Membership at Life Church
At Life Church we thank God for our existing members whom God has joined to
us. We also welcome new people who want to be a part of what God is doing in
and
through
our ministry.
We want to expand God's Kingdom and we know that his Kingdom
is so much bigger than just us! There
are many other churches  both
in the Boston area and beyond that God is using to accomplish his purposes.
The fact that you're reading these pages means that you want to know more
about what God is doing at Life Church - we sincerely appreciate your
interest!
We've learned that the best way to relate to both existing and prospective
members is to make it as easy as possible for them to understand who we are
and what
we're trying
to do. Towards that end we've created this page to explain
how we view membership at Life Church and the process we have established
for joining the ministry. You'll find this information in the following three
sections:
What We Expect From Members
We expect our members to ...
- Publicly and privately demonstrate (through both words
and actions) their commitment to Jesus
Christ. This includes submitting to Christian Water Baptism (for those
who have not yet done so),
- Publicly and privately demonstrate (through both words
and actions) their commitment to our vision
and mission. This includes contributing their
resources (tithes, offerings, time),
- Faithfully participate in a life
group, and attend Sunday worship services,
- Pray for the needs of their fellow members and help to meet their needs,
- Submit to the spiritual authority established
by the pastoral leadership and
live a lifestyle of accountability,
- Take responsibility for their own spiritual
growth and for expanding
God's Kingdom.
Please note that these expectations apply to leaders within the ministry as
well. Our pastors hold themselves to this same standard. They have a responsibility
in the sight of God to set an example for the leaders that they appoint
and they expect those leaders to set an example for the rest of the congregation.
Joining the Ministry
If you want to join Life Church, you
must first be a born-again believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Here are our steps for joining in more detail:
- Demonstrate repentance from the practice of sin and wrongdoing and saving
faith in Jesus Christ,
- Renounce all occult practices and false religions,
- Seek and obtain a release from membership in any other congregation or church
fellowship (we expect you to do this in a manner that respects the spiritual
authority of your current pastoral leadership),
- Complete our Basic Training
Class or one of the equivalent classes that we
approve,
- Complete our New Members
Class, and
- Commit to and sign the Life Church Covenant.
By signing the Life Church Covenant you are making a commitment to actively
support both the Kingdom of God and the vision
and mission of Life Church.
The Life Church Covenant
By the grace of God, I declare the following:
- I am a committed believer in and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- I have renounced any and all occult practices in which I or my friends,
associates, or ancestors may have participated.
- I have renounced participation in any religious or spiritual practice that
promotes or recognizes any alternative to following Jesus Christ.
- I have renounced participation in any secret societies and I reject any
associated rituals in which I may have participated in the past.
By the grace of God, I also commit to the following:
- To publicly and privately demonstrate (through both words
and actions) my commitment to Jesus
Christ as he has been revealed through the
Holy Bible,
- To publicly and privately demonstrate (with words,
actions, and resources) my commitment to the vision
and mission of Life Church,
- To faithfully attend Sunday worship services and other church meetings
for which my attendance is appropriate,
- To submit to the spiritual authority established by the pastoral leadership
and to grow to spiritual maturity,
By the grace of God, I also commit to the following areas of Life Group Ministry:
- To love my life group members the way Christ has loved me. (John
13:34-35)
- To be accountable to my pastors, my spiritual leaders and my fellow life
group members and to share appropriately with them my issues and circumstances.
(2Corinthians
7:2-4)
- To pray for my life group members regularly, understanding the spiritual
responsibility we have to stand in the gap for one another, and to pray for
the salvation of the lost that we are evangelizing. (Ezekiel
22:30; Ephesians
6:18)
- To listen to God for my life group members as I seek to be a supporting
ligament to build them up in the Faith. (Ephesians
4:15-16)
- To serve my life group members so as to strengthen our unity and interdependence.
(Galatians
5:13)
- To influence people in my life to follow Jesus Christ and to support and
encourage new believers in growing to spiritual maturity. (Matthew
28:18-20)
I pledge to faithfully walk in this Covenant to the best of my ability as
God, by His strength and wisdom, enables me, in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Life Church Covenant was adapted from material originally written by Bishop
G. A. Thompson of Jubilee
Christian Church International . It
is not a legal document and cannot be used in a court of law. It is a local
church covenant voluntarily
entered into by those who wish to faithfully support this local church body.
Benefits of Being a Member
We offer the following experiences to anyone who visits our Sunday
worship services and/or one of our Life
groups:
- Spirit-filled worship
- Bible-focused teaching and preaching
- Rich and meaningful fellowship
- Effective prayer
In addition to all of these, we offer the following member benefits to those
who actually
join
Life Church:
- Bible-centered pastoral counseling and life coaching
- Help with identifying your spiritual gifts and ministry calling
- Baby Dedications
- Funeral Services
- Wedding services and Pre-Marital counseling,
- We also provide resources to
promote interaction and relationship building among our members.
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