1. What is membership?
Membership at Core Creek Community Church is an opportunity to commit to a deeper level of involvement in the work of Jesus through the local church. It is the process of transitioning from a faithful attender to a person who actively engages in the mission and ministry of the church for the glory of Jesus. Because we take membership very seriously, we encourage anyone who may be considering becoming a member to view membership through the same lens.
Membership is more about what you give than what you get. A member is someone who loves Jesus and is willing to sacrifice their time, abilities, finances, comfort, convenience, and more ... to be part of the mission to live out and share Christ's gospel with our community in meaningful ways.
Members are expected to take Jesus and His gospel seriously. If you aren't ready to make Jesus your top priority in life, over everything else, please wait until you're ready to make that commitment before considering membership.
2. Membership is not .....
In some churches, the standard of membership is to simply show up now and then, look attentive and give some money when it's convenient. We reject that view of membership because it produces "consumer Christians" who never learn the joys and struggles of what it looks like to embrace the mission of Jesus to reach this world with His grace, mercy and love. Likewise, in an era that seems to fear serious commitment, we challenge our members to be wholeheartedly committed to the mission of Jesus without making excuses or justifications for laziness and indifference.
3. Equipping for ministry
The Bible teaches that the moment a person trusts Jesus for His gift of salvation, He supernaturally equips and prepares them to join Him on His mission of mercy. Likewise, Jesus calls Pastors/Elders "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:12-13)
The process of becoming a member of Core Creek Community Church is designed with this in mind. Our goal is to help you grow mature in faith while giving you the opportunity to serve others in Christ's name.
4. Accountability to the Elders / Investment from the Elders
Members agree to make themselves accountable to our church Elders in a biblical fashion. They are basically asking the Elders to hold them to the same standards that they hold each other to. Scripture charges Elders with the task of overseeing, teaching, shepherding, training and confronting in love, among other responsibilities. To do this well, Elders need to invest their time, patiently instruct, lovingly lead and ask difficult questions. This is an area that many churches completely neglect and as a result, many Christians remain immature in their faith or are outright rebellious to the teaching of God's Word in their lifestyle.
While the Elders are genuinely concerned for the spiritual well-being of our community and everyone who attends our church, as the church continues to grow, it will become gradually more necessary for a primary investment of their time to be devoted to the spiritual walk of members.
5. Membership Covenant
Upon completion of both "The Gospel Class" and "The Mission Class", prospective members will be given the opportunity to sign our Membership Covenant. This agreement is their pledge before God and the Elders of the church to remain accountable, faithful, hold to sound doctrine, serve, engage in biblical community, give faithfully, repent of sin/personal idolatry and to humbly submit to instruction, direction and discipline for the glory of God.
6. What subjects are included in "The Gospel Class" and "The Mission Class"?
The Gospel Class
1. Focuses on what we believe
2. History of our local church
3. Doctrines we believe are true
4. Our distinctive practices and methodology
5. Significance of being Gospel-centered and missional
6. Significance of the process of sanctification in a believer's life
The Mission Class
1. What we do with what we believe
2. Discovering your gifting
3. Discovering your place in the mission
4. Signing of membership covenant (reviewed / renewed annually)
5. Accountability to Elders
*Baptism Class
1. One session for new believers and those who have never been baptized
2. Basics of the faith
3. Purpose of baptism
4. Setup for baptism service
We hope this brief description has helped explain the purpose of membership as it is structured here at Core Creek Community Church. If the details, demands and language of this explanation haven't scared you off and you would still like to become a member, please sign up for the next set of classes or feel free to contact the church office if you have additional questions.
Sincerely,
The Elders of Core Creek Community Church