2: Community | FBC Fortuna

Who We Are

We are, first and foremost, a church. Historically, this means that (A) we gather around the preaching of the word (1 Tim 4:13), (B) we regularly participate in the pure administration of the ordinances (Baptism [Matt. 28:18-20] and the Lord’s Supper [1 Cor. 11:23-26]), and (C) we exercise church discipline (Matt 18:15-20). A church is certainly more than these things, but it can never be less. Upon becoming a Christian, you are now a part of the body of Christ. This means it is a Scriptural mandate that you commit yourself to a local church (Hebrews 13:17). When you become a church member, you are not only obeying Christ, but you are also gaining a new family. Here is a snapshot of what the church family looks like.

FBC Confession

We are a community of believers, united in Christ, who are devoted to proclaiming and obeying the word of God.

This short statement is an attempt to summarize the ministry and vision of First Baptist Church of Fortuna. We are a community of believers who are united in Christ. We are devoted to proclaiming the word of God. We are also devoted to obeying that word. Implicit in our devotion to proclaiming and obeying is our devotion to word centered ministry. For how could we proclaim or obey what we do not know?

FBC Covenant

Being a part of a church is not a casual relationship. Being a church member is better understood as having a covenantal relationship with one another. This covenant is reaffirmed each month. Each time, we are reminded of the privileges and obligations of being a part of this church. This covenant is built on major commands found in the New Testament. The first comes from Acts 2:42 where we see that the newly formed church was devoted to the church. The second major feature is based on the abundant one another commands (~59) which are to be carried out within the church body.

Having, as we trust, been brought by divine grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to him, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully renew our covenant with one another.

Therefore, We are devoted to the apostle’s teachings’ and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

We are devoted to loving one another.

We are devoted to joyfully serving one another.

We are devoted to praying for one another.

We are devoted to a humility that considers each other better than ourselves.

We are devoted to greeting one another warmly and lovingly. We are devoted to encouraging one another.

We are devoted to killing sin, in all forms, by embracing confession, repentance, and forgiveness.

We are devoted to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching, and to singing.

We are devoted to supporting those who are devoted to the ministry of word and prayer, and [we are devoted to supporting] the spread of the gospel.

We are devoted to supporting those who are poor.

We are devoted to discipling one another.

Above all we are devoted to obeying the commands of Jesus Christ.

If we are ever moved from this place, we are also devoted to uniting with some other church where we can continue in the spirit of this covenant.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

Amen.

Corporate Worship

Our times of corporate worship are centered on the exaltation of the Living God, through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. This includes preaching and teaching the word of God, singing, prayer, giving, baptism, communion (Lord’s Supper), and times of confession. Regular attendance to the Sunday worship gathering is integral to being a Christian.

All ages join together to worship. Small noises are a part of raising godly children. Find peace knowing we are pleased to have children with us to worship the living God. And pray diligently for those who are teaching their children to still their bottoms and their souls to hear the word of God.

Elder-led Congregationalism

The New Testament teaches that Christ is the Head of the Church (the Chief Shepherd) and that every church is comprised of Believers who are to be equipped for the work of the ministry by Elders and the church is to be assisted by Deacons in various ministries. Our church government could be described as Elder-led congregationalism.

Believers are all included in the priesthood of the saints. Although Elders and Deacons are called out for particular service in our body, no one in our body is of lesser value. All believers are called to obey the teachings and commands of Christ. It is not the Elders or Deacons who are primarily responsible for the work of the ministry. Instead, it is all believers who have a shared responsibility in ministry. Further, it is the church who affirms and calls Elders and Deacons.

Elders are also referred to as Overseers and Pastors (Shepherds). Those who serve in the office of Elder are to be devoted to the ministry (serving) of the word and prayer. Consistent with the teachings of the Bible, the office of Elder is reserved only for men who meet the qualifications of Elder/Overseer. Elders are to lead the church but are not above the church.

Deacons are those who serve the tangible needs of the church so that the Elders can remain focused on the ministry of the word and prayer. Deacons have a particular role of facilitating ministry to ensure the unity of the church.

Covenant Community

The Church is not a building but a gathering of God's people. This is why we regularly carve out time to gather together. If you come on a Sunday morning you will get to know the living God. But it is during the small unplanned moments that we are best able to get to know one another. It is in the context of community that church plants will be birthed, mercy ministries will be done, and the gospel will be obeyed in concrete ways. We embrace the many different textures that the kingdom of heaven will have. But it is obedience, and not demographics, that drives our decisions.

Men, Women, and The Image of God

It is our belief that both male and female are created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). Therefore, both men and women reflect this image. However, it was Adam who was created first and woman who was created from Adam to be his helpmate. Therefore, we also believe in male headship. Meaning, men are inherently created and designed to lead from creation, not as a result of sin. This informs us that even though both men and women bear the image of God they are still inherently different (roles and forms). These differences should never be seen as deficiencies of being male or female. Rather, these differences should always be seen as complementing each other in life, singleness, marriage, family, and especially within the church. A man is most manly when he reflects the character of Christ (godliness). And a woman is most womanly when she reflects the church (godliness).

Families, Children, and Singles (Unmarried)

It is our conviction that parents are the ones primarily responsible for evangelizing and discipling their children. That is why we encourage family members of all ages to join us to worship together on Sunday mornings. Worship and other classes are places where children being present are not a problem but are encouraged to attend. This means we expect an appropriate level of distractions as Dad and Mom are discipling their children to participate in community life. Any age-specific activities are always a supplement to what Dad and Mom are called to do at home. Although we believe marriage is God’s normal order, we also believe that being single is not a second-class status in the body of Christ. This means that a single person (never married, widowed, or divorced) is just as valuable to the FBC Fortuna community as a married couple is. Further, we strive to lift up and support those households that may have experienced great loss or brokenness (divorce, single parent, guardianship, death).

Young and Old, Jew and Gentile

We love the young and the old. The Kingdom of God is represented by both youthful zeal and aged-tested wisdom. The older are called to teach the younger. While the younger are called to care for the older. We raise our young to respect and honor the aged and we expect our more seasoned saints to rejoice in the presence of the young. We love both Jew and Gentile. The Kingdom of Heaven will be represented by all tribes, tongues, nations, and peoples. The Jews were chosen. The Gentiles were welcomed. We treat all people as created in the image of God and we prioritize the culture of the Kingdom over any culture of this world. We do not cater to any age or other demographic. Instead, we care for all in obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A Giving Church

Sacrificial giving is part of being obedient to Jesus Christ. Being faithful stewards is not optional. Our church has an obligation (A) to provide materially for those who labor in preaching and teaching, (B) to support the needs of the poor among us, (C) to care for those in need around us, (D) and to give for the spread of the gospel. In our context, we have also found that having a building assists us in our ministry endeavors. Therefore, we have the further responsibility (E) to steward our building. For us, sacrificial giving and faithful stewardship includes regular giving for the support of our Elder(s), the support of church ministries, and the responsibilities of owning a building. It also includes spontaneous giving as God leads each of us to give sacrificially in our daily lives.

An Introduction to and Defense of Church Membership

What is Church Membership?

In Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 2:19; 3:6; 4:25; and 5:30 the Apostle Paul writes to local churches about how each believer is a "member" of the body of Christ. These important passages show that each Christian is part of something bigger than himself. And yet, the part is played out in a local congregation. Notice how Paul wrote to three different churches, not to one church three times. Membership is not just another word to describe a Christian. It is a word to describe every Christian's relationship to a local body of believers. Here are some other examples of how that plays out in the life of the New Testament believer.

"Fellowship" vs. "Membership"

First, let's consider the words 'fellowship' and 'membership.' Some churches do not have formal church membership and will instead use language such as "I am part of this fellowship." This would be different from a church that uses language such as, "I am a member of that church." Although there are small and large nuances to each of these words, the basic fact remains that, in either case, a person is distinguishing their regular participation in one local church as opposed to another. That is why all the examples below would equally apply to all Christians, whether they are a church member or part of a fellowship.

Lists

In Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 5m we have lists of widows that belong to particular churches in need of particular care. Even though these lists were not exhaustive of the entire congregation, they do imply that the concept of having a list distinguishing a group of people was not foreign to the New Testament.

Letters & Letters

Every New Testament epistle (letter) was written to a local church. It is true that these letters were circular (that is, meant to be shared), but the circular nature of those letters reinforces the idea that Christians were part of specific local congregations. In fact, in the New Testament, the word “church” is rarely used to identify the universal church. It is almost exclusively used to identify local fellowships. This is further emphasized by the use of "Letters of Recommendation" (Romans 16:1-2; 1 Corinthians 16:3; and 2 Corinthians 3:1-3). Although this is a practice that has fallen from use in many churches, letters of recommendation or letters of transfer have been a historic Christian practice, based on the New Testament, to send and receive believers from another church. First Baptist Church of Fortuna still reaches out via phone calls, texts, or emails with other local churches before we receive a believer into fellowship.

Leadership

God has given the church Elders and Overseers who also serve as pastors. These church leaders are limited to local congregations. So who are these leaders responsible for; all Christians everywhere, or only local congregations? And how does a leader become responsible for a Christian? Is it simply by showing up to a few worship services? And when does that responsibility end? The whole idea of church leadership necessitates some form of identifiable church membership (Ephesians 4:11; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1- 2; Titus 1:5, 7; Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24; and 1 Peter 5:1-4)

Ordinances

Baptism and the Lord's Supper are two sacred (holy) ordinances given to the church, not individual believers. For baptism and the Lord's Supper to be properly administered, it must be in the context of the local church. The very nature of these ordinances demands some form of regular gathering with local believers who can corporately affirm each other's confession of faith and daily walk with the Lord.

Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, 7:10-12, 13:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15; 1 Timothy 5:19-20; and Titus 3:10-11 all speak of formal church discipline (see also Acts 5:1-11). This is discipline executed by the "church” and not privately by church leadership. This requires us to ask the question, What church? Certainly, if a man was caught in unrepentant adultery, we would not wait to gather all the saints from around the world to deal with the issue. And if an unrepentant sinner is to be purged from our midst, does that not require a regular gathering of believers to be purged from? Church discipline makes no sense, nor would it be possible, unless some form of church membership existed.

Spiritual Gifts and Discipleship

Lastly, and briefly, spiritual gifts and discipleship require community. Without a church fellowship to which you belong, you are depriving yourself and others of the opportunity to exercise spiritual gifts and participate in discipleship.

As you can see, church membership is a comprehensive and important part of the New Testament. Therefore, it is important for Christians to join themselves to a local body of believers according to the biblical practices of that church.

End Note: Although churches may disagree on the level of formality of membership, all churches still participate in some form of membership. If a church claims not to, simply ask if a first-time guest can collect the offering, teach the children, or preach. You will quickly discover that even the most communal of churches still practice some form of church membership, identifying who belongs and who is simply visiting.