Unity & Member Meetings
Church members meetings, sometimes called business meetings, have gotten a bad rap in recent years. For many, a members meeting conjures up thoughts of endless fighting over petty issues. For others, the thoughts are of boring, meaningless reports about budgets and ministries and other items that are very important to a few, but very unimportant to most.
If these ideas are the ones that come to your mind when you think about our Emmaus church members meetings, then this Word of Exhortation is for you. My exhortation to us this morning is for the members of Emmaus to attend and to participate in our church’s members meetings. I have two reasons that I’m hoping will stir your desire to join us. First, Church member meetings are the primary place where we live our congregationalism.
Joining a church is not joining a social club. Anyone who has made it through our membership process will already understand this. We have real expectations of every member regarding their spiritual life and their participation in our church. Congregationalism means that we, as elders, can’t make certain decisions without the input and affirmation of church members. We need you to fulfil your congregational responsibility in order for us to operate the church. And members meetings are where that happens.
As examples, during recent members meetings, church members approved both an annual budget and a surplus recommendation. We also approved Sam and Patsy Dimas to serve as Deacons, and brought in more than a dozen new members – all with overwhelming congregational support. None of this is possible without members showing up at members meetings! When you participate on Sunday nights you are doing the work of the church. Meetings are not always exciting, but those who come faithfully and participate, sing, and pray should understand themselves to be part of a much larger work of God. He is growing, establishing, and maturing his church here at Emmaus, and you play a critical role!
If you are a visitor joining us, you may be wondering how this applies to you. Particularly because our practice at Emmaus is to restrict our meetings to members only. My exhortation for you is to find a church quickly where you can commit and participate in future members meetings. If that church is here, our next membership class is next Sunday afternoon and we’d love to have you. If not, there is another local church out there for you, and we can help connect you to them.
Alright, back on topic, remember our first reason to attend Church members meetings is because they are the primary place we practice congregationalism, and (secondly)…
Church members meetings are designed to unify and encourage the members.
Beyond the simple responsibilities of a members meeting, we sincerely hope they are an encouragement. When we gather together and act in unity it should help to build our common identity as a church. These are our people, our family. When we read the church covenant together and make mutual promises to care for each other, I genuinely hope these words from your brothers and sisters are an encouragement to your faith!
It is a rare meeting that I am not stopped by the words from our church covenant, “We will rejoice at each other’s happiness and lovingly bear each other’s burdens and sorrows.” Knowing some of your individual stories how you continue pursuing with the Lord in great joy and great sorrow drives that promise home in my heart. It connects me to you in a powerful way.
Unity is never perfect on this earth, but members meetings are an opportunity for us to practice Christian unity. Listen to Jesus’s prayer to his Father in John 17
“I do not ask for these only (apostles), but also for those who will believe in me through their word (the church), that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Christian unity leads to Christian witness. As we strive together in unity, we display the Trinitarian unity to a world in need. Church members, come and participate in our members meetings. The Lord uses mundane things like members meetings to unify us into one body. And that one body is his witness to the lost world around us.