Being a Partner is different from attending church.
Partners are a part of what we do. We don’t take it lightly! Partnering with our church - becoming a part of the church family - is a big deal. It isn’t like being a member of a country club where we join to reap comfortable benefits; partnering is about taking ownership in the mission and purpose of PBC.
The Benefits of Partnership
It commits you, the Christian.
It’s good to commit yourself to love and serve others. You will grow as a Christian as you commit to encourage, build up, strengthen, serve, rebuke, and pray for other Christians.
Others are committed to you.
Becoming a partner of a church means joining with an entire group of Christians who have now covenanted to watch over you spiritually. If you’re a partner of a church you have an entire church full of people who are publicly committed to loving you and serving you and watching over you.
Elder protection.
If you’re a partner of a church, that church’s elders and pastors should care for you, pray for you, and personally counsel and teach you. As a partner of their church, they are accountable to God for how they lead you (Heb. 13:17).
Safety net.
In his book Stop Dating the Church, Josh Harris points out that it’s comforting to know his church would kick him out rather than tolerate his unrepentant sin. Being a church member means that a whole church full of people are committed to helping you live a life that’s pleasing to God, even to the point of excluding you from the church if you stop repenting of sin. While this sounds harsh to some, to those of us who know the deceitfulness of sin, this is an immensely comforting and encouraging reality (Heb. 3:12).
Assurance.
Partnership is the church’s affirmation of the validity of someone’s profession of faith (Matt. 16:19, 18:18). The church looks at a person’s life, hears their explanation of the gospel and how they came to believe it, and says, “You look like a Christian to us. So join us. Watch over our lives and we’ll watch over yours.” So while membership in a church doesn’t guarantee that someone is a Christian, it should assure believers of the genuineness of their faith.
*The above was taken from ‘9 Marks of a healthy church,’ with membership modified to partnership. To view the original article, click here.
The Benefits of Community
COMMUNITY CHALLENGES YOU TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS. (HEBREWS 10:24-25)
Nothing makes you more like Jesus than the daily grind of interactions with others. We often think about marriage when it comes to this refining process, but the truth is God also gives us community as a way to become more like Him.
God’s Word reminds us that we are put in relationships in order to encourage one another in our pursuit of God and His Kingdom. It’s within the context of community that we are given the opportunity to be refined as followers of Christ.
COMMUNITY MEETS PRACTICAL NEEDS. (ACTS 2:42-47)
Just like in the early Church, community is a place where we come to get our physical needs met. We need to learn to let down our walls and ask for help from our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Whether we need someone to pick up medicine for us when we’re sick, cook us a meal at the end of a long week or help us carry a financial burden, the Body of Christ was made to support and love one another in practical ways. We can learn a lot about love within the exchange of practical needs.
COMMUNITY CARRIES YOU EMOTIONALLY. (GALATIANS 6:2)
Just as important as physical needs are the emotional needs we carry through life. We are given the the responsibility to support each other in hard times and to carry one another’s burdens. As much as we need to be available for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we also need to have the courage to ask them to come alongside of us when we’re the ones in need of support, prayer or a shoulder to cry on.
It’s important to learn to be real with one another, because that’s what true community is all about.
COMMUNITY REVEALS YOUR GIFTS AND TALENTS. (ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12)
Two are better than one, because there is double the strength, double the stamina and double the talents.
Within the context of community we’re given the opportunity to discover our gifts and our talents and then use them to bless others. We’re each given a very specific role in the Body of Christ, and it is within these relationships that our roles can be used to glorify God to the fullest. We’re part of something really special (1 Corinthians 12:27).
COMMUNITY OPENS YOUR EYES TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:14)
Within community, we are encouraged to look around at the needs of those around us. We’re called to strengthen those who are weak and to and encourage those who are down and out. Community calls us out of our self-centeredness and self-absorption by giving us the responsibility to look outward.
COMMUNITY EMPOWERS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. (PROVERBS 27:17)
There is something real about the concept of power in numbers. When we are surrounded by other believers, we feel empowered in our faith and may even be more sensitive to God’s presence in our lives. There’s something powerful about believers joining together, making each other accountable and being a sort of a witness of one another’s lives. We need people checking in on us, asking the hard questions, and challenging us to really live out our faith.
COMMUNITY HELPS MEET OUR NEED FOR LOVE. (PROVERBS 17:17)
There’s no denying that we are men and women who crave love. We were made to, by a relational God who longs for us to be in relationship with Him. But even more amazing, is that God gives us the gift of each other as a way to meet our earthly needs for love. This brotherly love (phileo) that we’re given is a beautiful representation of the greatest Friend who laid down His life for us. We’re also called to love each other in this beautiful way.
COMMUNITY OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONFESSION, WHICH LEADS TO HEALING. (JAMES 5:16)
There’s power in confession. It gives us the chance to bring to light the things that have been holding us back in darkness. Within community, we’re given the opportunity to get real with one another, to confess our sins, and to break free from the things that are holding us back from living God’s best life. True community requires transparency, authenticity, and confession.
COMMUNITY TEACHES YOU TO WORK THROUGH CONFLICTS. (1 CORINTHIANS 1:10)
Bring any group of people together and one thing is certain: conflict is inevitable. But we’re called to work through our divisions with one another as the Body of believers. We’re asked to be a united Body, which isn’t always easy or natural. It’s a humbling experience that teaches us to lay down our pride, to learn assertiveness, and to enhance our communication.
We need each other, because it’s within the messiness of relationships with one other that we’re reminded of our desperate need for Him.
COMMUNITY GIVES YOU THE CHANCE TO FORGIVE. (1 PETER 4:8-11)
There is nothing more beautiful than the picture of the Gospel displayed through our healthy interactions as a Body of believers. Within this Body, we’re bound to get hurt, and then guaranteed the opportunity to forgive. We get to feel what Jesus felt as He suffered wounds at the hands of the people He loved, and then loved them anyway. This is the hardest part about community, but it’s the part that makes us most like Him.
Every day we are called to become more like Jesus, and community is one of the ways that we are invited to do so. So, what does that look like in your life?
*The above was taken from ‘Relevant Magazine.’ To view the original article, click here.
Becoming a Partner
Becoming a Partner at PBC isn’t difficult, but the calling is high.
Attend a Partnership Class
We regularly host Partnership Classes here at PBC, and we’d love to have you join. Typically, our Partnership Class is about two hours long, and it covers:
A brief history of the church
A thorough explanation of the mission of the church
A thorough explanation of the vision of the church
A thorough explanation of the beliefs of the church
A thorough explanation of the values of the church
A description of the various ministries of the church
An introduction to our church leadership and leaders
A clear description of the expectations and principles of being a partner
Sign Partnership Affirmation
Partners affirm the church’s mission, vision, values, beliefs, and principles of partnership
Meet with Directional Elders.
At a convenient time after completing steps one and two, we set up a time to meet with one or two of our Directional Elders to share your profession of faith.
Be affirmed by the Directional Elders.
Principles of Partnership
Attend Regularly
The expectation is not that church Partners will never miss a Sunday or that they will be a part of every single church function. However, it should be expected that partners will prioritize corporate worship with their church family (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:42).
Pray Consistently
It is essential that the church be united in prayer, seeking God’s blessing on the work of the church and the Gospel’s impact in your congregation, your community, and beyond (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2).
Live Communally
There are many ways to develop relationships with others in the church. Whether you are involved in a ministry team, connection group, or other group we are called to develop close relationships with others so that you may encourage one another, pray for one another, build one another up, and hold one another accountable as followers of Christ. Don’t run the Christian race alone!
Submit Humbly
Church Partners are called to submit to the church’s leadership and teaching. Hebrews 13:17 says “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Does this mean that we give blind allegiance even when pastors and elders fail to lead and teach biblically? Of course not. What it does mean is that we are called to support, pray for, and adhere to the spiritual authority of those appointed to positions of church leadership.
Preserve Unity
Jesus said “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). All believers are tasked with preserving the peace and unity of the body, overlooking offenses when appropriate (Proverbs 19:11), bearing with and forgiving one another (Colossians 3:12-14), and pursue biblical and God-honoring peacemaking when conflicts arise. Quarrelling, gossip, and divisiveness should not mark the life of the believer.
Give Generously
Our love for the Lord should manifest itself in every area of our lives, including how we make use of the finances He has entrusted to us. Partners are to contribute, as the Lord directs, to the financial support of the church and its ministries (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7). For more information on giving to the mission and ministries of PBC, click here.
Serve Faithfully
Each of us has been given the ability and the command to serve the Lord in some capacity. Partners should eagerly find a place where they can serve and make use of their spiritual gifts for the good of others (Romans 12:1; Ephesians 4:11-13). To get more information on how you can be involved in the mission and ministry at PBC, send an email to Alesha Kendrick, our Discipleship Director, at alesha@pontiacbible.org.
Pursue Holiness
The life of the Christian should be marked by an increase in Christlikeness and victory over sin. While we will never be free from sin on this side of eternity, we are called to fight sin and pursue Christ wholeheartedly in this life (Romans 12:2). Regular Bible reading, prayer, and worship should be made an ultimate priority.
Partnership Renewal
We value a high standard of what it means to be in covenant church family together. For that reason, partnership is not intended to be a passive experience. Annually, we reaffirm our shared focus so that we continue to be reminded of our highest calling and our shared mission: to bring the transforming hope of Jesus to Livingston County and the world.
Our Constitution states:
Since partnership is a continuing process, partners will be asked periodically to renew their partnership by reaffirming the mission, vision, values, principles of partnership, and the Statement of Doctrine and Faith of Pontiac Bible Church. Each partner shall receive a letter annually that includes a reminder of the responsibilities of partnership, and which shall be signed, dated and returned. A partner who fails to return the letter shall be moved from active partnership to inactive partner status and will be so notified. That partner shall remain on inactive partnership until such time as he/she renews his/her partnership. A partner shall be removed only if he/she moves or requests removal from church partnership.
Article V, Section 3(C)