Meaningful Members’ Meeting
Why do we have Members' Meeting? Bibianna shares how it is intentionally designed to help us practise living together as members.
We often say that the church is not a building, but it is made up of people. Throughout the Bible, we see how God desires a relationship with His people, since the creation of the first man and woman. With the Exodus, He redeems for Himself a people who were to reflect His character in the way they lived. Jeremiah 31:31-45 contains God’s promise to make a new covenant community, comprising of believers who have been regenerated by God’s Spirit.
This is picked up in the New Testament. In 1 Peter 2:9, we learn that the church is this new community and is a priesthood of believers. The members of a local church work together to glorify God.
As a local church, we steward this authority by affirming what is the gospel, and who is a believer of this gospel.
As a church then, our purpose is clear. Jesus commissioned the church to make disciples before His ascension. He also entrusts the church with the authority of the keys of the kingdom (Matt 16:18–19; 18:17–18). As a local church, we steward this authority by affirming what is the gospel, and who is a believer of this gospel.
God has also designed for the church to have elders – both lay and full-time pastors. Elders are to lead, teach and equip the church to steward its authority according to Scripture (1 Tim 3:2; Ti. 1:9). Ultimately, the elders are also part of the flock, accountable to the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet 5:1–4). The church, too, is to submit to godly, faithful and biblical elders (Heb 13:17).
How do we apply this? The weekly Sunday services are important for this reason. When people who look different on the outside – of different ages, genders, nationalities, backgrounds – gather, we testify to the transforming power of the gospel. Through the hearing, reading, singing, preaching and teaching of Scripture, we build each other up.
[Members’ Meeting] is also a means for us to demonstrate our belief in and obedience to Christ.
We’ve also intentionally designed our Members’ Meeting to help us practise living together as members. These meetings are not just business meetings for updates about events and plans in the church. It is also a means for us to demonstrate our belief in and obedience to Christ as we meet and gather regularly with the other members of a local church for worship, fellowship and encouragement.
This is so that the church can help to reach out to them if we know them and to keep them in prayer.
As members, we participate in the affirming of worshippers who seek to join us as members and also members who desire to transfer out as a way of committing to the spiritual good of fellow believers. Our elders also follow up and seek to care for members on a regular basis and at our meetings, they regularly share the names of members who have not been attending our services. This is so that the church can help to reach out to them if we know them and to keep them in prayer.
As members, we also participate by praying together during the Members’ Meeting. We come together to thank God for His provision and faithfulness, and also humbly express our dependence on Him.
We encourage all members to join us at this Sunday’s meeting in the Fellowship Hall from 11.15am to 12.30pm. We are excited to also be hosting 40 participants who are joining us for the Weekender, and they too, will be joining us at the meeting. See you there!