Why You Should Join a Church

The TDC Way

Gospel Centered

Community Driven

Other People Focused

When I think about the importance of being a part of a local church the TDC Way comes to my mind. Where else can I see these things lived out in fellow believers if not the local church?

Gospel Centered. I need to hear the Word of God on repeat. I need it expounded and explained. I need it applied to my life and to my heart. Sitting under the Word preached each week gives me a hunger to read and study it on my own the rest of the week. I need to join others in Christ-centered worship. As much as I enjoy singing along with Shane & Shane as I drive down the road it does not compare to the experience of joining others in song on a Sunday morning. As I sing, or just silently meditate on the lyrics, I grow closer to the One we are singing to. I need to experience communion with my fellow believers through the bread and the juice. I need to share in the joy of hearing the testimonies and seeing a new believer get baptized. All of these things are possible because I am part of the Body of Christ that is my local church.

Community Driven. I need other believers in my life, and they need me in theirs. The Christian life was never meant to be lived in isolation. In community, I have the privilege of getting to know others even as they get to know me. We have the privilege of laughing and crying together, and of praying together. We can encourage and admonish each other as Scripture calls us to. In community, I can serve the Body with my gifts and with my finances. Everything I have belongs to Him. My time, talents, and treasures are a gift from the Giver of all good things. First Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” What a joy it is to give back to Him through my local church.

Other People Focused. As my relationship with Christ deepens, my desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that desperately needs to hear the good news grows. In his last words to his disciples, Jesus had very clear instructions, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt 28:19-20 ESV). Our work is never finished until God calls us home. The local church is where we are equipped for the work of the ministry as we live with a missional mindset in our homes, jobs, and neighborhoods.

Now all of this leaves the question about membership unanswered. Can’t I be an attender, even a regular attender, and enjoy the same benefits? My answer to that question is no. The difference is the same as the fans in the stands at a Cowboys game. They can cheer on the players in the game, they can think they are part of the team, but at the end of the day, they are only passive spectators. Because they are not actually in the game they have no bearing on its outcome. As members we are committed to our church and being an active part of its mission. In the Christian life there are no passive spectators. Nor should there be in the church.

In Christ,

Paul Mills

Pastor of Development