Church Membership

“Church Membership… so what’s that all about then…?”? We believe that ‘Membership’ at Acland Road :-

• Confirms locally what is true on a global scale, namely that Christian believers are a part of a specific likeminded family

• Affirms what was true of all Christians in the New Testament, namely that ‘every’ Christian (with the exception of the dying thief!) was attached to a specific group of believers. This is healthy, sensible, God-honouring, and as such this needs to be clarified somehow

• Creates a sense of belonging and enables people to feel an active part of the life of the Church

• Places a value on individual believers, giving people the opportunity to voice their views as to what they feel the Lord might be saying to us as a Church

• Helps to foster a right and biblical view of accountability

• Highlights those who are under the direct pastoral care of the Church. Although we recognise that all Christians should seek to be supportive of one another, we have specific responsibility to care for those who are part of our own Church family

• Offers at least a numerical measure as to how we are doing as a Church

• Is for participators not spectators because every Christian has God given gifts which are graciously given for the building up of the Church and the enabling of God’s mission to be accomplished

• Demonstrates an individual’s commitment not only to Jesus Christ but to his cause within the context of a specific family of believers

• Enables us to know who is really with us in terms of commitment to the mission God has given to us and enables individuals to affirm to the leaders of the Church, “I’m with you, count me in!”

In one sense as soon as anyone becomes a Christian, they are very definitely a member of God's Church, and that's great! You've been adopted into a worldwide family of millions of believers and suddenly have loads of brothers and sisters…! But it also seems quite important to know 'which' group of believers you belong to... In the New Testament Christians were a part of a particular Church, and they would see this place as their spiritual home. We don't know if there was any formalised structure, but for those who wish to see Acland Road Evangelical Church as their spiritual home we have what we call 'membership'. It is something that we value very highly, because every member has a key role to play in Church life. To be a member of the Church has nothing to do with following a set of rules, but it is certainly more than Church attendance every now and then on a Sunday!
>> Current Membership

Being a part of ‘Dorchester Community Church’

We believe that being a part of Church is very important, and define such belonging with ourselves as ‘Membership’, aiming to be a Church where people are encouraged to belong in our family, to worship Jesus as Lord, to grow in their faith, to serve and use their God-given gifts, and to share God’s love with others. Below outlines some of the values we feel are key. They are not rules, but they do indicate what we are aiming to be and to do together, in partnership, as a Church. These ten values are what we seek to encourage of one another, and are therefore relevant for each of us to think about from time to time.

Believing more>>
• Are you a Christian? Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord?
• Do you believe the Bible to be God’s Word for us?

Worshipping more>>
• Do you see your life as being an opportunity to demonstrate your love for God?
• Do you seek to meet regularly with the Church for worship, and do you see members meetings as significant?

Praying more>>
• Do you pray for the Church, its ministries, and its leaders, and seek to meet for prayer if possible?
• Do you pray for the Church to impact the Town and surrounding areas?

Belonging more>>
• Have you been baptised by immersion, and if not would you be open to finding out more about this?
• Are you linked with a specific ‘LIFE Group’, or if not would you like to be?

Serving more>>
• Have you a willingness to serve, and are you involved in a specific area of Church life? • Are you eager to discover and to use your spiritual gifts?

Witnessing more>>
• Do you aim for your words and actions to speak well of Jesus?
• Do you try to talk to your friends about the Church and about your faith, maybe inviting them along to events?

Giving more>>
• Do you see your finances as a gift from God, and seek to set aside a proportion for Him and His work?
• Do you aim to give regularly to the Church, gift-aiding this where possible?
• Have you considered tithing your will to the Church in order to make a spiritual impact for all eternity?

Supporting more>>
• Do you look out for others, visit or speak to those not around?
• Do you support the Church Leaders, and recognise their spiritual authority?

Learning more>>
• Do you seek to study the Bible and to listen to God regularly, daily if possible?
• Do you aim to grow in your faith, and to put God’s Word into practise?

Transforming more>>
• Do you seek to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in your own life?
• Do you believe God wants to work both in and through you, so peoples’ lives can be changed?
• Do you pray for God to change lives, to transform our community, and to bring revival?

Each of these aspects of Church life feature heavily in the New Testament, so we feel should form the basis for our Church today.

If you would like to consider being a member of the Church, please speak to one of the elders or Contact Us