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At Fort Caroline Baptist Church we allow our youth and adult Life Groups to align with the sermons I preach on Sunday mornings. This means that the groups are studying the same passage I am preaching from. Since we began offering this option 80% of our adult life groups and 100% of our youth groups have aligned to the message series. Our members tell us that they enjoy digging deeper into the truths they hear me preach. The group-time gives them the ability to ask questions that the sermon raised. It also allows people the chance to discuss ways to apply the lessons they are learning from God's Word. The leaders in the late Bible study hour tell me that they enjoy the extra preparation they receive by hearing the sermon prior to going to their group. One of the results of this approach is our people leave church on Sunday having focused on one "Big Idea" from God's Word and how it applies to daily living. To learn more about the benefits of aligning your small group ministry with the preaching ministry of the church you can watch the brief video below (Josh Hunt interviewed me and John Shultz about the idea) and read my previous post on the topic here. I also recommend the book, "The Big Idea," by Dave Ferguson.
"Why are we starting this new ministry?" "Are we really trying to reach those 'kind' of people?" "You mean the church really believes THAT?" "Do I have to be baptized to be saved?" "Why doesn't this church observe Communion every Sunday?" "Do you baptize babies?"
These are just a few of the questions I have been asked by members and prospective members alike. A lot of people have various answers to these questions; some have the right answers and some have the wrong answers. Without a clear communication of what membership means at Fort Caroline Baptist Church confusion invariably ensues.
Fort Caroline Baptist Church desires to make church membership meaningful. This requires that people truly understand and accept who we are as a church. Without a membership class people become full-fledged members possibly without knowing the basic doctrines and distinctive ministry objectives of our church. I teach NextSteps new member's class because it helps unify our members around four qualities of a healthy church.
1. A Common Salvation (A Regenerate Membership)
Our church will never have unity of purpose until we have unity of faith. We must make sure our members start their journey of faith on the same starting mark – faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. This first segment of NextSteps Membership helps people understand the basics of what the Bible teaches concerning salvation. After focusing on how sin has disrupted God's original design for humanity – perfect communion with him – the class then shifts to the only possible solution to the sin problem: the death of God's own son, Jesus Christ. Many of the people who attend this class have never trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior. This class enables me to lead people to make this important commitment to Christ. Several people who have attended the class over the years have trusted Christ and followed Him in believer's baptism! We follow the lesson on salvation with the meaning of the two biblical symbols of salvation – baptism and the Lord's Supper.
2. A Common Statement
Next, the attention of the class turns to the basic beliefs of the church, starting with the congregation's mission statement to "Love God, Love Others, and Serve the World." For many who are new to our congregation this will be their first introduction to what it means to be a part of a church with a clear mission. The class goes through all five purposes of the church (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism) and explains how they impact our church's ministry. The class then focuses on the essential theological beliefs of our church, including what we believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, eternity, and more. Each participant receives a copy of The Baptist Faith and Message of the Southern Baptist Convention. This is the official doctrinal statement of our church. Each person who desires membership at FCBC should read and agree with the statement. Finally, we take a look at the lifestyle expectations of church members, including their responsibility to be regular in worship attendance, to tithe, to join a Life Group, to serve in a ministry, and to share their faith.
3. A Common Strategy
If our church members agree on a common salvation and common belief statements but not on a strategy, we will still be climbing uphill on our journey to fulfill our mission in our context. The NextSteps Membership class helps us explain our church's strategy for reaching our community and world. Included in this session is information on the concentric circles of commitment (Community, Crowd, Congregation, Committed, Core). Explaining our strategy to help people move in their commitment to Christ and His church helps members understand why we do the things we do as a church (and why we don't do other things).
4. A Common Structure
This section helps unpack different metaphors the New Testament uses for the church, including the church as a family, as the Body of Christ, and as a flock. It then helps show how these truths shape how our church structures itself with Pastors, Deacons, Small Groups, and ministries. As a prelude to what attendees will learn in NextSteps (Discovering My Ministry)the class also teaches the biblical role of pastors as administers of the church and members as the ministers. This will help prepare our members for learning their spiritual gifts and abilities and using them to serve others in the church. Few other biblical truths can have such a transformative effect on the life of our congregation and free our church to reach its ministry potential.
We also include information on our denominational affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Florida Baptist Convention, and the Jacksonville Baptist Association. Class members receive information about our church's history, staff, and ministry opportunities. We conclude with a discussion of membership expectations.
Finally, those attending the class are urged to join our team as church members. Best of all, new church members will be on the same page and will be ready to go to the next stage of their spiritual journey with us!
Please call the church office at 904-642-2288 if you would like to attend NextSteps Membership. The class is open to everyone and there is no obligation or pressure to join the church. The class is 21/2 hours long and child-care is available. It is informal and fun! We are offering the class on May 22, 2011 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. I hope you will join me soon!
I recently read a very thought-provoking article on the sad state of affairs in most of our Southern Baptist Churches. I am so thankful that our church has taken steps to restore church membership to a meaningful commitment in the lives of believers. You can read the article by clicking the link below.
http://www.9marks.org/ejournal/meaningless-membership-southern-baptist-perspective
