Last winter, our family joined the YMCA here in Dover. We joined for the benefits that the Y provides. The weight room, the indoor/outdoor pools, the children’s sports and the list can go on. We both enjoy the fellowship that happens at the Y as well. There have been a few times, that as a member, I have felt that the Y needed to step up their game. While I never complained, I felt that as a paying member of the YMCA that I was entitled to better services.

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a member of a church?

Being a member at a church (and specifically Hope Church) is not about benefits or entitlement. Being a member of a church does give us exclusive access to the pastor or to God. Being a member of the church does not mean we expect to have our complaints or grievances heard and acted on. Being a member of a church is not about what we get.

Being a member of a church (and Hope Church) is about what we give.

Membership is a commitment on the part of the member to be an active, growing, and contributing part of the local expression of the Body of Christ. Members of a church are to be unified in creating a ministry space that is welcoming to those who are not believers or members. In other words, membership in a church means that we understand that the church is not what I want. Membership means we are committed to working together in how God is calling us to reach the community and world around us.