What Does It Mean To Be A Member Of A Church?

The church is called the body of Christ (Colossians 1:24).  This body is made up of many members, just like our physical bodies are made up with many parts, or members, such as eyes, head, hands, feet, etc. (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12).  The followers of Christ are united with Christ by his Spirit, and share his life, and as a result we become members of His body.  As members of his body we are given spiritual gifts to be used for the mission of Jesus—saving, and making disciples of more people.  Each member has a part to play in the role of being the body of Christ and sharing the love of God and the good news of Jesus to others.  Each participant in a Small Group has a God given part to play in the small group as we encourage one another.

Even as Jesus’ body was sent to save the world, Jesus imparted his Spirit into the bodies of his followers, so that together we might serve the same purpose for which he came.  He sends us to seek and save those who are far from God and help them take steps back to God.  Each believer is equipped by the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts that help us function in unity as the Body of Christ, the light of the world.  We become Christ’s hands and feet as tangible expressions of God’s love.  We love others because God first loved us.  We serve others because Jesus served us.  We live for Jesus because Jesus lived and died and rose, conquering death for us.

At VVCC, there are a handful of things that we expect from our church members. If you are a member here, these are the things we want you to be actively moving toward!

BAPTISM: We expect that all church members have made a personal but public declaration of their faith and said “I’m all in!” by being baptized.

LOVE GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY: No one is able to perfectly love God with their whole hearts but this still should be our goal. Regardless of where you are coming from, our expectation is that all church members are moving in the direction of a more and more intimate relationship with Jesus each day.

DO FIRST THINGS FIRST: Primarily this means that as followers of Jesus, we must manage our time, talents, and treasure in a way that prioritizes honoring Christ and His kingdom above all else. We expect all church members to be regularly giving of their time, talents, and treasure which most often looks like giving financially and serving somehow.

DON’T DO LIFE ALONE: We expect that all church members are actively choosing to live in community with other followers of Christ. This is more than simply attending a church service on Sunday. Most often this is seen through involvement in a Small Group or other mid-week group.

SAVED PEOPLE SERVE PEOPLE: We expect that all church members of cultivating a posture of serving others in their daily lives. This can look like many things, but we can help you get started by telling you more about the many ways you can start volunteering here.

FOLLOWERS SAY FOLLOW ME: This means that we expect that every member of our church is also actively working to mentor, encourage, or disciple someone else whose faith is not quite as far along. As followers of Jesus, we are called to actively make disciples.