Many local
churches are suffering and what they are dealing with is a membership that is
less than what it is supposed to be—at least less than what it is supposed to
be, biblically. In our day and age most who fill churches are virtually unaware
of what it means to be a “good” church member and the idea of responsibility
has never even entered their mind. The reason I know this is because I was
never taught what membership in the local church is all about and in all my
years of attending I can hardly remember anything ever being mentioned about
it. But this is not just my experience. It appears to be the norm, and for a
while now. The reason I say this is because in recent years the ministry
organization 9Marks, headed up by pastor Mark Dever from Washington, D.C., has
tackled this issue. In addition to him Thom Rainer, president and CEO of
Lifeway Christian Resources, has published on the subject. It appears that
those in leadership within the SBC have noticed a need for discussion on church
membership and have brought the topic to the forefront.
In 2013 Thom Rainer published a book
entitled, I AM A CHURCH MEMBER:
Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference. I highly recommend this
book. At 79 pages it is easy to get
through and the style of writing is very readable. All those within the
congregation I pastor had nothing but good things to say about it, even
expressing they would like to read other works by him. Just reading through the
blurbs on the back and inside of the book one gets the impression it is a solid
work because many highly reputable voices within the SBC have recommended it.
Several sections of I AM A CHURCH MEMBER will be beneficial
for any congregation. Chapter one is entitled, “I Will Be a Functioning Church
Member,” and I do not know of any church that does not need to hear this.
Rainer points out that most, today, view church membership like they do
country-club membership where they expect to be “…served instead of serving,
rights instead of responsibilities, and entitlements instead of sacrifices”
(11). But in reality, the opposite is true. According to Rainer, biblical
church membership is where one learns to “give abundantly and serve without
hesitation” (14).
Chapter two is great as well. The
emphasis in this chapter is being a unifying church member. For anyone who has
spent much time in church, you know this is huge. Pastors will certainly want
their congregations to encounter all this section contains. With content such
as, “You have a responsibility as a church member. You are to be a source of
unity. You are never to be a divisive force. You are to love your fellow church
members unconditionally,” (23) this book can have a huge impact, changing
attitudes within the church. Sometimes all people need is to know what they
should be doing.
I also really enjoyed chapter four,
“I Will Pray for My Church Leaders.” As a pastor this section particularly
spoke to me because Rainer emphasized the traps Satan often sets for pastors
and he encouraged the reader to be in constant prayer for their church leaders.
I can attest to how vigilant Satan is and it was nice to know this book
recognized that and sought to enlist prayer for those in such a position. Can
you imagine how much the church would change if every member prayed for those
in leadership?
Finally, the fifth chapter, “I Will
Lead My Family To Be Healthy Church Members” is something all church members
need to read. I think we all want our children to be saved, as well as other
members of our families—but how often to we promote being a “healthy” church
member? One thing Rainer points out is that when he was younger a guy named Bob
had a tremendous influence on him within the church. One thing he was taught by
Bob “was to bring my family together to pray for my church” (59). How often do you do such things? How often
does the average church member gather with their family to pray for their
congregation? Probably not as much as they should, but what a great practice to
start! As Rainer states, “My family must see my love for the church” (60).
I
AM A CHURCH MEMBER is filled with practical, straightforward advice on how
to become a “good” church member. The seasoned church member or newbie will
benefit greatly from reading this short book. Pick one up yourself and please,
get it in the hands of someone else.
