Detailed explanation

Walk daily with Jesus individually

To be a member of the Good Shepherd Mission, a person must first of all be a follower of Jesus. Following Jesus involves “repentance and belief” - belief in the gospel message, which offers us a restored relationship with God through the death of Jesus on the cross; and in response to the grace we have been shown, a life of obedience to the Bible's commands.

Belief in the basic truths of the Christian gospel

The New Testament most often refers to Christians as “believers,” as belief in the message of the gospel is the means God uses to bring us into his family. The Mission's statement of faith is a short document outlining the basic truths of the Christian faith – it is important to read the statement of faith to be sure you agree with it before becoming a member.

Seeking to grow in spiritual maturity

To grow in spiritual maturity, we each need to spend time studying God's word and praying, and to ask for the Holy Spirit's help in growing in our knowledge of God.

Acting with love towards others

Real love for Christ will fill us with love for others. That love will be displayed both by caring for other members within the church, and also in acts of kindness towards Christians and unbelievers outside the church. We will seek to show the love God has given us in both contexts, for example through hospitality, spiritual care, or seeking justice for the oppressed.

Seeking to live holy lives

The Holy Spirit is at work in the heart of every Christian to change our thoughts and actions, changing us to become more like Christ. We should respond to God's grace to us by seeking to act and think in a way that honours God. While Christians cannot be free from sin on this earth, we will regularly acknowledge and ask God's forgiveness for the sins we do commit, and with God's help will turn away from those sins and live more Christ-like lives.

Sharing the gospel individually

As Christians, we have the amazing blessing of knowing God because of what Jesus has done for us. We will be committed to sharing the good news about Jesus with others as we have opportunities to do so, not simply relying on the church's outreach activities to do this for us. We will also be committed to praying for our unbelieving friends, knowing that only God can turn their hearts to him.

Submit to his Lordship collectively

Jesus calls those who follow him to be part of a local community of believers. Together we will focus our attention on the teaching God has given us in the Bible, and will worship God by submitting to his Lordship over our lives as a congregation.
a.Meeting together regularly. It is important for Christians to meet together regularly to praise God, be taught from his word, pray together and build friendships with each other. The Sunday morning service is the one time in the week where all members of the church meet together in one place, and so we will make attending the Sunday morning service regularly a priority.

Build accountable relationships with each other

Christians should be seeking to encourage each other daily, which is only practical as we form accountable relationships through smaller groups within the church. As our circumstances allow, we will each become part of a small group where the Bible is taught, closer friendships are formed, individual circumstances can be shared in safety and prayed about together, and faithfulness encouraged and sin challenged.

Praying together

We will pray for each other, for the work of the Mission and of the wider church, and for the world. We will seek to pray together at the prayer meeting or in small groups as circumstances allow, and will make an effort to be praying regularly for the issues which are raised at the prayer meeting.

Baptism

The New Testament commands all Christians to be baptised, as a public declaration that their faith is in Christ and that they have joined the church that Jesus established. Baptism does not make a person a Christian, but is an important step of obedience that should be taken before membership. Members will all have been baptised, either at another church or at the Mission. However, members do not have to have been baptised at a particular age or in a particular way – in other words, we welcome all those who have been baptised, whether their baptism occurred when the were a child or an adult, and whether it was by immersion or sprinkling.

Sharing in communion regularly

Jesus established communion in order to remind us regularly of his death on the cross, which is the centre of our Christian faith. We will make it a priority to be at the Mission for those Sunday morning services where the Lord's Supper is shared.
f.Giving financially. The New Testament tells us that giving to the church is a privilege, because it allows us to share in the work of those who have devoted themselves to work full-time for the church. We will give to the church as we are able, not out of duty but as a mark of gratitude for our salvation, a love for the staff of the Mission whom the money supports, and out of a heartfelt desire to support the work of the Mission, and so to see God's kingdom grow.

Serving the church

Every Christian is given gifts by God which he wants us to use together to build up the church. Those gifts might involve practically helping those in need, giving spiritual teaching to children or adults, or sharing the gospel as part of the Mission's outreach activities. The Mission will help its members identify their gifts, and will encourage them to use those gifts to meet the needs of the church and the community around us. We will be open to that guidance, and will use our gifts for the benefit of the church and our local community, caring for the poor, building up believers and sharing the gospel with the lost.

Spiritual oversight

An important part of membership is that we make ourselves accountable to the Mission, and ask the church through its leaders to watch over and care for us spiritually. That spiritual care involves encouraging a closer walk with God, and participation in the activities mentioned above. Breaking the commands we have been given us in the Bible offends the God we love, and often brings the name of Jesus and the church into disrepute, and so oversight also involves following God's command to exclude from the church members who publicly sin and refuse to repent. Such exclusion is a last resort, and is intended to confront unrepentant members with the seriousness of their sin and to persuade them to turn back to Christ and to once again become part of the local church family.

To make Jesus known locally

Making Jesus known locally involves committing to sharing in the outreach work of the church:

Prayer

All members of the Mission will share in the outreach work of the church in prayer, remembering before God the lost people the church is sharing the gospel with, and those who are serving directly in the work.

Giving priority to the outreach work of the Mission

While we all have an individual responsibility to share the good news about Jesus as opportunities arise, being part of the church family involves giving priority to the work of the Mission. For example, when a church member is considering a choice between serving an outreach work run by the church, and one separate from the church, giving priority to the work of the Mission should be a significant factor in deciding between the two areas of service. As another example, many members live outside the locality of the church, and so to give priority to the work of the Mission might involve “commuting” to the church building.