Class 6: Life Together
Covenant Baptist New Members Class
Class 6: Life Together
Background
Acts 2:42-47
Regular Gatherings
Intentional Relationships
Biblical Leadership
- What characterized the first church?
- The church loved God’s Word and loved each other
- Worshipped God and shared good news with others
- We want to see all that here at CBC
- As is often the case, the exciting fruit that we see is supported by some important things underneath:
- The church gathered together regularly
- The church lived life together
- The church enjoyed and supported the leadership God gave them (apostles)
- The church spent time together in prayer
Regular Gatherings
- Sunday Morning Service (10:30am Sunday Morning)
- CBC’s weekly gathering on the Lord’s Day to worship the Lord corporately
- Ordinary Means of Grace
- Singing the Word
- Hear God’s Word Read
- Exegetical (Verse by Verse) Preaching
- Confession of Sin
- Baptism
- The Lord’s Supper
- Ordinary Means of Grace
- CBC’s weekly gathering on the Lord’s Day to worship the Lord corporately
- Wednesday Evening Service (6:30pm Wednesday Evening)
- More informal corporate gathering
- Worshipping the Lord together through song
- Messages are typically more topical in nature
- Members Meetings
- Members will meet on one Sunday evening each quarter
- The frequency of Members Meetings would be assessed by Elders based on the growth/needs of the church
- Members meetings will consist of hearing reports from ministries, providing updates on finances, voting in new members, and executing church discipline (if necessary- see class notes on Church Covenant)
Intentional Relationships
- At CBC, we strive to be a relationship-based church rather than a program-driven church
- Three ways to cultivate intentional relationships:
- Hospitality
- Examples:
- Invite people to your home after church for lunch
- Addending weddings and funerals
- Visiting the sick
- Helping each other move
- Helping older members
- Examples:
- Discipling
- If we are discipling, this means that we are helping one another grow in their walk with Christ
- Example:
- Finding someone of the same gender and asking them to get together regularly to study a portion of Scripture, read a Christian book, discuss the sermon, or just encourage each other
- Example:
- If we are discipling, this means that we are helping one another grow in their walk with Christ
- Hospitality
Biblical Leadership
- Elders
- Elders are described in Scripture as being under-shepherds of Christ (the more common name for this position in our day and time would be Pastor)
- Per our CBC by-laws, we require there to be more than one Elder (plurality). Why?
- There is a pattern clearly laid out in Scripture of each church having a plurality of elders
- Having a plurality of Elders helps to round out the Senior Pastor’s gifts, makes it easier for the leadership of the church to make wiser decisions, and helps our church leaders to know our church
- What do these men do?
- Pray
- Prayer is essential in seeking to lead God’s people, and it’s honoring to God as we show our dependence on Him
- Provide Oversight
- Elders provide oversight as under-shepherds in the realm of marriage, finances, worship, ordinances, discipline, doctrine, missions, recommendation of elders and deacons and new members, etc.
- Teach
- One of only two distinct qualifications of and elder vs. a deacon in 1 Timothy 3
- Elders are given to this role in Scripture (1 Timothy 2:12)
- Elders don’t do all the teaching- but they are overseeing it
- Pray
- It is worthy noting that while we are called in Scripture to obey our elders, we also see that final responsibility for matters of discipline and doctrine rests with the congregation. How, then, can we be congregational in that sense and also obey our elders?
- Deacons
- Acts 6 shows us how the office of Deacon was established
- What are the responsibilities of deacons?
- Primary: to promote unity by being shock absorbers and peacemakers
- Secondary: to manage areas of administration (sound, children’s ministry, ushering, community outreach, etc.)
- Deacons are nominated by elders and voted on by the church
- Officers and Staff
- Officers: The church Treasurer and Clerk
- Staff: Work for the church (Ex: Secretary)
Prayer
- Pray for the church generally
- Pray for the congregation of CBC as a whole
- Pray for the church specifically
- Pray for specific members of CBC (including prayer for pastors and other leaders)
Posted in CBC Foundations
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