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Nationwide, church attendance is declining. 22% of adults aged 18-29 attend religious services regularly. Regularly is defined as "once or twice a month."
At Ginghamsburg, the number of individuals who have "checked-in" (registered their attendance) at least 24 times in the last two years is 425.
I know our wider connection is more expansive than that, but let me say this: It's so good to see everyone each week! It's good to be seen. To be heard. To be recognized. To be with people different than you. To belong!
"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ." (Colossians 1:28)
2. A promise to group life.
It's in group life that we are challenged to grow in our awareness and application of the Bible. Awareness through study and collective wisdom; application through authentic relationship. Sometimes it's a class, sometimes it's a mission trip and sometimes it's basketball in the Avenue on Sunday afternoons. Being a member of Ginghamsburg Church comes with the expectation that you intimately connect with other Christ followers to develop deeper intimacy with God, experience real community and improve your witness with unbelievers. A life group is a common way to pursue this goal. Life groups create a space for people to intentionally share their lives with others, grow spiritually together, and encourage each other through the highs and lows of life.
Hold each other in accountability. Pray for one another. Solve problems together. Experience deep friendship. Being a member means embracing life rhythms of faith, family and food.
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16)
3. A promise to serve.
Volunteerism isn't enough. When you volunteer, your calendar still dictates your availability. Serving is next level. To be a member of Ginghamsburg Church, it's not about your ability, but your availability. As a member, you take your cues from Moses: "Here I am! Send me!" In fact, if you want to teach a Ginghamsburg class, captain a Ginghamsburg life group, start a Ginghamsburg ministry or lead a Ginghamsburg mission experience, membership is typically required.
I can remember my first church volunteer job: playing bass guitar in the youth group band. In ways I can't describe, I am who I am today because I played bass guitar in the youth group band. To be a volunteer is a necessary first step. I showed up when scheduled, rehearsed the songs and followed the leader. That was much different than when I recruited the band, picked the songs, taught the songs and led the way. Jesus commissioned the Church to invite all people to discover their call and giftedness through the Holy Spirit, so that all may love and serve within the Body of Christ. Volunteering is the process of exploration and discovery. Serving is purpose, training, leadership and call.
"In Christ we, though many, form one body...each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." (Romans 12:5-6)
"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13)
4. A promise to give.
I've been watching a Netflix series called Suits. It's about corporate lawyers and a fraud who practices law without a license. Parallel to the main plot, much of the drama has to do with the firm's feuding partners. In one of the episodes, a heated argument boiled over between two of those feuding partners. One needed money (a personal loan) from the other to mitigate a situation that was threatening the firm's survival. When his request was denied, he retorted in disgust, "Geez, have a little faith in me!" His partner boldly responded, "you can have my faith. You just can't have my money."
Guess what? Ginghamsburg members are not corporate lawyers (thank God). A commitment to give means you understand that faith and money go hand-in-hand.
Now, I need to be honest. This must be hard for us.
Consider our most recent worship gathering. Worship on Sunday, May 5 had 1,135 people in attendance. If you remove kids, remove students and consider "family giving" (where one adult may represent giving for an entire family unit), our most generous estimate is that 53% of our congregation gave anything at all. Using the same formula for the previous Sunday, our upper estimate is 40%. And that's individuals who give anything. Those who tithe represent a much smaller percent. Our ministry is being sustained by a small percentage of our worshiping body. I chose the word sustained carefully...we're surviving! Members want to thrive, and know that generosity is the engine of innovation. Everything you own belongs to God. For those of us who understand tithing, God lets us keep 90%. Ginghamsburg Church members commit to accelerating creativity and compassion by fueling research and opportunity through acts of financial generosity. That's hard. We can help!
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” (Malachi 3:10)
5. A promise to go ALL IN.
At its core, the New Members Class is specifically designed to help you fulfill your baptismal vows. Therefore, baptism is a pre-requisite of membership. But never fear! The class comes with an invitation to go ALL IN.
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