New Members Class - Session 2 - What Do Church Members Do?

Introduction

We are jumping into the second session of our Church membership class. Today we are going to talk about what a Church Member does, or what the responsibilities of a Church member are.

This is something that is almost entirely lost on the American Church today. The seeker sensitive or attractional Church model has trained Church goers into becoming consumers. Meaning the Church has become a business that sells religious product. People come to Church to consume a variety of commodities.

·      Entertainment

·      Concert style worship

·      Preaching styled after TED talks

·      Spiritual experiences

·      Moral and practical advice

The Bible however does not frame the relationship between a Church and a Church Member in terms of a business and a consumer. Instead, a Church member is to be an active participant in the life of the Church. In-fact drawing a line between a local Church and its Church Members really misses the biblical basis of what a Church is. The local Church is–its membership. Today we are going to look at what the responsibilities of a Church Member are. Church membership is a two-way street, which you will see as we talk about it today.

The Offices of the Church

The best place for us to start this morning is by looking at the offices of the local Church to see how the authority and responsibility of a Church Member are inherently built in.

Members

Biblically there are three offices of the local Church: Members, deacons, and elders or pastors. The authority of a local Church rests with the congregation of the Church, which again is its membership.

Consider the authority given in the Bible to the whole congregation.

            1 Corinthians 5:1–5

            [1] It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is  not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. [2] And you are     arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from     among you.

            [3] For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already       pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. [4] When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, [5] you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may  be saved in the day of the Lord. (ESV)

The Church has the authority to remove someone from their membership, and this is something down when the body is assembled. It is not the Elders and Deacons who remove someone from the membership, but the assembled body. Right there we have authority located in the assembled body–the Church which again is its membership.

            Matthew 18:17–18

            [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to   the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. [18] Truly, I say to you,  whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth     shall be loosed in heaven. (ESV)

The binding and losing language is in reference to the authority of the local Church to make decisions about its membership or about whose profession of faith it affirms. The local Church is the highest court on earth. That is not to say the Church decides who is saved, but rather that it has the ability to make meaningful decisions about its membership.

These are both examples of the authority of the assembled body in Scripture. As Baptists we are Congregationalists, meaning we see the assembled body of the local Church as authoritative. It is not the Pastors alone who make decisions rather it is the whole body under the leadership and direction of the Elders of the Church.

Congregationalism does not just mean we vote on things; this is not just about Roberts Rules of Order. This means each member has a stake in what happens in the Church and is responsible for every other Member. Every Member is called to do the work of the ministry. This is not just a “you get to vote” but a “you get to be the Church.” There are many Churches who make room for authority in the congregation by putting everything to a vote and yet the members really do not do much past voting in business meetings which still misses the Biblical standard of what membership is supposed to be. Congregationalism at a minimum is having a say or a vote, but it also is much more than that.

Deacons

The next office of the local Church is the office of deacon. This is also an often-misunderstood role in evangelical Churches today. Some Churches treat them as elders and others as a board of trustees. However, the Bible tells us that deacons are servants, which is literally what the Greek word for deacons means they are servants or some scholars think slaves who rowed the ores in the bellies of large ships.

In Acts 6 we see that the office of deacon was made to alleviate the burden of service types ministry form those who taught so they could focus on the preaching of the Word. Listen to the need that led to the creation of the office of deacon.

            Acts 6:1–6

            [1] Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the    Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the       daily distribution. [2] And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said,            “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. [3] Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit           and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. [4] But we will devote ourselves to       prayer and to the ministry of the word.” [5] And what they said pleased the whole       gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of       Antioch. [6] These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on        them. (ESV)

Acts makes it very clear that the office of deacon is a calling unique from that of eldership in that it is an office centered on service and hospitality to allow those who teach to focus on teaching.

Paul gives the qualifications that a man or woman must have in order to be a deacon in

            1 Timothy 3:8–13

            [8] Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine,   not greedy for dishonest gain. [9] They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear   conscience. [10] And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they    prove themselves blameless. [11] The women likewise [my translation] must be  dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. [12] Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. [13] For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great  confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

This is a long list of character qualifications that a man or woman must have in order to serve the Church as a deacon or deaconess. We also believe that women can be deacons, for instance Phoebe in Romans 16:1 was a deacon of the Church.

The office of deacon is a specific calling that God gives to people in the Church.  It might be doing service type ministry such as childcare, AV, hospitality, and so on. Whatever it might be it is a high and noble calling to be a deacon in the local Church.

Elders

The final office is the office of Elder. The Bible uses three primary words to describe this office: Elder, Pastor, and Overseer or Bishop depending on your translation.

Other denominations will argue that these are different offices, but the titles are used interchangeably. For instance, when the Apostle Paul addresses the Elders in Ephesus in Acts 20 where Luke refers to them as Elders in verse 17.

            Acts 20:17

            [17] Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. (ESV)

 Then Paul calls them Overseers or Bishops just a few sentences later in verse 28.

            Acts 20:28

            [28] Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own             blood. (ESV)

The title of Pastor comes from the idea that Elders shepherd the sheep. Pastor comes from the word shepherd and alludes to the care, guide, and oversight a Pastor must give his Church.

            1 Peter 5:1–5

            [1] So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of   Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: [2] shepherd the          flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but    willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; [3] not            domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. [4] And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. [5] Likewise, you    who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility   toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (ESV)

Each title conveys different ideas. Elder that of maturity and wisdom, Overseer that of a guardian and administrator, and Pastor that of a shepherd.

Paul gives a long list of qualifications for elders in the letter to Titus and in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. These lists are very similar to the qualifications for deacons but include the ability to teach, which is what sets elders apart from deacons.  You also find similar lists of qualifications for Elders and Deacons in the letter to Titus.
            1 Timothy 3:1–7

            [1] The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a        noble task. [2] Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,      sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, [3] not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. [4] He must manage his  own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, [5] for if someone   does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? [6]   He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. [7] Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so  that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (ESV)

The lists are very similar between that of Elder and Deacon the main differences being that Elders must be “able to teach.” To be a Church Elder is not just a position of authority but also an office of teaching and pastoral care. If you cannot teach, you cannot be an Elder.

Additionally, the Apostle Paul teaches that only men can hold the office of Elder and perform the functions of and Elder in the local Church (1 Timothy 2:8-15)

The Church is to submit to and obey the leadership and oversight of the Elders (1 Peter 5:1-5).

            Hebrews 13:17

            [17] Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls,   as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with   groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (ESV)

The Elder’s leadership is to be loving and gentle and for the right motivations. Not out of compulsion or for money. Instead, it is a kind of servant leadership.

Additionally, the New Testament always speaks of Church Elders in the plural. Churches are to be led by a plurality of Elders. Churches are led by a plurality of Elders to ensure accountability in leadership and that the Elders are also being ministered to individually by one another.

Now you might be wondering “okay you said the authority rests in the congregation, but the Elders are to be obeyed and submitted to, which is it?” And the answer to that question is yes.

I like the way one theologian of the Church put it, “Churches are pastor led, deacon served and congregationally approved. (R. Stanton Norman, The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church).” This is called ELC. Elder led congregationalism.

God has built in a system of checks and balances into the governance of the Church to protect it and promote health, and for that we are thankful.

Evangelism and Missions

Now with it established that being a Church Member does not mean being a consumer or just a person with a vote, but rather someone with real responsibility in the body let’s get into those responsibilities starting with the Great Commission.

            Matthew 28:18–20

             [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been    given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the  name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe   all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”      (ESV)

The Great Commission is a command and a task that Jesus gives to all of His followers. The mission of the Church is the Great Commission. This is the chief responsibility Jesus gave His Church before ascending back into Heaven. It is a monumental task.

There are two ways that we express what obedience to the Great Commission looks like: Evangelism and Missions.

Evangelism has to do with sharing the Gospel. It might look like telling a coworker, a family member, the barista you see at Dunkin every morning, or someone else in your path Who Jesus is and what He has done for you.

Missions has to do with taking the Gospel to other nations by planting Churches. Missions always includes evangelism, but it also includes much more. Planting Churches, training pastors, discipling believers, and so on.

At Metropolitan Baptist Church we believe that as a follower of Jesus Christ you are required to participate in both evangelism and missions because Jesus Christ Himself has given every believer the task of the Great Commission. At our Church this may look like:

·      Personal Evangelism

·      Ministry to the “least of these” (The Bowery and other local missions for example)

·      Participation in missions (there are many ways to participate in missions whether it is through praying for our missionary partners, giving to missions, or going on a short-term mission trip with our Church)

·      Outreach (Events like our annual block party or coats in the city)

Discipleship

The next responsibility given to Church members is discipleship. This includes your own discipleship as well as the discipling of others. It is important that we do not detach discipleship from the Great Commission.

At Metropolitan Baptist Church we believe the Great Commission is a call to make disciples not converts. Meaning, we see people converted and then we disciple them.

The Great Commission therefore includes evangelism and missions as well as discipleship. You will notice in the Great Commission that Jesus says we are to make disciples and teach them. The Great Commission does not end when someone becomes a Christian. In many ways that is just beginning. The task of making disciples involves the entirety of someone’s life. We are to be disciples that are making disciples which we will disciple, while we ourselves are being discipled.

Discipleship is not something that happens only in the context of a discipleship program or a 1-1 mentoring relationship. All that happens in the life of the Church is discipleship. Hearing the teaching of the Word, praying together, holding each other accountable, doing life together, serving together all of this is discipleship. Discipleship happens on intimate and broad levels.

Think about the ministry of Jesus which centered on discipleship. There were three contexts in which He discipled His followers

·      The multitudes – Jesus taught large groups of listeners and disciples.

·      The twelve – Jesus closely discipled His twelve disciples,

·      The Three – Jesus intimately discipled Peter, James, and John.

All of this included teaching and discipleship. We could make the parallel that in the local Church we disciple the multitudes through the Sunday morning service, the twelve through things like Sunday School, men’s Bible study, and Women’s Bible study, and the three in our discipleship groups (D-Groups).

Christians are discipled through participation in the life of the local Church. If you are hearing the music on Sunday morning you are being discipled, if you are hearing the reading of the Word or corporate prayers during service you are being discipled, if you hear the preaching or teaching of the Word that is discipleship, if you meet with fellow Church members at a coffee shop this week to pray and hold each other accountable that’s discipleship, if you come to me or my wife for Biblical counseling that’s also discipleship.

The primary way however that believers are discipled is in corporate worship on Sunday mornings.

Not Neglecting to Meet Together

This leads us nicely into the next responsibility of a Church member which is attending corporate worship, the regular assembly of the local Church.

            Hebrews 10:24–25

            [24] And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not        neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (ESV)

Some translations put it this way, “do not forsake the assembly.” The author of Hebrews is exhorting his audience toward faithful Church attendance. In context this has a lot of weight. The audience of the letter of Hebrews were facing persecution. In the midst of persecution, the tendency would be not to meet, not to paint a target on your back, not to put all the victims in one room. However, the author of Hebrews does not say stop meeting, he does not say meet less, he says do not neglect meeting together for corporate worship.

We are intentionally talking about attendance after discipleship because it helps us see the weight of why meeting weekly is so important–it is the primary place we grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. To miss that, would be to spiritually handicap your growth as a disciple. The weekly assembly is where discipleship happens and gathering weekly for corporate worship is commanded in the Bible even under threat of persecution. Faithful Church attendance is a requirement in the New Testament and of this local Church.

There will be times when you are sick, when you are on vacation, when you absolutely have to be out because of work of family, that is to be expected. But outside of the exceptions, the Bible requires Church members to be faithful attenders of the weekly assembly, which means unfaithful Church attendance is something that can be subject to Church Discipline.

Church Discipline

Next requirement that the Bible gives to Church Members is Church discipline; both to do it and to submit to it (1 Corinthians 5).

            Matthew 18:15–20

            [15] “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him       alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. [16] But if he does not listen,            take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the           evidence of two or three witnesses. [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the        church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a       tax collector. [18] Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in           heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. [19] Again I say to         you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my       Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I          among them.” (ESV)

The main point to catch here is that the task of responding to the sin of a brother or sister in Christ is given to all Christians not just to the elders of a Church. If your brother sins against you, you are biblically required to deal with it biblically. Jesus gives us some basic steps here on how to do that:

·      Go to the one who sinned and no one else (no gossip, no slander, defend their reputation).

·      If they do not repent take a few others to establish a testimony among witnesses.

·      If they still do not repent tell it to the Church.

·      If they still do not repent excommunicate the unrepentant sinner (Treat them as an unbeliever – no longer recognizing their profession of faith and barring them from the Lord’s Supper).

This provides a basic sketch of how to do Church Discipline as a Christian. In most Churches this does not happen. People let problems go on, ignore issues, grow bitter, or even just leave the Church and go to the next one. The expectation at MBC is that you don’t do that. The health of the Church depends on right participation in Church Discipline from each member and a willingness to be corrected.

There are two purposes behind Church Discipline. The first of which is restoration of the unrepentant sinner.
            1 Corinthians 5:4–5

            [4] When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with   the power of our Lord Jesus, [5] you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (ESV)

Paul says to excommunicate the man so that he might be saved at a different point. The hope is that discipline leads someone to repent or even to be saved. The goal is not to be mean, or bully, or be legalistic, but restoration and discipleship.

The second purpose of Church Discipline is protection of the body.
            1 Corinthians 5:6

            [6] Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole        lump? (ESV)

Paul is using leaven as an illustration that the unrepentant sin of one Church member affects the whole Church, so for the sake of Church health and unity the sin must be dealt with.

Church Discipline is a task given to the whole Church, and so members of MBC are expected to care for the health of the body by participating in discipline.

The Work of the Ministry

The next responsibility that Church Members have is the work of the ministry.

            Ephesians 4:11–13

            [11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,   [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13]         until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to        mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (ESV)

Those with teaching ministries in the Church are given by God to equip the saints for the work of the ministry which in turn builds up the body of Christ.

The Apostle Paul in this passage on Church growth says that those who teach do so to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry themselves. In other words, it is not the pastors doing all the work but the pastors equipping the Church to do the work.

Pastors and teachers equip the saints to serve, evangelize, do missions, teach, do outreaches, minister to the poor, and disciple one another and when the members of a Church put all of that into practice the Apostle Paul says that is when the Church grows.

The saints, Church members, are responsible for taking what they learn and applying it by doing the work of the ministry.

One Another Ministry

Church members are also responsible for the “one anothers.” The New Testament lists dozens of ways that those in the Church are to care for and minister to one another. Listen to these passages of Scripture.

            Romans 15:14

            [14] I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of    goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. (ESV)

            Galatians 6:1–5

            [1] Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should   restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. [2]  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. [3] For if anyone thinks he is   something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. [4] But let each one test his own  work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. [5]  For each will have to bear his own load. (ESV)

            Ephesians 4:15

            [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is     the head, into Christ, (ESV)

            Ephesians 5:18–21

            [18] And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,   [19] addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and  making melody to the Lord with your heart, [20] giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [21] submitting to one another  out of reverence for Christ. (ESV)

            Colossians 3:16

            [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your  hearts to God. (ESV)

            James 5:16

            [16] Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may   be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (ESV)

            (See also: Romans 12:10-13, 16, 14:13, 2 Corinthians 13:11-12, Galatians 5:13,    Ephesians 4:1-3, 32,  Colossians 3:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9, 4:18, 5:11, 15, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, Hebrews 3:13, 10:24-25, James 4:11, 5:9, 1 Peter 1:22, 4:8-10, 5:5, 14, 1 John 1:7, 3:11,   22, 4:7, 11-12, 2 John 5, and many more)

These one another passages define for us how we are to minister to one another in the Church. I just want to point out four main themes you see in these passages: love, admonishing/instructing, confession, and singing. Four ways we minister to one another in the Church. We love each other, we teach and correct each other (admonish means teaching with correction), we teach each other through singing, and we are to confess our sins to each other.

Prayer

The next responsibility of a Church Member is prayer. Paul when writing Timothy on how a Church should act starts with prayer.
            1 Timothy 2:1–3

            [1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is  pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, (ESV)

He lists different kinds of prayers: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. He specifically tells them to pray for governing authorities as well. Timothy is going to take this and tell the Church at Ephesus to put it into practice. Meaning, all kinds of prayers are expected of a Church’s members. Including private and public prayer.

Two ways our Church puts into practice praying together is on Sunday mornings as we pray corporately many times through the service and on Wednesday evenings as we gather at 7 PM for prayer meeting every week.

Giving

The last responsibility of a Church member is giving. Paul says this when instructing the saints in Corinth how to give to the work of the ministry:

            2 Corinthians 9:6–8

            [6] The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is   able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all   times, you may abound in every good work. (ESV)

Paul also teaches that elders who labor in teaching and preaching are worthy of their pay.
            1 Timothy 5:17–18

            [17] Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. [18] For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (ESV)

Giving in the New Testament to the work of the ministry in the local Church is to be generous, not under compulsion but rooted in Christ’s sacrifice for the Church (2 Corinthians 8:8-15). We give because Christ gave Himself, we give to further the work of the ministry, and we give to ensure that the Gospel is taken to the ends of the earth, which is why here at MBC 17.5% of general tithes and offerings go directly to the missionaries we support.

Conclusion

These are the responsibilities of a Church Member according to the New Testament, and for that reason they are also the responsibilities of a Church Member here at MBC.