in such a way that not showing up for an extended period of time does affect others.
It’s just like membership in a physical family. When one member of the family suffers, the remainder of the family does, too. The same is true for the one who is honored; they honor us all (1 Corinthians 12:26).
So, a church member is…
Someone who has made a commitment first and foremost to Jesus, who binds each local church family together. They’ve also committed to sharing all that was listed on page 4.
Someone who is stepping away from mere self-reliance and toward their genuine need for brothers and sisters in Christ.
Someone who is accepting and giving accountability to the Great Commandments (loving God and others) and the Great Commission, that the family might be healthy and grow.
Someone who is being counted as part of the family so the elders and deacons can better understand, serve, and administrate the household as a whole.
Someone who is joined to a local family of believers and is committing to their well-being.
If you’re ready to join Griggs Church in this way, here is our membership process.
