Category Archives: Church Members

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New Member Letter

Church Unity

Every time a new member is formally received into membership at IDC the first thing we do is send the individual or family a “New Member Letter.”

It’s our way of saying, “Welcome!” and is also an avenue to exhort them in various things we want to be true about our church’s mission and life together. Things necessary for church unity. Here is the letter in its current form, maybe you can adapt it and use it for your church. Our letter is, after all, an adaptation of a similar one from Capitol Hill Baptist Church in D.C. Praise the Lord for like-minded partners in the gospel!

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

Dear New Member,

Welcome! On Saturday, August 10th the assembled congregation of Imago Dei Church affirmed you into membership. We are grateful the Lord as brought you into our local body.

As church members we are responsible to one another. Scripture uses metaphors of a building, a body, and a family to help us understand the corporate nature of our faith. As you commit yourself to the life of this church, keep in mind the following priorities.

Attend. Be constant in your attendance on Saturday nights. These gatherings are the primary means for you to get to know others and be known by them. Such participation will root you in the growth and development of our church.

Pray. Prayer for our services, witness, evangelism, and members, will strengthen the community of faith God is building at IDC. We suggest you pray through the church directory, praying through three or four names each day.

Give. Work toward contributing a percentage of your income regularly to the ministry of this church as we serve on another, our community, and the world.

Serve. Use your Spirit-given gifts to edify the body.

Live holy. Your actions, in private and in public, affect the health and witness of our church. Fight sin by God’s grace and, through the Spirit’s work, grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Evangelize. You’re a missionary sent by our church into your neighborhood, home, and workplace. Grow in your understanding and affection for the Gospel, and pray daily to seize opportunities to share the good news.

Set aside the second Saturday night of every other month to be at our family meetings. These meetings occur regularly every other month; the next meeting happens on August 10th. Whether the meetings are long or short, exciting or routine, they are a crucial part of our functioning as a congregation.

As we come together and pray, as we give and obey, as we deliberate and decide, we have the opportunity and responsibility to show God’s glory to this neighborhood, this city and beyond. Welcome to the challenge and privilege of being a member of Imago Dei Church.

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The Best Way to Serve Your Pastor

Pray for Your Pastor

What is the single best thing church members can do for their pastor? Pray for them.

Any other answer—encourage, attend, serve, give, etc.—are flickering candles when compared to the sun-blazing power of prayer.

The great apostle knew full well the power of prayer. He appealed to the Romans “by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” He begged the Ephesians to pray “also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Pastors need the prayers of their people to not only survive in ministry but thrive in faithfulness and fruitfulness.

How to Pray for Your Pastor

I imagine few church members need any convincing of the simple point that pastors need their prayers. Yet, at least in my experience, while convinced of the need to pray for their pastors, church members often think, “What exactly should I pray for?” Of course, the easiest way to find out his prayer needs is to simply ask. Another thing a caring church member could do is peruse the Pastorals and pray for God to give what He commands of pastors. But life is busy and demands are many, so I decided to go ahead and put that list together.

Here then is a list of things you could pray for your pastor and be simultaneously certain of two things: 1) they are in accord with God’s will, and 2) they are things a healthy pastor always desires. Pray that:

  • He would warn against false doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3-4).
  • He would do all things in love that flows from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5).
  • He wages the good warfare and not reject his conscience (1 Tim. 1:18-19).
  • He would be active in prayer (1 Tim. 2:1-5).
  • He would be above reproach,  sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, and hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2).
  • He would increase in his ability to teach (1 Tim. 3:2).
  • He would not give himself to drunkenness, violence, quarrels, or the love of money (1 Tim. 3:3).
  • He would love his wife after the model of Christ and faithfully lead his children (1 Tim. 3:4-5).
  • He would train himself for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7).
  • He would set his hope in the living God (1 Tim. 4:10).
  • He would be exemplary in speech, conduct, and purity (1 Tim. 4:12).
  • He would devote himself to reading Scripture and preaching Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13).
  • He would not neglect his gift (1 Tim. 4:14).
  • He would keep a close watch on himself and the teaching (1 Tim. 4:16).
  • He would do nothing from partiality (1 Tim. 5:21).
  • He would not be hasty in decision-making (1 Tim. 5:22).
  • He would grow in contentment (1 Tim. 6:6).
  • He would flee sin and pursue righteousness, steadfastness, and gentleness (1 Tim. 6:11).
  • He would take hold of the assurance of eternal life in Christ (1 Tim. 6:12).
  • He would warn against worldliness and the vanity of money (1 Tim. 6:17).
  • He would guard the gospel (1 Tim. 6:20).
  • He would not be ashamed of the gospel (2 Tim. 1:8).
  • He would joyfully suffer for the gospel (2 Tim. 1:8).
  • He would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1).
  • He would be active in discipling (2 Tim. 2:2).
  • He would gain wisdom in everything (2 Tim. 2:7).
  • He would rightly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
  • He would avoid gossip (2 Tim. 2:16).
  • He would pursue peace (2 Tim. 2:22).
  • He would have nothing to do with foolish controversies (2 Tim. 2:23).
  • He would be kind to everyone (2 Tim. 2:24).
  • He would patiently endure evil (2 Tim. 2:24).
  • He would correct with gentleness (2 Tim. 2:25).
  • He would avoid false teachers (2 Tim. 3:5).
  • He would preach the word (2 Tim. 4:2).
  • He would always be ready with the truth (2 Tim. 4:2).
  • He would reprove, rebuke, and exhort with patience and clarity (2 Tim. 4:2).
  • He would be active in evangelism (2 Tim. 2:5).
  • He would be disciplined (Titus 1:8).
  • He would hold firm to sound doctrine (Titus 1:9).
  • His teaching would be saturated with sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).
  • He would disciple all generations to godliness (Titus 2:2-10).
  • He would lead with confidence (Titus 2:15).
  • He would disciple church members to be ready for every good work (Titus 3:1-8).
  • He would be wise in church discipline (Titus 3:10-11).

Take those 45 points and just pray for a few each day. You’ll never know the life it will bring to his soul and to your church as a whole.

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