The What and the Why of Members’ Meetings
I remember the first member’s meeting of Grace Rancho. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Fall of 2020 and involved a lot of outdoor setup (canopies, chairs) on a warm Sunday evening. It was very memorable. But what was most memorable for me was that I had no prior experience of member meetings, and did not really understand the usefulness and importance of member meetings.
Fast forward to today, being a part of the members’ meetings at Grace Rancho for a couple of years now, I wonder if there are any in our church like me, who had never seen or understood the usefulness of members’ meetings in the local church. Since this article is for the people of Grace Rancho, my hope is that in reading this article we would get a better grasp of how member meetings facilitate biblical responsibilities given to the church, and your role as a member in these meetings.
What Is a Members’ Meeting?
A members’ meeting is a meeting that is reserved for those people in the church who have made a formal commitment to one another through church membership. Additionally, we believe the church has final authority in determining the true gospel, and who the true believers in the gospel are, so we believe it is wise to have these meetings where the church can do that without the watching eyes of the world. Sure, none of the things above mentioned require a formal meeting, but a separate meeting does facilitate communication between members and the leadership that may not normally happen on a Sunday morning service. For this reason, we have found it to be prudent and practically useful to hold these members’ meetings 6 times a year on Sunday evenings.
The following is not an extensive list of everything that happens at members’ meetings, but rather some additional reasons why we have member’s meetings at Grace Rancho.
Why Do We Have Members’ Meetings
Guard the Church by Receiving Believers
At almost every members’ meeting, an elder will bring forth the names of people who have been interviewed by the elders and are being recommended for membership. This might seem a bit redundant right? If the elders have already interviewed these people for membership and approve of their credible profession of faith, why would they ask for the congregation to confirm what they already know to be true? The reasoning behind this is the biblical model outlined by Christ and the early church. In Matthew 18, we see a clear indication that the church as a whole, affirms the credible profession of a believer, not just the leaders or elders of a church. Therefore, the members of the local church are responsible for incoming members of the church and for the spiritual well-being of the other members. This alone is a great reason why we should prioritize being at these meetings because it is here that the church body agrees or disagrees on whether someone should be wel comed into the fellowship. You play an active role in the way that this local church continues to grow in a healthy manner.
Guard the Church by Excommunicating the Unrepentant
As stated above, Matthew 18 gives clear indication of who is responsible to affirm new believers into the church membership. Matthew 18 also gives clear instructions on what to do with those individuals in the church membership who are practicing a sin that they will not renounce after they have been warned in private and in public to repent. The final step in Matthew 18:17 is that of treating this unrepentant (professing believer) as an outsider, like a gentile or a tax collector. This process is not a cookie-cutter process, but every case is handled with much prayer and conversation in the spirit of restoration. This act of excommunication is not a modern way of controlling the flock, but rather it was instituted by Christ himself for the purpose of holiness and purity in his body which is a witness to the watching world (1 Corinthians 5:6-7, 11-13). As a church we want to take sin seriously in the manner that Christ taught his disciples to deal with sin (Matthew 5:30). In the event that we actually excommunicate someone from our membership in a member’s meeting, it is not a pleasant or trivial matter. But we do so hoping and praying that God would bring this individual to their senses, brought to repentance, and be restored back into the flock of God. The members of the church as a whole are given the authority by Christ to determine when it is time to excommunicate someone from the church because their life contradicts the testimony of the Gospel.
Guard the Church by Establishing Sound Doctrine
Most churches that go astray in their doctrine and begin preaching a different (false) Gospel never actually announce from the Sunday morning pulpit, “We are excited to announce that we will be starting a new sermon series in a false Gospel this morning!” Though I’m sure there are a few exceptions. For most churches, deviation from true doctrine happens over time. If not intentionally guarded, a healthy church with a vibrant preaching ministry can slip into error in just a couple of years. In Galatians 1:6, Paul rebukes the whole church (not just the elders) by saying, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him…and are turning to a different Gospel.” In other words, the whole church was at fault in Paul’s evaluation of false doctrine being embraced. Couldn’t there be someone to speak up at any given time in the life of the church to raise concerns about sound doctrine and guarding the Gospel? Our member meetings create an appropriate time to raise these kinds of is sues; a designated place where false doctrine can be addressed between church members and elders by renewing a commitment to preach the Gospel of Christ and preaching the Scriptures faithfully. If the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15), then the church members ought to be proactively guarding this truth.
Communication
Additionally, there are many needs that arise over the course of the year in the life of the church. The building is not free from deterioration, the ever-growing need in certain ministries continues to grow, the elderly and sick need further care, and the list goes on. Beyond the fundamentals of guarding the truth of the Gospel and guarding the church from false converts, member meetings are the ideal time and place for members and elders to communicate pertinent needs and concerns in the church. The church members can be made aware of any pertinent needs or situations in the church, and be encouraged to pray and consider how they could serve in the areas of interest. While certain matters might be brought up for a vote, it should be the desire of every church member, though he has responsibility in the church, to trust their leaders’ wisdom and direction, unless it expressly contradicts Scripture. Member meetings are a great place for communication which allows for the church as a whole to be on the same page spiritually and administratively.
Covenant Renewal
One final element of the “why” of member meetings is remembering the commitments we have made to one another. If you are a member of Grace Rancho, you might recall that at the end of your membership interview with an elder, you read and affirmed several biblical commitments on a half sheet of paper. We also read these commitments on Sunday mornings when we welcome new members. These biblical commitments make up our church covenant which is derived from explicit biblical commands and principles, worded in such a way that we can constantly look back to refresh our minds as to what we are trying to accomplish individually and corporately in the church. In the church covenant, we remember our common salvation, we pledge our allegiance to Christ alone, we affirm our continual desire for fellowship and discipleship, we affirm the biblical command to not neglect the gathering, to uphold sound doctrine, to contribute to the needs of the church, and renew our calling to live in this world as a new creation, in holiness and in rejoicing. Remembering our church covenant reminds us that we have made biblical commitments to one another, and prevents spiritual drift by being accountable to live them out in our daily lives in the church.
