NEXT STEP
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?
If you are interested in signing up for our NEXT STEP Meeting, please contact P.C.C Office :
YOU’VE ATTENDED PCC CHURCH A TIME OR TWO. YOU’VE ENJOYED THE PRAISE AND WORSHIP, THE MESSAGE, AND IT SEEMS LIKE A GREAT PLACE TO BELONG. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? HOW DO YOU GET TO KNOW THIS CHURCH WELL ENOUGH TO INVEST YOUR FAMILY’S TIME AND LIVE OUT YOUR FAITH HERE? HOW CAN YOU REALLY BECOME A PART OF THIS LIFE-GIVING COMMUNITY?
- WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
- HOW DO YOU GET TO KNOW THIS CHURCH WELL ENOUGH TO INVEST YOUR FAMILY’S TIME AND LIVE OUT YOUR FAITH HERE?
- HOW CAN YOU REALLY BECOME A PART OF THIS LIFE-GIVING COMMUNITY?
Next Steps happens every Saturday at 1:00 pm. It’s held in meeting place we are happy to accommodate in anyway can during the meeting
BECOME A MEMBER
DON’T SIT ON THE EDGES OF THIS GREAT FAMILY. TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND FIND OUT WHERE YOU FIT INSIDE THE PCC CHURCH COMMUNITY.
Why is church membership important?
The universal Church—the Body of Christ (Romans 12:5)—is composed of all true believers in Christ, and local churches are to be microcosm of the universal Church. As believers, we have our names written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 20:12), and that is what is most important. However, it is also important to commit to a local church where we can give of our resources, serve others, and be accountable.
The Bible does not directly address the concept of formal church membership, but there are several passages that strongly imply its existence in the early church. “And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved” (Acts 2:47). This verse indicates that salvation was a prerequisite for being “added” to the church. In Acts 2:41, it seems that someone was keeping a numerical record of those who were saved and thus joining the church. Churches today that require salvation before membership are simply following the biblical model. See also 2 Corinthians 6:14–18.
Importance of the Local Church Membership:
- Church membership shows who agrees with a church doctrine
- Church membership make visible your commitment to Christ and his people.
- Helps to ensure guidance during elections decisions
- Protects the reputation of the church.
- Joining the church will help your pastor and elders be more faithful shepherds.
Heb 13:7
- It shows who is committed (Making a commitment makes a powerful statement in a low-commitment culture.)
- Church membership Makes accountability or discipline possible
[it is so important because, without it, there can be no accountability or church discipline. First Corinthians 5:1–13 teaches a church how to deal with blatant, unrepentant sin in its midst. In verses 12–13, the words inside and outside are used in reference to the church body. We only judge those who are “inside” the church—church members. How can we know who is “inside” or “outside” the church without an official membership roll? See also Matthew 18:17.]
- Joining the church gives you an opportunity to make promises.
[When someone become a member at Pentecostal Commitment Church, he makes promises to pray, give, serve, attend worship, accept the spiritual guidance of the church, obey its teachings, and seek the things that make for unity, purity, and peace. We ought not to make these promises lightly. They are solemn vows. And we must hold each other to them. If you don’t join the church, you miss an opportunity to publicly make these promises, inviting the elders and the rest of the body to hold you to these promises-which would be missing out on great spiritual benefit, for you, your leaders, and the whole church.]
Membership matters more than most people think. Sign up for the membership class, meet with your elders, and join your local church.
[For Church membership is not an incidental or optional matter for the Christian. Rather, it’s an essential and important aspect of the Christian life. According to Scripture, being a part of a local church brings with it tremendous privileges, and serious responsibilities, that can be fulfilled in no other way.]
Benefits of Local Church Membership
Opportunities to Make a Difference
One of the biggest benefits of church membership is its collective resource that provides opportunities to help others and make a difference. Church volunteer opportunities are available at most churches and these opportunities provide the system and structure to serve or support a cause. For example, my church does disaster relief work and provides the structure for Volunteers to get involved in helping other people. These kinds of experiences reinforce the Christian call to love and help other people. When we know we make a difference for a cause it gives us hope for a better world.
Accountability
Belonging to a church provides a level of accountability for its members. Members that receive good biblical teaching learn to make good decisions, are held accountable by just showing up and being reminded of their core beliefs. The world offers many distractions and contradictions to Christian beliefs so having a community of people to interact with who think the same way helps to reinforce and hold us accountable to biblical principles.
Sense of Community
Our fast-paced culture has many of us living in isolation so much that we often live in neighborhoods and don’t even know the people down the street. Belonging to a church body provides interactions with other people and creates a social community.
Personal Development
As Christians we are all on a journey of personal, spiritual and ethical development. Whether we are new Christians or have been a Christian for a long time, a dynamic church can offer church leadership, discipleship and spiritual development and growth.
MEMBERSHIP
To be a member of a church is to make a public promise to live according to the Word and to support the work of the congregation. In the Bible, this is called a covenant. Every believer is part of the church when we think about it as an organism (the Spiritual Body of Christ), but only by a public promise can someone be part of the church as an organization. A public promise, or covenant, is the basis for all society according to the Bible: marriage, employment, citizenship, and church membership are all relationships of accountability.
Membership in a church is not like membership in a social club or other organization. Most organization members are consumers – the organization exists to serve them. The church of Christ is a completely different community – membership means ministry and service, going from being a consumer to becoming a provider of God’s love and care to others. At First, we take it seriously that we are a church not for ourselves, but for others.
BAPTISM
We each come to faith in God through a free, personal decision; therefore, we practice the baptism of believers. For this reason, we do not practice infant baptism, reserving baptism for adults and young people mature enough to make a fully conscious and committed decision. Following Biblical example and modeling the life, death and resurrection of Christ, we baptize by full immersion.
If you have never been baptized before and would like to be, you will need to complete the church membership process at First. Be sure to discuss your desire to be baptized during your initial interview. This will allow you to be scheduled for baptism on the day you take your membership vows in front of the congregation.
Child Dedication
While we do not practice infant baptism, we do dedicate our children. For more details on child dedication, please contact our New Generation Administrative Assistant.