Membership in a church used to be a big deal. Unlike a membership at the local gym or even joining the area golf club, membership in the church meant giving of yourself wholeheartedly to the life and ministry of the church. Not only did you attend every worship service, but you gave generously of your time, talents, and treasures to the well-being and growth of the church you joined.
Times are a changing! People are not in the habit of “joining” a church. They simply attend, and after weeks or months of attendance, these people are assumed members of the church. Their names are added to the church directory. They might get involved, or not. They might attend Sunday services regularly, or not. They might tithe. They might take up leadership positions. They might attend a small group. And after they stop attending for a while, these people are simply “erased” from the membership rolls. Soon their names will no longer appear in the directory. They might be missed, or not.
One of the issues pastors talk to me about is how we can raise the bar when it comes to church membership. As Reformed Christians we confess that everybody “is bound to join and unite themselves with the church; maintaining the unity of the Church; submitting themselves to the doctrine and discipline thereof; … and as mutual members of the same body, serving to the edification of the [brothers and sisters of the church], according to the talents God has given them.” (Belgic Confession Art. 28) This might seem like a tall order, but is it? Really? Isn’t this what it means to belong to the body of Christ, to be a member of a church? To promise to give oneself wholeheartedly and unreservedly to the building up of the church and God’s kingdom? To submit to a disciplined life. Together!
So how can we raise the importance of church membership? Raise the bar? One way is to enter into a covenant with prospective members. When you hold a new member’s class, a meet and greet with the pastor(s), run an information luncheon after church, or teach a profession of faith class — present prospective members with a covenant.
This is what some of our churches do. They ask their members to sign a covenant. A covenant is what we would use to describe the vows between a husband and his wife, and between God and his people. Signing a covenant helps prospective members understand what it means to be a part of the church. The member covenant is not a legal document or some sort of cultic rite. It is an affirmation, an agreement, and a source of accountability for both the church and its individual members. Speaking with one pastor recently, he told me that as a church not only do the new members sign a covenant; so does the church (or a leader/pastor on behalf of the church). Right up front, both members and the church know what is expected of them. Everything is spelled out in very clear language.
Check out here what a covenant looks like. Here is a sample of a covenant in which both members and the church make commitments.
In a culture where the importance of belonging is diminished, the church can be a wonderful display of what it means to belong. What membership is all about. What it means to be held accountable. What submitting to discipline might mean. What is expected when you join a church — the body of Christ. Having members (and the church) sign a member covenant might just raise the bar. And the chorus might ring out, in the words of the Gaither hymn: “I’m so glad I’m part of the family of God!”