This morning, we renamed membership! Instead of joining into membership at CCF...starting today, we invite people into partnership.Why not membership?
- First of all, just because we have always done something or held to a certain name, does not mean we always have to! Sometimes, it is really healthy to rename or redefine for the sake of the new thing that God may want to do!
- Next, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, as far as I am concerned, you are already a member of the body of Christ! No membership status will ever beat that!
- Also, your membership at BJ's, the local pool and the country club requires that you pay a fee and receive a service or benefit. I think that perspective only fuels the growing consumeristic mindset of church shoppers more then it makes disciples.
- Finally, I have been leading our Discovery 101 membership class for the last 3-4 years and have noticed that the "M" word (membership) scares more people off than the Boogie Man...and that should not be so. People are missing the point. And I for one think that is because of the baggage and anxiety that people bring to that very word...membership. I am tired of running people off and seeing them miss the point.
- We would like to think of connecting to CCF as Partnering with a movement, more than becoming a member of a club.
- Partners team up to provide a service, more than receive one. I have said it before. We are the church and we exist to serve and reach the world. We are the servants, not the recipients.
- At CCF, we believe that each of us is called by God for ministry (Eph. 4:11-13) to join the body of Christ in partnering together to love God (Matt. 22:36-40), love each other (Matt. 22:36-40) and to go and make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20).
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6
1 comment:
I have a comment....this post is in no way an attack on those churches that are committed to membership language. It is just what the Lord is doing HERE.
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