Church Membership

In a day when commitment is a rare commodity, it should come as no surprise that church membership is such a low priority to so many believers. Sadly, it is not uncommon for Christians to move from church to church, never submitting themselves to the care of elders and never committing themselves to a group of fellow believers.

To neglect—or to refuse—to join a church as a formal member, however, reflects a misunderstanding of the believer’s responsibility to the body of Christ. And it also cuts one off from the many blessings and opportunities that flow from this commitment. It is essential for every Christian to understand what church membership is and why it matters.

The Definition of Church Membership

When an individual is saved, he becomes a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). Because he is united to Christ and the other members of the body in this way, he is therefore qualified to become a member of a local expression of that body.

To become a member of a church is to formally commit oneself to a local body of believers who have joined together for specific, divinely ordained purposes. These purposes include receiving instruction from God’s Word, serving and edifying one another through the proper use of spiritual gifts, participating in the ordinances, and proclaiming the gospel to those who are lost. In addition, when one becomes a member of a church, he submits himself to the care and the authority of the biblically qualified elders that God has placed in that assembly.

POUND RIVER CHURCH STATEMENT ON MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the church must be preceded by becoming a genuine follower of Jesus Christ through having responded by faith by the drawing of the Holy Spirit to the message of the gospel.

Membership in the local church carries both blessings and responsibilities.  There are times when you will be required to give and times when you will need to be willing to receive.  Members of the Church will be held accountable to the responsibilities that are generally though not exhaustively outlined below.  They are exhaustively written in the New Testament which we hold as our guidebook for living.

• To submit to the authority of the Scriptures as the final arbiter on all issues (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:14- 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
• To pursue the Lord Jesus Christ through regular Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, and practice of spiritual disciplines (Luke 18:1; Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Ephesians 5:1-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22).
• To follow the command and example of Jesus by participating in the ordinances prescribed to His Church:
  • being baptized after conversion
  • remembering and celebrating the person and work of Christ through communion
• To regularly participate in the life of Pound River Church by faithful attendance of worship services, engaging in gospel centered community outreach and joyfully serving those within the church (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25; Titus 3:14).
• To steward the resources God has given each Member, including time, talents, spiritual gifts and finances. This stewardship includes regular financial giving, service and participation in community that is sacrificial, cheerful and voluntary. Members are encouraged to practice a simple, non-conforming way of life. (Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18)).
• By God’s grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, to walk in holiness in all areas of life as an act of worship to Jesus Christ. Members should strive to put certain attitudes and actions to death while stirring and stimulating love and good deeds through the Spirit. (1 Peter 1:13-16, 4:1-3).
• to take seriously the responsibility of Christian freedom, especially actions or situations that could present a stumbling block to another (1 Corinthians 8:1-13).
• to submit to the discipline of God through His Holy Spirit by:
• following the biblical procedures for church discipline where sin is evident in another, the hope of such discipline being repentance and restoration.
• receiving righteous and loving discipline when approached biblically by fellow believers (Psalm 141:5; Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; Hebrews 12:5-11).
• to do the following when the Member sins:
  • confess the sin to God and to fellow believers.
  • repent and seek help to put the sin to death (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5; James 5:16; 1 John 1:6-10).
• to submit to the appointed leaders of the Church, for they watch out for your souls and diligently strive for unity and peace within the Church (Ephesians 4:1-3; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5).

Removal from Membership of Pound River Church can happen in the following ways:

Voluntary Resignation of Membership: A member can choose to resign their membership.  We ask that they discuss this with an elder/deacon of the church prior to making their final decision.

The church assumes that anyone who hasn’t attended a worship service in 6 months and during that time has not attempted to contact a member of the council of elders or a deacon of the church to discuss their circumstance wishes to voluntary resign their membership and will be removed from membership.

Involuntary Removal of Membership:  Members whose conduct consistently or grievously contradicts the commitments outlined in the New Testament without repentance will be reviewed by the council of elders and if appropriate brought before the church for removal.  Removal of membership will be affirmed by a majority vote of the members present at the meeting.

Restoration of Membership:  Any person previously removed from membership may be restored to membership upon majority vote of the Church.

Biblical Eldership

Biblically, the focal point of all church leadership is the elder. An elder is one of a plurality of biblically qualified men who jointly shepherd and oversee a local body of believers. The word translated “elder” is used nearly twenty times in Acts and the epistles in reference to this unique group of leaders who have responsibility for overseeing the people of God.

The Office of Elder

As numerous passages in the New Testament indicate, the words “elder”, “overseer”, and “pastor” all refer to the same office. In other words, overseers and pastors are not distinct from elders; the terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people.

A Plurality of Elders

The consistent pattern throughout the New Testament is that each local body of believers is shepherded by a plurality of God-ordained elders. Simply stated, this is the only pattern for church leadership given in the New Testament. Nowhere in Scripture does one find a local assembly ruled by majority opinion or by a single pastor.

Again and again, reference is made to a plurality of elders in each of the various churches. In fact, every place in the New Testament where the term “elder” is used it is plural, except where the apostle John uses it of himself in 2 and 3 John and where Peter uses it of himself in 1 Peter 5:1.

Much can be said for the benefits of leadership made up of a plurality of godly men. Their combined counsel and wisdom help assure that decisions are not self-willed or self-serving to a single individual. If there is division among the elders in making decisions, all the elders should study, pray, and seek the will of God together until consensus is achieved. In this way, the unity and harmony that the Lord desires for the church will begin with those individuals he has appointed to shepherd His flock.

The Qualifications of Elders

The character and effectiveness of any church is directly related to the quality of its leadership. That’s why Scripture stresses the importance of qualified church leadership and delineates specific standards for evaluating those who would serve in that sacred position.

The qualifications for elders are found in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-8.

In addition, the office of elder is limited to men. First Timothy 2:11-12 says, “Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” In the church, women are to be under the authority of the elders, excluded from teaching men or holding positions of authority over them.

The Functions of Elders

The primary responsibility of an elder is to serve as a spiritual leader and caretaker of the church (1 Tim. 3:5). That involves a number of specific duties. As spiritual overseers of the flock, elders are to determine church policy (Acts 15:22); oversee the church (Acts 20:28); ordain others (1 Tim. 4:14); rule, teach, and preach (1 Tim. 5:17; cf. 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:2); exhort and refute (Titus 1:9); and act as shepherds, setting an example for all (1 Pet. 5:1-3). Those responsibilities put elders at the core of the New Testament church’s work.

The clear teaching of Scripture demonstrates that the biblical norm for church leadership is a plurality of God-ordained elders, and only by following this biblical pattern will the church maximize its fruitfulness to the glory of God.

Special Statement on Marriage & Sexuality

We believe that God creates each person as male or female according to His will and this is unchangeable. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that because God created each person male or female, in accordance to His will, He ascribes equal worth and value to both genders.  However, each gender has been given certain responsibilities that differ from one another but complement one another.  We affirm that because of the order of creation and as a result of the fall, women are not permitted to exercise authority over men in relation to the church and home.  This includes women preaching, pastoring, or serving as an elder or deacon within the church.  Women are however, instructed to teach their children and to teach other women.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as defined in Scripture. (Genesis 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

We believe, that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pedophilia, orgies, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.)

We believe, that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Pound River Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to its members and the community, it is imperative that all persons who are members of Pound River Church or serve as volunteers in any capacity, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22.) Additionally, we declare that Pound River Church facilities may not be used to conduct any ceremony that is contradiction to any of the statements written in this statement.

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)  We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Pound River Church.