Belonging to Each Other: part 2

This is the second in a 2 part series on membership.  Part 1 talks about the New Testament arguments for being a church member.  You can read it here. This week:  more specific thoughts about being a member of Restoration.

What does it mean to be a member of Restoration?
When you join Restoration, you are not joining some abstract ‘thing’.  We are joining each other.  We belong to each other.  Members of Restoration choose to live in the milieu created by these core values and to hold these commitments in common.  By choosing to be a member, we choose against isolation and individualism.  We choose to live life together.

Core Values

Being a member means that we embrace the culture of a community and seek to be immersed and transformed by it.  The culture of Restoration is defined by the Gospel:

• The Gospel Changes Everything
• The Gospel is Catalyzed by Community
• The Gospel is Proclaimed by Word and Sacrament
• The Gospel Calls us to Lives of Coherence

(I preached a 5-sermon series on these called, ‘The Gospel Changes Everything’.  We remembered to record 4 of ’em.)

Common Commitments

Being a member means that we belong to each other by holding certain commitments in common.  As members we commit to these things:

1.    We are baptized believers.

• We are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• We believe that our rescue and deliverance from death and sin is found only through the unique, finished work of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
• We seek to follow the example of Jesus by living lives of dependence on the Father through the Holy Spirit.
• We will grow in our relationship with the Lord by disciplines of personal piety.
• You can read the doctrinal statement for the Anglican Church in North American and for David Hanke, here.

2.    We are intentionally giving our time, talent, and treasure to the building of God’s Kingdom through Restoration.

• Time: By God’s grace and provision, we commit to worshipping regularly at Restoration.
• Talent: By God’s grace and provision, we are using our gifts and abilities to serve those in our community (C3 Inreach) and beyond (Outreach Opportunities).
• Treasure: By God’s grace and provision, between our household and the Lord, we are making annual financial commitments to Restoration.

3.    We are regular participants in Restoration small groups.

Intentional Acts

On May 31, we will invite those who want to become members of Restoration to stand and take an oath of these commitments (‘by God’s grace we will’).  In this oath, we are declaring our desire to belong to each other.  We have a membership book that we will ask you to sign that becomes a permanent record for those who have made these commitments over the years.