Members
The pattern of the New Testament is that God adds new believers to local churches where they come into the safety of a healthy Christian community where they can "take root and grow up" into everything He has for them. We encourage Christians to find a local church family where they can be known and belong, rather than to try and "go it alone."
For anyone who may be interested in joining First Love Church, we encourage the following process...
1. Start Coming!
The most concrete way to express the desire to be a part of First Love Church (or any church) is to be there! We do understand the busyness of life and the demands of our age, but at the same time we encourage our members to make the meeting times a priority in their lives. Joining the church involves you knowing us as well as us knowing you, and just being there helps to ensure that this happens.
While we do no keep an attendance record and we know that life will occasionally produce exceptions, we ask our members to see our meetings as the "dinner table time" of the church family, which is a "default commitment" in every healthy home.
2. Hear from God!
It is important that you feel a conviction, or a "sense of rightness" from God about being a part of our church family. With so many churches in every city, it is necessary for you to find your way to the one that God wants to place you in. You will be able to tell if it is right by whether you are growing spiritually, if you fit in with the people and if you feel that you can follow the leadership team.
We encourage people to pray sincerely about joining the church and to trust God to make it clear to them. This decision should not be rushed, it should seem natural and there should be an inner sense of peace and joy. It should also be a decision made with freedom and not out of some sense of duty or pressure.
3. Commit to a Partnership!
A partnership is a committed relationship in which two or more parties contribute each of our personal giftings and resources in order to achieve the same goals. This is what we are building at First Love Church! Paul spoke of his "partnership in the Gospel" with the Philippian church (Philippians 1:5), and to the Corinthians he spoke about each Christian being a "member" of the "church body" (1 Corinthians 12:27), contributing their unique function to get the job done.
When God joins someone to a local church, it is so that they might receive the benefit of the ministry of the church, but also so that they can add their contribution "into the mix" with everyone else!
4. Share with a Shepherd!
Since the Bible tells us that shepherds will give an account for the sheep under their care (Hebrews 13:17), it is important to us that we know who is under our care! We would like to have a coffee (or a meal) with each person that joins the church so that we can get to know them and share our hearts with them. If you have decided to join First Love Church, we encourage you to come and chat with us, or give us a call (we do return messages) so that one of us can meet with you and get to know you. We would also like to know what your needs or desires are so that we can pray with intelligence for you and your family.
We look forward to hearing from you!!
