Picking a New Church in a New City (part 4b)

In this series of posts, Teresa and I have tried to capture the process which God led us to become members of Covenant Fellowship church. Past topics included the preaching and worship at Covenant. The previous post introduced the topic of church membership: what are the responsibilities and privileges of joining a church. I ended with a description of the “Explore” class, which gave us lots of insight into the church.

Church membership, though, is much more than a class. There has to be some way for the pastors to know who is part of the church and who isn't. The purpose isn't to exclude people, but to have clarity on who is included. The leaders have to know who is part of the church if they are to be responsible for them on the Day of Judgment:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:14).

SPIRITUAL CARE OF MEMBERS

Spiritual care and oversight looks different at different churches, and there isn't a one-size-fits-all. At Covenant Fellowship, each person who wants to be a member has to join a Community Group. This includes those in other Bible studies (i.e. campus ministry). A typical Community Group is 15-25 people and meets twice a month. It is a time of fellowship, encouragement, accountability, and prayer.

The community group also provides a way for the pastors to track attendance. This way, when someone begins to wander off, the leader or pastor can provide spiritual care. All too often, someone who is disillusioned with their church stops attending, but nobody notices until its too late. By then, they have either joined a different church, or worse, hardened their heart or turned their back on God. In America, countless people jump from one church to another or have completely left the church. What a sobering thought that many careless shepherds did little or nothing to care for wandering sheep and will be held accountable by God one day.

MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

Being part of a community group is the primary avenue for the members of Covenant Fellowship to love one another and show genuine love for our Lord (John 13:34-35). In addition, through the preaching and discipleship ministries, church members are urged to serve the body, serve those outside the church, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are two aspects of church membership that were new and somewhat surprising, though in a good way.

LAWSUITS AMONG BELIEVERS

The first was a commitment that no member of the church would ever sue another member. This is based on 1 Corinthians 6:

“When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to the law before the unrighteous instead of he saints?....So, if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I saw this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? (1 Cor. 6:1-6)

Paul rebuked the Corinthian church because Christians were suing other Christians and tarnishing their witness for Christ. I've read this passage before, but I never thought that members of a church could make a commitment to one another not to sue but agree to an alternative ahead of time.

CHURCH DISCIPLINE

The other expectation was an agreement to submit to church discipline. This runs completely counter to our culture, which tells us to “Question authority.” Why would anyone submit themselves to yet another form of authority? Aren't bosses and the government intrusive enough?

But, if we dig a little deeper into scripture, church discipline is both necessary and good. A loving father doesn't let his children do whatever they want. My pastor at home has said, “Love does not mean let.” Just as fathers discipline their children, our Heavenly Father disciplines His children, that they might share in His holiness and be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. In the same way, when a church member falls into sin, the most loving thing a pastor can do is to bring him to repentance and faith. Not doing anything would be very unloving.

In most cases, church discipline is done positively, through the preaching of God's word, as the implanting of the word is able to save our souls (James 1:21). And fellow brothers and sisters have the responsibility to sharpen one another, as iron sharpens iron. But, in certain cases a pastor may need to confront someone who is living in sin (e.g. adultery). And in extreme cases where a church member continues in sin, he would need to be removed from church membership. Someone who openly lives in rebellion against God but still calls himself a “Christian” brings disgrace upon Christ and the church. Yet, discipline is for the good of the sinning church member, the purity of the church, and ultimately the glory of God.

PS -

Covenant Fellowship is part of a family of churches called “Sovereign Grace Ministries” (SGM). It's not a denomination, but there are similarities. The past few weeks have brought news of accusations of pride and poor leadership among the leaders of SGM (see here). The news is a sobering reminder that churches are imperfect as they are made up of imperfect people.

My goal in these posts is not to glorify Covenant Fellowship or SGM but to highlight what we have found encouraging and Biblical. The news reminds me that I myself am a sinner constantly and daily in need of the grace of God. The church is not for perfect people or good people, but for sick and sinful people. Our sickness reveals the glory of our Savior, who died so that sinful people could be forgiven and made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).