We concluded our series on building the local church by looking at 5 pledges, or commitments. Unlike a country club or association dues, building a local church calls for each part of the body to do its part, so that the whole body is built up. That can't be accomplished simply through giving, and it can't be accomplished if the body isn't functioning properly. Take some time to review the pledges below, and see how the Lord will lead you and your family into a greater understanding of the difference we can make for His kingdom when our gifts and lives are knit together!

I am a member of Metro Life Church.

I like the metaphor of membership. It’s not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It’s the kind of membership given to us in 1 Corinthians 12: “now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an ‘eye,’ an ‘ear,’ or a ‘hand.’ As a functioning member, I will give. I will serve. I will minister. I will evangelize. I will study. I will seek to be a blessing to others. I will remember that ‘if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it’ (1 Cor. 12:26).

I am a member of Metro Life Church.

I will seek to be a source of unity in the church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension. One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God’s power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.

I am a member of Metro Life Church.

I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires. That is self-serving. I am in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My Savior went to a cross for me. I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that are just not my preference or style.

I am a member of Metro Life Church.

I will pray for my pastors and fellow members. My pastors cannot serve our church in their own power, and my fellow members can’t fulfill their call in their own power either. I will pray for God’s strength for them every day.

I am a member of Metro Life Church.

This membership is a gift. When I received the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, I became a part of the body of Christ. I soon thereafter identified with a local body and was baptized. And now I am humbled and honored to serve and to love others in our church. I pray that I will never take my membership for granted, but see it as an opportunity to serve others and to be a part of something so much greater than any one person or member.

I am a member of Metro Life Church.

And I thank God that I am! And I will ask Jesus to help me fall deeper in love with Metro Life Church, because He gave His life for her. (1)

(1)Significant portions of our pledge is adapted from I am a Church Member, by Thom Rainer.