Church Membership

Recently you took a very important step in your development as a Christian. You united with a Church. As a member of Pleasant Grove East McComb Baptist Church, we want to assure the opportunity and understanding of your meaningful involvement with us. Hence, our goal is to help you understand what it means to be a new Christian and/or a new church member.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHURCH MEMBER

The Purpose of the Church

The Functions of the Church

The Church helps keep Christians focused on the Great Commission as its driving force. The Church is an instrument through which God’s people take part in establishing the Kingdom of God in the lives of people in their community and in the world. The Church is to bring God’s presence into relationships, families, workplaces and into the marketplace to make a difference in the world.

The Church provides a balance of five effective functions for Christians to be effective in fulfilling the Great Commission. These functions are: Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry and Worship.

Evangelism

Christian evangelism consists of believers sharing the gospel with lost persons. Evangelism is the good news spoken by believers and lived out in their lives. It is spiritual interaction between saved persons and lost persons. We are saved to evangelize the lost! Because God has chosen to redeem people from sin, we care called to join Him by seeking to evangelize every person in the world. If we fail to evangelize persons who are separate from God, we fail to obey Him. We fail to o what He has called us to do.

Discipleship

Discipleship is a process that begins after conversion and continues throughout a believers life. Discipleship is not an option for the Church or believer. We are to disciple one another, as mandated in the Great Commandment.

Mature discipleship means that you are living for the Lord in all areas of your life and that Christ is the center of your life.

Ministry

We believe that God gives ministry responsibilities to every believer. We are stewards of that ministry and cannot minister effectively without the power and aide of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gift are given to every believer by the Holy Spirit so that every Christian may fulfill his/her ministry responsibilities.

All Christians receive the ultimate gift of the Holy Spirit, which is love. Without the gift of love having all of the other spiritual gifts would be worthless.

Fellowship

Christian fellowship grows out of our fellowship with God. Fellowship is a joining together in common purpose as Christians. It is a unity of Christians that transcends all cultural, socioeconomic and physical barriers. It carries the sense of mutual self-sacrifice for the good and care of each other. Fellowship with other Christians makes us more capable to resist temptation; motivates and enable us to live more Christ-like lives. Christian fellowship is more than friendly fraternizing that can be duplicated by clubs, and associations. It involves connecting with other Christians for strength and development.

Worship

Worship occurs when we ascribe to God the worth of which He is worthy. Worship is a response to a perceived presence of God. It is one of the most vital functions of the Church. You may worship alone or with the congregation. The Bible does, however, enjoin us not to neglect joining together in worship. Corporate worship provides opportunity to encourage one another in the faith and in spiritual life. Worshipping together as a Church affirms what we believe. It enables the family of God to respond together in praise and awe of what God has done for all of us.

Worship in the Church is designed to:

          ·         Help connect with God.
          ·         Be enthusiastic.
          ·         Be celebrative.
          ·         Promote a spirit of revival.
          ·         Be spontaneous and warm.
          ·         Be emotional.
          ·         Be expectant.
          ·         Be holy and quiet.
          ·         Be joyful.
          ·         Be evangelistic.

 PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT

Your involvement is essential to your satisfaction as a Church member. You will feel satisfied with your Church when you:

·         Become involved in the ministries of your Church.

·         Become a part of a group of three or more people that you can consider to be friends.

·         Become a disciple who leads others to accept Christ and helps them develop as a maturing Christian.

Every person needs to be converted to faith in Jesus Christ, baptized as a testimony and identification with Christ, and enlisted in a lifestyle of discipleship as a part of the fellowship of a Church.