THE MEANING AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

When we are born again by the Spirit of God we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, seek to serve him as our Lord, and are adopted into the Family of God (John 1:12,13). It is God’s will that we become visibly identified with our brothers and sisters in this new family relationship which is his church (Acts 2:47).

The pastor-teachers are to help the members of the congregation discover their own gifts, develop them and use them in their work of ministry to and through the church and in the world (Ephesians 4:11-13). It might be helpful to think of the pastors as coaches and the congregation as a team. Members of this team need to be out on the field actively playing the game--not passively sitting as spectators in the stands watching others play. Scripture also pictures the church as a body (I Corinthians 12:12-27). Just as a body has many complimentary parts and is healthy only if all the parts are healthy, so the church is healthy only as each individual member is vitally united to Christ and is actively using the gifts God has given him or her in harmony with the other members who are using theirs.

WHAT MEMBERS MAY EXPECT FROM RIVERMONT EVANGELICAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

• Frequent worship full of praise, including the celebration of the Lord’s Supper at morning worship on the first Sunday of each month and at other special times;
• The glad acceptance of the Bible as God’s infallible Word, Christ-centered preaching;
• Evangelical, reformed theology;
• Stimulating music, with a full music program;
• Biblical Christian Education for all ages;
• Youth ministry from kindergarten through college;
• Home Prayer, Bible Study and Sharing Groups for adults;
• A loving outreach to the world through both personal involvement and through local and world missions;
• Warm Christian fellowship;
• And the provision of pastoral care by the pastors, elders, deacons and other members.

WHAT THE CHURCH EXPECTS FROM YOU

We expect that our members will seek to live according to the will of God as it is revealed in the Scriptures, be regular in their attendance at public worship on the Lord's Day, will plan to pray and to read their Bibles daily, will, if they have children, undertake to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord, will give sacrificially of themselves, their time, talents, money and other possessions for the upbuilding of the church and its outreach to the world, will discover, develop and use their natural and spiritual gifts for service, will work to get to know others in our church family, will let the pastors or other leaders know when there are special needs, will promote both the harmony and purity of the church, will aim to be good witnesses for Jesus Christ, and will endeavor in all they say and do in every area of their lives to glorify God.