How do you get mice out of a church building? You make them members, then you’ll never see them again. It’s a sad, but funny joke pastors tell about the annoyance of church membership.
The truth is, being on a membership list at your church doesn’t really mean you’re a church member. It just means you have voting privileges. If you want to really be invested and become a valuable member of your church, you should be doing these three things. They’re what really make you a member.
1. Make attendance a priority.
The rule of thumb is that only 2/3 of the congregation are ever present on a given Sunday. That means, on average, people miss one in three church services. That’s pretty low.
I’m not saying attendance should be a legalistic thing. I miss from time to time. But I try to make it a priority that when I’m in town, I’m at church. Where you put your time is an indication of what you find valuable. And a church member should find the gathering of his or her fellow members valuable.
2. Volunteer in some capacity.
Not everyone can serve on the parking team, nursery team, and greeting team each Sunday. That would probably burn most people out quickly. But volunteering is important. It is a form of giving back to your church. Plus it gets you connected more closely to the people in the church.
Volunteer in some capacity. It might just be one hour a month, but that’s still something. Everyone can do at least that.
3. Give generously.
I know tithing is an Old Testament law that Jesus fulfilled in his New Testament action. But at the same time, grace calls us to more than the minimum. So tithing isn’t frankly enough. We are called to give out of love for what God has done for us.
If your treasure isn’t making its way to the church, your heart probably isn’t there. I know I sound like a pastor during offering time, but it’s true.
So those are the three things I think are vital to church membership. Notice I didn’t mention Sunday school or small groups. Those are all good. But you can do those things without even being connected to a church. These three things will get you connected and in tight membership with the people who attend alongside you.
What would you add to the list? Anything I missed?
