Developing Church Membership at Rock Valley Bible Church in Loves Park, Illinois

Abstract

This project was designed to develop an understanding of church membership at Rock Valley Bible Church in Loves Park, Illinois. Chapter 1 presents the history and ministry context of Rock Valley Bible Church and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides exegesis of five passages of Scripture (Matt 18:15-17; Acts 20:28; Phi 1:5; Heb 10:24-25; 13:17). The passages show that the clear call of the New Testament is for believers in Jesus Christ to identify themselves with a local congregation, where they can submit to the leaders, assemble with other believers and serve one another with their gifts. Chapter 3 presents the practices of church membership throughout the history of the church along with an argument that today’s litigious context is a clarion call for churches today to have a clear church membership practice. Chapter 4 describes the project itself, recounting the content and teaching methodology of the specific course curriculum. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficacy of the project based on the completion of the specified goals. Ultimately, this project presents a blue-print for implementing a formal church membership.