Church Membership

When an individual is saved, he becomes a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). Because he is united to Christ and the other members of the body in this way, he is therefore qualified to become member of a local expression of that body.

To become a member of a church is to formally commit oneself to an identifiable, local body of believers who have joined together for specific, divinely ordained purposes. These purposes include receiving instruction from God’s Word (1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2), serving and edifying one another through the proper use of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-31; 1 Pet. 4:10-11), participating in the ordinances (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42), and proclaiming the gospel to those who are lost (Matt. 28:18- 20). In addition, when one becomes a member of a church, he submits himself to the care and the authority of the biblically qualified elders that God has placed in that assembly. (John Dumas 2003).

And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers, to equip[e] the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah. Ephesians 4:11-12

The role of the Pastor is to teach and equip the saints for the work of ministry.

We believe in following the model of Jesus by serving others and the church. Everything we do relies on the time and effort of the people that come to church and events. Serving is also a great way to feel part of the church family and collectively build a strong community. There are lots of different ways you can help out. JOIN A TEAM. We’re always looking for people to serve and minister in various ways.

For more information on membership and ways you can serve, please contact the church.

Giving

We encourage freewill giving with no compulsion or obligation. Read more on our vision of generosity, why we give, ways to give, and tithing.

Our Vision of Generosity

The Church in Macedonia had a unique grace of giving which caught the attention of the Apostles and they recommended this grace to other churches. In Generosity, we want to be like the Macedonian church.

We want you to know, brothers, a about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints—(2 Corinthians 8:1-4 ESV).

Why we give

Giving is part of our spiritual act of worship and should be approached with sacred devotion

Giving is a command by God with promise of divine blessings

Giving enhances the work of the church and empowers us to further proclaim the gospel

We help others in need through our giving

Ways to Give

The Tithe

SHOULD CHRISTIANS GIVE TITHES TODAY

The tithe is the principle of giving a tenth of your earnings to God through the church. The big question surrounding tithes is whether Christians today are obliged to follow it? Let’s look in the scriptures

1. ABRAHAM GAVE TITHES TO MELCHIZEDEK

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” (Genesis 20:17-20 ESV)

2. JACOB OBSERVED THE PRACTICE

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” (Genesis 28:20-22 ESV).

3. GOD COMMANDS IT

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Malachi 3:10 ESV).

4. THE PRACTICE IS REFERENCED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOK OF HEBREWS

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace (Hebrews 7:1-2 ESV).

Tithing is purely an act of faith, it is not compulsory as with any commandment, it can be obeyed or disobeyed with consequences. The individual is not compelled but as with every obedience faith is required. Giving the tithe is an act of obedience which demonstrates faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God . . . (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). Abraham gave to Melchizedek without any obligation; it was purely an act of faith. Jacob vowed to give God the tenth purely based on his motivations of faith.

The act of tithing is the faith act in the Old Covenant before the law. Some people who are against tithing cite the following scriptures and claim that Our Lord Jesus Christ did not endorse tithing.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Matthew 23:23 ESV

“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others (Luke 11:42 ESV).

The use of the above scriptures to justify non-tithing is very erroneous. A careful read makes it simple and clear. The Pharisees were being challenged by The Lord Jesus to not simply pick and choose but do all.

The Pharisees sought to make tithing works based and prided themselves and boasted about tithing whiles not pursuing issues that affected the people. Their tithing was an act of self-righteousness to make them feel good in the eyes of the public, but did nothing to help the public with their struggles. There is no suggestion from the above scriptures that Our Lord Jesus condemned tithing. Rather he condemned the mercilessness and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Our Lord Jesus never condemned tithing.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MONEY I GIVE?

We support missions in Philippines, India, Cambodia, Thailand, and Ghana.
We support the Bible Society and Compassion UK.
Assist people in difficulty
We run a food bank for individuals and families in need
Maintaining and running the church.
Our annual accounts which are independently examined by chartered accountants are published with the charity commission as public information.