This is a long post about what the expectations of being a member of a church that truly is Jesus centered. It is a letter that I give all new members to Cottondale UMC, but I believe it should be seen by all members of the Church. Now That I’m a Member Local churches are like families. Some are healthier than others. All have issues. Unfortunately, many churches are suffering from a serious case of consumerism. The cultural norm of too many congregations has become “How can you serve me?” rather than “How can I serve Christ and others?” But I believe many pastors and church leaders are to blame as much as their flocks. We pastors simply have not done a good job of communicating upfront what we expect of church members. I have a high view of church membership, and I hope I lead my church to have the same view. As we assimilate new people into the body of Christ, the goal is to maintain a culture of high expectations of every church member. I believe the best starting point for setting these expectations is a new member class. Whatever descriptor you use for the class, whatever timeslot you choose to teach the class, every new member class should communicate three key points about your church: information, doctrine, and expectations. Information gives new people an idea of the basics of your church: staff, worship style, ministry philosophy, and where the bathrooms are located. Doctrine lets people know upfront what you believe. You can no longer assume people understand historical denominational differences. Additionally, churches within the same denomination in the same town can be quite different now. Don’t surprise people. Don’t downplay doctrine. Don’t confuse people. Be clear about what you believe and who you are. Expectations are often neglected when we’re communicating with potential new members. After all, we don’t want to scare them away with a stack of sign-up sheets. But I believe the lack of clarifying expectations on the front end of membership is one of the main reasons why we’re encouraging an unhealthy culture of consumerism in the church. So what should you expect of new members? Here are some expectations that we teach in Cottondale United Methodist Church’s confirmation classes. 1. I will worship. We expect people to attend worship services regularly, and we expect them to worship with the heart, the mind, and the will. Fellowship and worship are a vital part of a Christian’s growth and ability to stay spiritually strong and effective for God. We expect members to regularly attend one of our Sunday services. (Hebrews 10:25). 2. I will mature. We expect people to grow spiritually through small groups. We desire for people to have a sense of belonging to our church. Christians should regularly study the Bible for themselves in order to gain wisdom for how to live their lives according to God’s desires. Also, we encourage Gateway members to regularly participate in Gateway’s weekly Bible studies and CONNECTIONS “small group” sessions, as this provides an opportunity to discuss your faith with other believers. (Acts 17:11) 3. I will serve. God created us to serve. He gifted us to serve. And He commands us to serve. Every member should function in the body, and this functioning happens through service. Members should serve one another inside the church to build up and encourage one another (1 Peter 4:10). Member should also grow in their service to go outside the walls of the building and into the community. We encourage members to serve in some capacity 1-2 hours weekly. There are a myriad of service opportunities ranging from children’s ministry, card ministry, visiting or preparing meals for the sick, cleaning, lawn care, maintenance team, worship team, Gateway on the Go teams, etc. 4. I will give. Mature believers have a generous spirit. We expect all members to give their tithe, time, and resources for the mission of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. The tithe (10%) has always been a standard for God’s people to contribute to the church, to allow it to meet the needs of the ministry, members, and community. We believe that Jesus upheld this principle in Matthew 23:23 and encourage Gateway members to grow in the grace of giving to the church and others. (Leviticus 27:30, 1 Timothy 6:18, Ephesians 4:38). Each member is encouraged to participate in the capital campaign to help reduce the debt of the church. 5. I will seek unity. We have a wonderfully unified body of believers at this church. I tell new people that it takes effort and patience to remain a unified church. It also takes knowing who you are in Jesus, being secure in your relationship and seeing it grow daily. 6. I will pray. All members should pray corporately and privately. Above all, they should pray for gospel fruit. 7. I will sacrifice. Membership means serving first. Sacrifice means putting gospel work above your preferences. The church’s main purpose is to share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him (Matthew 28:19-20). Evangelism is often considered an imposing activity. However, it can be quite simple and only involves being with people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus. Members should make a point of sharing their lives with those outside the church. You do not join a church to see what you can get out of it. You join a church to sacrifice for the mission of God. And all churches should be clear about how they accomplish this mission. Set the expectations upfront, and you will likely see fewer people with a consumer mentality. There is no perfect local church in this world, but that’s not the biggest problem. Still, many of us expect to find a local church that is perfect, but that’s not the biggest problem either. We all possess different ideas of what makes a “perfect” church, and the real problem is when those expectations are not met. We end up feeling cheated, disappointed and upset. It’s not wrong to have expectations of what a local church can or should be, or have desires as to what we may want or need from a pastor. We can’t help but have an idea of what the music should sound like, what makes good preaching, how easy it is to connect with others, what the demographic of the church should be, what kinds of small groups are available, how much outreach goes on and how it’s done and the list goes on. The average church member has been led to believe that activity within a local church is strictly voluntary, meaning members can come, give, share, and participate as they please. Church rolls have too long carried the weight of inactive and spiritually immature people who wrongly believe they may do as little as possible and still remain part of the local church. To counter this myth, consider the attitude of Paul, who often likened himself to a soldier, a servant, and a prisoner. He took his role in ministry seriously, and so should every believer. Expectations of involvement are regularly placed on church members through civic organizations, sports, etc. The work of the local church carries much more weight than worldly pursuits such as these! The lack of impact in our world is evident because there are little or no expectations placed on church members. Like the believers in the New Testament, we must be committed to ministry through the local church. The work of evangelism—sharing ones transformation in Christ with others—is the joyful task of every believer, not just the gifted. Transformation discipleship gives dual focus within believers. Simultaneously, believers mature in their Christian walk while sharing Christ with the world. A disciple of Christ cant grow without also being a vibrant and verbal witness for Him. A common saying in churches is, Eighty percent of the money and effort are given by 20 percent of the people. The church has long accepted actions and attitudes that allow the minority to give sacrificially in doing the work of ministry to support the majority. But this kind of behavior was not part of the first church, as seen in Acts 2:41-45. The early church was filled with involved, generous, servant-hearted, unified people. We must be proactive in addressing this issue. Churches must remind their members of the relevance of membership in the local body of believers through addressing low expectations and reasons people are not actively involved. Every believer should participate in a local fellowship because Jesus died for the church. Should we not be willing to give ourselves to that for which Jesus sacrificed? When we allow myths such as these to become reality in our congregations, we limit our impact for Christ. Myths rob our churches and members of being all that Christ intends them to be. As a pastor, I encounter these and many other expectations, every day. With all of these expectations around, I have learned that if a congregation is any larger than two people, someone will end up disappointed. This does not mean there should be no expectations. We should understand healthy expectations we can have of our local churches and pastors. And we need to do this. But before we begin with the church and with our pastors, let’s begin with ourselves. Expect to be more than a consumer It may do us well to place the first expectation on ourselves. In my experience, many people enter through the doors of a local church as a consumer. We even call the process of selecting a church, “church shopping.” Mind you, I don’t blame anyone for thinking this way. Over the years many pastors have made the effort to please and accommodate everyone who walks through their doors. We treat people like paying customers, not like fellow brothers and sisters. What has been subtly caught and taught is that pastors and staff do all the work, and the average parishioner is supposed to show up, give some cash and maybe bring a friend every now and then. Men and women who are a part of a local church are worth far more than being viewed as simple consumers. In my opinion, men and women who are a part of a local church are worth far more than being viewed as simple consumers. I have had the chance to meet, follow, work alongside and learn from some of the most amazing people in my local church. The worst expectation they could ever have is to think they are nothing more than consumers. And the same goes for us. All of us have been given gifts, talents and experiences that are needed and should be used to serve God, our brothers and sisters in our local church, and the world in which we live. We must place this expectation on ourselves first and foremost. This will help to shape our other expectations. Expect and encourage pastoral health Too often we assume our pastors are godly, spiritual and healthy. After all, these are men and women who spend hours studying God’s word, praying and practicing spiritual disciplines. How can they not be healthy? But don’t forget pastors are exactly like you. We are broken and bruised men and women made in the image of an almighty God who are in the process of being made whole. Just like there is no perfect church, there is no perfect pastor. And beware of any pastor who tells you anything different. We are on the same spiritual journey of transformation and renewal you are. This is why the biggest gift you can give to your pastor is to support him or her in the pursuit of emotional and spiritual health. Never forget this. This can happen in simple ways. Pray for them. Encourage them when they take a few days off with family. Ask them about who they are, and not just what the church is about. Don’t hang out with them just because they are the pastor—spend time with them because they are your brother or sister. Give them grace in their weakness. Don’t assume they hear nice compliments all the time, rather send them a note filled with life-giving words. The best expectation you can have for your pastor is that he or she constantly work to maintain physical, emotional, relational and spiritual health. The best thing for any congregation is to have a pastor who is healthy, whole, and maintains a good heart. If you do this, the very gift you give will end up being a gift to yourself. Because when your pastor is healthy, he or she will be able to love, serve and care for your congregation in the best way possible. Expect to be part of the solution It’s easy to complain, point out what’s wrong and observe inconsistencies. What takes real work is agreeing to work toward solutions to the problems. We should expect to be a part of the solutions to the problems we see. It’s easy to complain, point out what’s wrong and observe inconsistencies. What takes real work is agreeing to work toward solutions to the problems that exist in the local church. What I’ve learned is that when someone comments about the poor condition of a local church building, they are often people who understand a thing or two about how to fix the building. If a person complains that people are not being cared for well, they are typically someone who has the heart of a shepherd. Is the music bad? I bet he or she is a musician. Which means the next time we see something that we don’t like, it may be our way of learning how we can use our gifts to serve. When we are willing to serve in this way, things improve, and those who have similar gifts and passions will join you in your work. In the end, it’s not just solving a problem, but providing a way for more people to use their gifts. Perhaps if we can start with these simple expectations we may find, that while it will surely not create the perfect church, it just may create a more healthy church. And there’s no problem with that. I pray that we can and will unite with each other to help the Kingdom of God expand to all areas of our lives and communities. This is what being a member of Cottondale UMC focuses on. Be blessed and know that God loves you and your pastor loves you. All for His Glory, Pastor Mike Holland
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 13:43:56 +0000
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