BUILDING A STRONG CHURCH
Old school saint Cyprian once said the following, and he was right on: “You cannot have God as your Father if you do not have the church as your mother.”
When Jesus saves us, He doesn’t save us by ourselves for ourselves. He saves us into the historical and global community of saints who have been justified by faith in His person and work. This community is what we call Jesus’ Church. The Christian life is a “we” endeavor, lived out in real-life, flesh-and-blood, face-to-face community for the glory of God, the good of one another, and the good of those who we have been sent to. By God’s grace, we are now members of Christ’s body, dependent upon Him as our head, intimately and necessarily connected to one another.
One of the many implications of these truths is that we love the local church and want to be an integral part of her life and mission. Nothing could hold us back from loving her people, submitting to her pastors, benefiting from her means of grace, funding her work, and advancing her mission.
If you've gotten connected to Seven Mile Road and are ready to make this local church your gospel home, here's our simple roadmap for making that happen:
1: Read our Membership Primer.
We've written up all the basics of what it means to believe the gospel in community with a local church like Seven Mile Road. Being clear on and committed to these essentials is key if we are going to thrive personally and missionally together.
2: Talk with one of our pastors.
Our pastors take seriously the charge to love and lead the people under Jesus' care here well. One of our pastors will come and sit with you to hear your gospel story and answer any questions you have.
3: Be baptized (if you haven't before!).
4: Commit and be welcomed on a Sunday.
In the gospel, Jesus has made us family! Whenever a new individual or couple covenants with us, we warmly receive them on a Sunday morning by hearing their story and prayerfully commissioning them to their work here with us.