"I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you." Psalm 32:8 |
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Vision Statement We are a worshipping community of believers empowered by God to make a difference in the Gila Valley and beyond through:
Why We believe this vision can and must be fulfilled because God has called us to be a Great Commission Church (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) fueled by a Great Commandment of love (Matthew 22:37-40.) Criteria The result of this ministry will be a balance of winning people to the Lord, building them up in their faith, and equipping them for service. We will develop our ministry in such a way as to balance the church’s five functions: worship, evangelism, fellowship, edification and ministry. OUR VALUES Values are those underlying beliefs and assumptions that shape our lives and ministries. Values guide us as a church. They act as a compass; steadying our souls especially when we are weary, seem lost or confused. They assist us to make wise and appropriate choices in life and ministry. By articulating our values, we help each other and the growth (both spiritual and numerical) of this church in a united way. It ensures that we corporately build upon a strong, shared foundation of faith, creating a church that truly advances the cause of Jesus Christ. Without defining our core beliefs and values, we could find ourselves "playing from a different sheet of music," or building on different foundations with differing blueprints. The following reflect the values of the First Baptist Church of Safford. OUR CORE BELIEFS We believe in the historic Christian faith as reflected in these summary statements: About God About Jesus Christ About the Holy Spirit About the Bible About Salvation WHY MEMBERSHIP? You might wonder, "What is the point of formal membership? If I sincerely profess faith in Jesus Christ, why is anything else needed? Isn’t it enough just to attend the church without actually becoming a member?" Here are some reasons we feel membership can help us achieve what we desire most as Christians: 1. Membership counts me in on a great mission. We are a worshipping community of believers empowered by God to make a difference in the Gila Valley and beyond through sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, serving in Christ’s love, and equipping and nurturing disciples. Membership is our way of saying, "Count me in. I’m not just a spectator; I’m on the Team now. I’m not just a ‘church shopper’ checking you out; I’m ready to get involved now. I want to work with the rest of you to make a difference in our world by taking on this mission." 2. Membership commits me to a community of mutually committed people. Without a high level of care and commitment, you don’t experience community, because lukewarm commitments lead to superficial relationships. Since we want to experience deeper relationships, we see membership as a way of defining a deeper level of care and commitment. And here’s what we’ve learned: If we want First Baptist to be "warm" at the fringe, our commitment and care levels must be "hot" at the core. Membership encourages a "100 degree" commitment for our core, so that a first-time visitor finds a warm, "70 degree" welcome, even on his first visit. Membership helps us define what "100 degree" commitment looks like. 3. Membership helps the community keep expectations clear. A clearly defined membership helps us to keep clear what we expect of members and nonmembers. On the one hand, we enthusiastically welcome interested but as yet uncommitted people- people who are not yet Christians-to attend our services. Since these people are not yet Christians, we do not expect them to act like Christians; we offer them an accepting environment, just as they are. On the other hand, we do expect our members to act like Christians . . . imperfect, to be sure, but genuine, honest, and growing. Membership helps define the expectations we have in this regard. This definition is important in the area of Biblical church discipline: only members receive the pastoral oversight, accountability, and protection associated with church discipline. 4. Membership affirms that we hold similar values and beliefs. Membership helps us to be sure that we hold to the same core of beliefs and are committed to each other’s growth in a unified way. It ensures that we corporately build upon a strong, shared foundation of faith, creating a church which truly advances the cause of Jesus Christ. Without defining our core beliefs and values, we could find ourselves "playing from a different sheet of music," or building on different foundations with differing blueprints. 5. Membership helps us deal with financial issues directly, discreetly, and up front. At FBC, we ask our members to be highly committed financially so that our needs are met without having to pressure people or barrage them with emergency appeals. We are often told that people respect us for the serious and yet discreet way we approach this issue. We’re all in this together and we believe God can do great things with people who are learning how to give. 6. Membership understands their role and uses their gifts, talents, and abilities. In many churches, the members are the customers and the clergy are the staff, hired and expected to meet their needs. At First Baptist, we have a completely different under- standing of what it means to be the church. Here, the members are the staff . . . not expecting to be served by the paid staff, but rather, being equipped by the paid staff to serve one another as volunteer staff . . . and to reach out to our neighbors – who are our real customers. By having a defined membership, we know who is on the team, and we can be sure they find the best "position" on the team - the place where they will be most effective and fulfilled as we work together to reach our team objective. 7. Membership counts you in as a host to newcomers. As a member, you are the face of First Baptist to your coworkers, neighbors, everyone you meet. You are also the face of FBC to every first-time visitor and newcomer to FBC, and so any guest to the church is your guest. You will want to consider questions like these: Do your guests look like they know where they are going? 8. Members can participate in the internal affairs and decisions regularly made in the operations of our community. As members, you have the opportunity to influence key decisions of the church, most importantly the selection of pastoral staff. From time to time, meetings or other functions are held which are for "members only." These events are usually called to either inform the core of the church of a major concern or to gather needed input. 9. Membership opens the door for different leadership roles. Most of the ministry team positions in the church require membership as a prerequisite. BECOMING A MEMBER There are three concrete steps towards becoming a member at First Baptist: 1. Investigation: Attend an Inquirer's class. In this step you learn our philosophy of ministry as explained in an Inquirer's Class which is offered at various times and in various formats through the year. 2. Connection: Get connected to some people at First Baptist. You may have already gotten connected to some people through a small group, through volunteering in a ministry, or through some other activity. If you haven’t, we can help you make a good connection. In particular, you’ll want to find an existing member to serve as your host or sponsor. You will need to meet with your host or sponsor at least once to go over the Membership Affirmation, and to dialogue about any questions you have. 3. Celebration: Celebrate your membership with the First Baptist community publicly at a Sunday Celebration. A joyful time for all! |
