Meaningful Church Membership
Hespeler Baptist Church believes, desires, teaches, encourages and expects baptized believers to belong to a local church through membership.
In membership, the church and individual publicly agree to a covenant with each other.
We believe membership ought to be meaningful and at Hespeler we carry that out in four ways:
We will affirm you in the gospel
As elders and a congregation, we will commit to affirming you in the gospel by publicly identifying and covenanting with you as a baptized member and follower of Jesus Christ.
We will oversee you in the gospel
As elders we commit to overseeing you in the gospel, as those who will one day given an account to God (Hebrews 13:17). We will do this through: the preaching and teaching of God’s Word in our worship services, mid-week studies, relevant small groups, podcasting, discipleship, mentoring, counselling, and holding you accountable in living a God-glorifying, cross-centered life.
As a congregation we commit to overseeing you in the gospel through transparent relationships, which cultivates an environment where accountability, speaking the truth in love, mutual encouragement, and bearing one another’s burdens can happen.
We will engage you in the work of the gospel
As elders we commit to engaging you in the work of the gospel by providing opportunities for service in the kingdom work God has given us to do both locally and globally. We will discern with you the ways God has gifted you and how you should be using these gifts in the context of this local church to build the body of Christ and spread God’s fame.
As a congregation we will engage with you in the work of the gospel. Although we are many members, we are one body and commit to working with you with the same mind, love, and purpose (Philippians 2:3) to proclaim to the world character and gospel of God through the ministry of Hespeler Baptist Church.
We will guard you and the gospel
As elders we have a reputation to uphold. It’s not ours. It’s not yours. It’s not the church’s. It’s Christ’s. While we commit to constantly engage in formative discipline (teaching, preaching, counseling, encouraging, discipling, exhorting) we also commit to guarding you and the gospel through corrective discipline (removal of privileges, call to repentance, excommunication) where and when necessary. The purpose of this is always restorative (Galatians 6:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13). Should any member become entangled in persistent, unrepentant sin we will take appropriate steps to guard the testimony of Christ’s church in the local community.
As elders we also commit to guarding you and the gospel by refuting false teaching and keeping a close watch for wolves in sheep’s clothing who would seek to come in and destroy the flock of God (Acts 20:28-31, 2 Timothy 2:14).
Expectations For Members
Gather
To gather for weekly worship services, prayer, relevant small groups, events and members meetings where possible
Serve
Using the spiritual gifts God has given you to build up the body however you are able
(1 Corinthians 12:7)
Submit
Submitting to the body of Christ and being transparent with other church members in which you care for, encourage, rebuke, teach and learn from each other (Ephesians 5:21) and (Ephesians 4:15-16)
Give
Giving of your time, money and resources regularly, cheerfully, generously and at times sacrificially for the work of the gospel
Respect
To respect and submit to the spiritual authority of those in leadership (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5)
Pray
Praying for the work and victory of the gospel
Live
Living a lifestyle of faith and repentance; putting to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13); resisting the devil (Ephesians 6:10-20; James 4:7); and not loving the world or desires of the world (1 John 2:15-17)
Benefits of Membership
Benefits to Elders
Meaningful membership provides a clear picture to elders of who they are to watch over as those who will give an account to God.
Benefits to the Congregation
Meaningful membership provides a clear, public picture of who is committed to the local church and who the local church is committed to.
Benefits to You
Meaningful membership commits you to the church, commits others to you, provides you with the spiritual protection of elders, provides spiritual leadership and provides you with the comfort of knowing that a whole group of people would rather remove you from membership than tolerate unrepentant sin! Given the deceitfulness of sin, this is an encouraging reality!
Benefits to the Watching World
Meaningful membership is important because it is the only way for a church to corporately tell the truth about God and the gospel. The only satisfying explanation for why we live this way and how we are able to live this is way is that the transforming power of the gospel is real, that Jesus Christ did come to earth, die on a cross, save us from God’s wrath, rise from the dead, ascend into heaven, and will one day return.
