MINISTRY PARTNERS
WHY MEMBERSHIP ("Ministry Partnership")?
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God." Ephesians 2:19
When you hear the word family, what comes to mind? Two parents, brothers and sisters, and a dog? Do you think of happy times and shared experiences or do you have mixed memories of your family? Perhaps they are painful ones because of divorce, death, or abuse. Our personal experiences color our understanding of what a family is. Yet all families share one thing in common: every family is composed of imperfect people who long to be loved. It's been said that "You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family"-yet family roots go deepest of all.
In many ways a church is like a family. In it we share a common table. We express love and honesty, and at times we discipline. We claim a common address at least one day a week. We share a common Father whose character far exceeds any human parents, no matter what our experience has been. By God's own choice, the Creator has reached out to us and joined us together as family of faith. Even so, we are a collection of imperfect individuals in various stages of reconciliation with the Head of our home.
Belonging to a family is an adventure in roles. We begin our lives on the receiving end. In adolescence and early adulthood we discover the joy of mutuality. As we mature, we share what we have learned with those who are younger. As our lives conclude, our energy diminishes. We end the way we began, being cared for by others. The writer of one of the Psalms illustrates one of the needs people face, as well as God's desire to care for those needs through families: "sing to God.Father of orphans and protector of widows.God gives the desolate a home to live in..." (Psalm 68:4-6).
The family is a powerful image by which we understand God and our relationship to his people. The apostle Peter wrote to believers, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." (1 Peter 2:9). The apostle Paul celebrated the family when he wrote to the Ephesian church, "For this reason I bow my knee before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name" (Ephesians 3:14-15). Indeed family is God's idea.
To be in a Family is to give and receive. Belonging to the family of God requires nothing less. It is a dynamic experience of being loved and loving, learning and teaching, receiving and giving, dying to self and living to God. In a biological family, the members have mutual responsibilities; they give and receive. The family group is meant to provide various things to the individual, and the individual is meant to provide other things to the group. The same is true in a congregation.
Attenders make up a crowd; members make up a congregation. At NCCC, we don't want just a crowd, we want a congregation. I love the way that leadership "guru" John Maxwell distinguishes the difference between a "crowd" and a "congregation." He says,
"The difference between a crowd and a congregation are many: a crowd fills the church; a congregation builds the church. A crowd consists of consumers; a congregation consists of contributors. A crowd comes and goes; a congregation is committed. A crowd is an outer core; a congregation is an inner core. In a crowd, you don't know who you can count on; in a congregation, you know exactly who you can count on." - John Maxwell
At New Community, we recognize the need for formal membership. (We prefer to call you "Ministry Partners"). We ask you to commit to membership for four reasons:
1. A Biblical Reason:
It is a visible expression of a Spiritual Reality. Christ is committed to the church. I Corinthians. 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." The more spiritually mature you are, the more you will love the church in spite of her faults and imperfections. ".Christ loved the church and he gave his life for it." Ephesians 5:25
2. A Cultural Reason:
It is an antidote to our society. We live in an age where very few want to be committed to anything. a job. a marriage. a church. This attitude has ever produced a generation of "church shoppers and hoppers". Membership swims against the current of America's "consumer religion". It is an unselfish decision. Commitment always builds character.
3. A Practical Reason:
It defines who can be counted on. Every team must have a roster. Every school must have an enrollment. Every business has a payroll. Every army has an enlistment. Even our country takes a census and requires voter registration. Membership helps us define who can be counted on.
4. A Personal Reason:
It produces growth The New Testament places a major emphasis on the need for Christians to be accountable to each other for spiritual growth. You cannot be accountable when you're not committed to any specific church family. Did you know that there are 39 "one another" commands that cannot be fulfilled without a commitment to a specific church family?
What is expected of me as a Member (Ministry Partner)?
At New Community we never ask our members to do more than what the Bible clearly teaches. We only expect our members to do what the Bible expects every Christian to do. These responsibilities are spelled our in the Membership Covenant. What does New Community Covenant Church believe?
Read about What We Believe at New Community
How can I learn more about the Covenant Denomination?
For more information about the Covenant denomination, please visit:
Another way to learn is to attend the "Membership Class" which is taught by our pastor.
How do I become a Member (Ministry Partner)?
The first step (and the most important one) is to come to a "Membership Class" which is taught by our pastor.
These classes are held throughout the year. Upon completing the class you will be given detailed instructions on how to proceed with the process. But know that by going to the class you are well on your way towards becoming a member of NCCC! We look forward to seeing you there!
