The word “membership” implies that if you are not a member, you are not a part of our church. This is NOT true.
If you are not a partner, you are still welcome to attend on Sundays. You are welcome to serve. You are welcome to try a group. You are still a part of our church. Being a partner is the highest level of commitment.
There is no membership in the Bible. But the idea of being committed to something IS biblical (Acts 2:42). The church is not a club to join. Instead, you are partnering with us in ministry. To partner is to join the team, team Porch! You are committing to make The Porch your home church. You then take an active role in helping us reach our goal: Seeing Lives Change!
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTNERSHIP
1. Salvation - Jesus Christ must be your personal Lord and Savior.
2. Baptism - You have proclaimed your salvation by being baptized.
3. Attendance - You have faithfully attended for at least 2 months.
4. Next Steps Class - You have completed a Next Steps class, which includes the Partnership Covenant.
5. Growth Groups- You have joined a Growth Group.
6. Serving - You have started serving at the church.
I WILL PROTECT THE UNITY OF MY CHURCH By acting in love toward other members By refusing to gossip By following the leaders
“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” Rom. 14:19
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” 1 Pet. 1:22
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29
“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17
I WILL SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MY CHURCH By praying for its growth By inviting the unchurched to attend By warmly welcoming those who visit
“To the church…We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” 1 Thessalonians 1:2
“Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23
"Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” Romans 15:7
I WILL SERVE THE MINISTRY OF MY CHURCH By discovering my gifts and talents By being equipped to give back by my pastors By developing a servants heart
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12f or the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ….taking the form of a bondservant.” Philippians 2:3-4, 7
I WILL SUPPORT THE TESTIMONY OF MY CHURCH By attending faithfully By living a Godly life, abstaining from alcohol /drugs and being sexually pure By giving back financially on a regular basis
“...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another.” Hebrews 10:25
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." Philippians 1:27
“On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” 1 Corinthians 16:2
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus 27:30