Next Steps

We call the Christian walk a “walk” for a reason - we are each called to take steps forward, walking with Christ individually and together as a church family. Take a look at the chart below to help you navigate what your next step might be!

As you can see, there are four main steps represented here.

1) The first is to come to Christ. If you are not yet a believer, you are called to repent and believe the gospel.

2) As a Christ-follower, you are called to connect with Christ’s people, the church. We are called to grow in community with other Christians! Even in a smaller church, however, this takes intentional effort. Show up, show interest, show hospitality!

3) We are not just called to connect, we are called to commit to Christ’s people. Church membership is not simply a formality, it is a biblical assumption for every Christian. We often say, church is not simply an event that you attend, it is a family that you are invited to be a part of. It is in church membership that we bind ourselves to one another as “members of one body.”

4) Lastly, as a privilege of membership, we are called to contribute to Christ’s people. We want to be providers, not simply consumers! There are many ways to go about contributing to the ministry. The most basic (but most significant!) ways to contribute are often unstructured and unprogrammed: hospitality, discipleship, evangelism, prayer, “one another” ministry, for example. There are also many structured ways to use your gifts by serving on ministry teams.

If you find that you have made your way all the way to the end of this path, and can honestly answer YES to every question - YES, I am a Christian, YES I am well connected, YES I am a church member, YES I am using my gifts to build up the body, that is wonderful! But… you still have another step to take. You have the high honor and responsibility to help bring others along. Do you see a brother or sister standing on the sidelines? Help them! Do you see someone who seems disconnected? Help them! Do you see a familiar face who doesn’t quite see the need to commit? Help them! Do you see someone who hasn’t yet come to faith in Christ? Help them!

Let’s help one another take a step forward as together, we walk with Christ!