Hey there Richview Church and friends,

 

I haven’t done one of these Pastor’s Perspectives in a while. I want to get back into the habit of sending these out because there is a lot happening at Richview Church behind the scenes that might be hard for you to see. There’s plenty to update you about in the coming weeks, so keep posted.

Today’s update will deal with Church Membership. If you’re unclear as to what that is, I don’t want you to be confused as you read this update, so please watch this message to learn the meaning and importance of Church Membership. In summary, a formal member of Richview Church is not an attendant or long-time adherent, but someone who has gone through our membership process and has been voted into membership by our Elders. If you feel God is leading you to join our Church Membership, you can begin the application process here: RichviewChurch.com/membership.

Today I want to share with you an addition Richview Church’s Elders have made to our Annual General Meeting of Members. This year, we will be requiring all of our members (not adherents or attenders, but formal members) to complete a Membership Reaffirmation Survey, due to be submitted by our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 5th at 4pm. This survey will come with your Annual General Meeting Package which is sent some weeks prior to the AGM. If you receive this package by e-mail, you’ll receive a link to an online survey. If you receive this package by conventional mail, you’ll receive this survey in paper form and will need to return it either to the church office or by mail to the church.

Why are we asking our members to complete this survey? Well, there are actually a lot of reasons.

 

To Renew Your Commitment to Richview Church

We want all of our members to take their oaths seriously where it comes to membership, and so we want to give us all an opportunity to re-affirm those commitments today.

 

As a Teaching Tool and Reminder on Membership

Some of us have been members for just a little while, and so the vows and commitments you made in membership are fresh in your memory. For some others, after years of membership, sometimes decades, you’re bound to need a reminder. This survey will ask you to review a sermon on membership (which you can do today!) so that we can be sure you are aware of what membership means.

 

To Help Leadership understand where we can Grow as a Church

In this survey, we will ask you some questions about participating in the life of Richview Church. This will give us valuable insight as to which areas of the Christian life we, as a collective, need to work on. This survey is not intended to produce guilt or shame in you, but is meant to help us all strive for spiritual health and growth, in whatever season of life you happen to be in.

 

To Help Identify Leading Servants and Servant Leaders

For the long-term health of Richview Church, we always need to be identifying, raising up, and empowering leading servants and servant leaders. This survey gives us the opportunity to see who among us are ready and willing to take next steps into leadership positions at Richview.

 

To Hear from You about Your Experience of Richview Church

This survey gives you an opportunity to freely speak to the leadership of Richview. While the survey will not be anonymous, we want to hear your constructive thoughts and encouraging comments about the ministry of Richview.

 

To Give Members an Open Opportunity to Withdraw from Membership

We don’t want people to stay members out of obligation or shame. We are happy to bless people who leave Richview Church, just so long as we are made aware that you will no longer be with us as a member. People often leave the church for various reasons but can’t bring themselves to withdraw from membership. It can be awkward, sad, and might even feel hurtful. We understand. That’s why we’ve included an option in the survey to simply say “I no longer want to be a member at Richview Church.” We bless you in wherever God is leading you next! We also want to give people an opportunity to withdraw from membership if they believe they cannot truthfully affirm our beliefs or commit to our Church Covenant. (The contents of the Church Covenant are reviewed in this sermon.)

 

To Joyfully Lead People into a Growing Relationship with Jesus

We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t believe this would help us, as a church, fulfill our mission. This is just another tool in the arsenal that will serve as a reminder to our most committed people of our individual parts in this mission. May we be stronger as we strive together! This survey is not about increasing or reducing our membership, but about strengthening our membership.

Here are some sample questions that you can expect from the survey. Some questions will be multiple choice, others will be long-answer.

  • Do you wish to remain a member in good standing at Richview Church?
  • Do you today affirm and agree to strive towards living in accordance with Richview Church’s Church Covenant, Articles of Faith, Statement of Biblical Morality, and Operating By-Laws? (You can find these documents here.)
  • Is there a broken relationship you have with anyone at Richview Church that prevents you from fellowshipping with them?
  • To what degree do you believe you are personally contributing to our church’s mission: Joyfully leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus?
  • What area(s) of the church’s formal ministry have you served in over the past year?
  • Which community group are you regularly meeting with for support, growth, and accountability?
  • What area of Christian life do you personally desire to grow in?

We do hope and pray that you will complete this survey with openness, honesty, and thankfulness for all that God has done among us as a church!

 

Pastor Tyler