Article by Russ Grinter | Pastor (Teaching Elder)

In our series of articles on membership, we saw that membership of the local church is important because of commitment and care. We are committed to one another and care for one another in this group of God’s people. 

Finally we take a look particularly at Reforming Church as our local church, and what it means for members to be on mission together. 

Our team

Being members means we are in partnership with one another, we are a team. In Philippians 1:5, the Apostle Paul says this of the church at Philippi, that he is thankful for their partnership in the gospel. The word he uses (κοινωνία) could be translated as ‘fellowship’ or ‘partnership’, and it’s where we get the word ‘coin’ from (meaning: ‘that which is held in common’). This makes much sense of the meaning of membership, and its function. That is, the end of membership is not that you and I are on a list, but that together we are on a mission.

So what is the mission of Reforming? It arises out of who we are as a church. 

Reforming by the gospel

We are reforming. You see, even though we are first and foremost in-Christ, where we find our spiritual unity with all Christians everywhere who confess Jesus is Lord, there is yet something more particular about us. Even though we are Presbyterian, where we find our orgnanisational unity with other like-minded Christians, there is something yet more particular about us. It’s that thing that Tim Keller calls ‘theological vision’[1], or what others may call their church DNA, or what you may say are our own values, vision and mission of our local church. It’s why there can be three Presbyterian churches in Bendigo and Eaglehawk who all share as a family of churches the same doctrinal confession and polity, yet have particular values, vision and mission. So what is so particular about ours? It’s summed up in one of our mottos, it’s who we are: 

“We are reforming by the good news of Jesus”

We are a people who are reforming by the gospel. One of the mottos of the reformation period was (and excuse my latin) semper reformanda. It just means, always reforming. In its context it meant that the church of God’s people are always being reformed by God’s Word. So as sinners who are saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, we are also always reforming by the gospel of Jesus. It is this saving and reforming gospel that we preach and teach, love and live by. As a group of Christians who are part of the Reformed faith, we love God’s reforming grace. 

Our Motto and Mission-Vision-Values

Our church has two statements of alignment for everything we do, our motto (which has meaning for the name of our church) and our mission-vision-values statement:

1.    Our motto:

“We are Reforming because Jesus change everything”

2.    Our mission-vision-values: Because Jesus changes everything…

“We love God, love people and make disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Our mission-vision-values statement is simple and comes from the pages of the Bible. It incorporates the two big things Jesus tells us to do: the great commandment (Matthew 22:34-40) and the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20).

Partnership in Ministry (Service)

In becoming a member, you’re invited into being a partner in our ministry, that is, serving others in the gospel. The New Testament is littered with those ‘one another’ statements. We see that the church who are members of one another and therefore partners together, are to seek to love and serve one another. We are to pray for one another, and speak the gospel to one another, because we are a church of messy sinners who together are a living testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are an alternative new community, a new humanity built on Christ. So we serve through relationships in the church and in the world.

Our mission-vision-values statement is also our ministry pathway for our church. Whilst the love of God, people and making disciples happens across all the church’s ministries, the simplification of the language shapes each aspect. 

1.     Gatherings – Love God

2.    Groups – Love People

3.    Teams – Make Disciples

What is gathered worship for? To see people, love God. That’s the primary outcome. Yes, that includes loving people, yes it includes disciple-making and teams – but primarily that is what gathered worship of God is for, to love God.

What are groups (as different to gatherings) for? To see people in close care and to share love with one another. Yes, that includes loving God, yes that is part of disciple-making – but primarily groups are where we get to love people in up close and personal ways.

What are ministry teams for? To see the love of God in gathered worship happen, and to see the love of people in groups and in our region happen in sent worship. Yes, that involves the love of God. Yes, that involves loving people. But making disciples in ministry teams has its purpose and outcome in seeing people recruited, trained and equipped to be disciple-making-disciples in groups and gatherings for the gospel to go into the world. It is the Make Disciples ministry that grows a ministry culture to see the saints equipped for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12).

Our hope is that Members of Reforming are able to take part in these three parts of church life. Being part of gathered worship, being part of a small group and serving in a ministry team are these key areas serving one another and serving the world as Members.

We are a Safe Church

We are committed to everyone’s safety and care, the Presbyterian Church of Victoria calls this branch of ministry, Safe Church.[2]

As part of the PCV's commitment to Safe Church all people who

•   hold leadership positions, or 

•   minister to children under 18, or

•   are involved in Pastoral Care

in a PCV congregation or organisation are required to complete a Safe Church Training Course every three years.

This includes:

•   Ministers

•   Elders

•   Deacons

•   Bible Study Leaders

•   Music Ministry Leaders

•   Events Committee Leaders

•   Camp Committee Leaders

•   All those who work with children under 18 (e.g. Mainly Music, playgroup, Sunday School, youth groups, kids' or holiday clubs, creche and any other ministry to children under 18)

•   Pastoral Carers

To finish for now

We hope you have found this booklet on membership at Reforming helpful, and we pray this helps shows how helpful being members of one another is. If you have any questions for us on this or anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.

With love, from the Reforming Elders.

[1] Center Church, p.19, by Tim Keller

[2] This information is straight from the Safe Church website, http://www.safechurchpcv.org.au/training/