membership at cherry hills
When the word church is used today, many people think about buildings or programs. But, the word for church in both the Old and New Testament always means a set-apart gathering of God’s people.
The church is God’s people on mission with Him to make disciples.
God’s plan has always been and always will be the church – His people.
God’s plan has always been to partner with people to expand His Kingdom. Just like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David and Paul, we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the Kingdom mission of Jesus.
There is one universal Church (Ephesians 4:4-6), made up of many gatherings worldwide. Cherry Hills Church is one of those gatherings.
The local church is the gathering of God’s people. In Scripture it is described as the household of God (Eph. 2:19), the bride of Christ (Rev. 21:2) and the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-31). 1 Corinthians 12 speaks of many members within the same body just as a human body relies upon mutual dependence of individual members for proper functioning, so the body of Christ requires sacrificial service by its individual members. We all have gifts that are given by the Holy Spirit and necessary for the health of the local church (Rom. 12:3-8). We need each other.
Belonging to a local body of believers is so important. There is no verse in the Bible that says “join a local church.” But that is because belonging to a local gathering of believers is so understood by the writers of the New Testament that they didn’t feel like they needed to say it.
Becoming a member of a church means you identify with one of the local gatherings that belong to the universal Church and you commit to live life together with the people that make up this local gathering.
Membership at Cherry Hills is participation in a family. All members are united to Christ and thus to each other.
By becoming a member of a local church, you are saying, “I agree with the doctrine, vision, values and strategy of making disciples.”
