Covenant Membership
Our desire from the beginning of Neighborhood Church has been to take church membership very seriously. What does it mean to be a member of a church? Why would anyone want to become a member of a church? What changes when I become a member of a church? These are questions that we've tried to answer. One of the primary images of the church that the Bible gives is the human body. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul reminds us that in the human body, all of the parts are needed for the body to function the way it is created. The same, he says, is true for the Body of Christ, the Church. All parts are needed in order for the church to function properly.
That's where church membership comes in. There are three phases that people move through here at NC. They are:
Observation
This is the Inclusive Community. Anyone is welcome, no matter what you believe, how you live, what you look like, where you come from, etc. This is the "Come and See" message of Jesus (John 1). And it's not just "come on Sunday night and see." It's "Observe how we live, how we care for one another, and how we love our neighbor as ourselves. Just come and be with us.
Participation
We recognize that many of us have lots of baggage and wounds when it comes to church. Our hope is that over time, people will like what they "come and see." If they've had stereotypes of what a church is, many of these will have been broken through. If they've had baggage and wounds, many of these will have been healed through our time together. This phase occurs when people begin to participate relationally, or to serve, or to give.
Partnership
No matter what phase you are in, we will continue to issue the call to trust and follow Jesus. We will call you to give your life for His mission and for the instrument that He has chosen to carry out His mission: the local church. Those of you who answer that call move to the third phase, which is partnership, or ownership. This is where you decide that this mission isn't just about a few people. You recognize that God has called you here. Whereas the message of Observation was "Come and see," the message of Partnership is "Come and die" (Mark 8:34-35). (I know that may sound like a major downer, but it actually leads to true freedom, to true life). Those of us who are called into partnership together form a covenant community.
We primarily use the term "covenant" when speaking of marriage, but the term is also used in Scripture. God made a covenant with His people, Israel. In Exodus 19 God made the following statement to His people: 5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6, ESV).
At Neighborhood Church we have decided to use a membership covenant. This covenant is between the members of NC, but it's also a covenant to God. It's not a form of legalism; we know we're all going to fall short from time to time.
Our membership covenant can be found below. If you have any questions, or would like to know more about becoming a member, send us an .
