What does it mean to be a church member? What should members expect from their church and what should churches expect of their members? Thom Rainer, the longtime head of LifeWay, tackles these questions as well as the importance of the local church in his succinct, easy-to-read, modern classic I Am A Church Member: Discovering the Attitude That Makes the Difference.
I Am A Church Member by Thom Rainer was released in 2013. Rainer has written quite a few books, and this is one of his most practical and encouraging. Many books have been written for pastors, but few are written for CHURCH MEMBERS.
In an effort to make this blog more helpful and practical, I’ll be doing more book recommendations and reviews. And occasionally, some movie reviews as well.
Every Wednesday, I’ll publish a nonfiction book review — looking at books in genres ranging from theology to apologetics and from biography to history. We’ll also look at some books on personal development and leadership. And all these book reviews will be from a Christian perspective.
On Fridays (which I will be calling “Fiction Friday”), I’ll review novels (and occasionally movies). This Friday, we’ll look at the movie Infidel starring Jim Caviezel.
But for now….for today…. our focus is Thom Rainer’s I Am A Church Member.
And Rainer explains the purpose for his book right in the Introduction, where he argues “that congregations across America are weak because many of us have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.”
I discovered I Am A Church Member a few years ago, read it in one sitting, and can’t recommend it highly enough. I believe every Christian, especially every church-going Christian, should read it.
This book can help anyone get the most out of church while being a positive force within the local church that the Holy Spirit has called them to be a part of.
In this review, I want to provide some of the book’s highlights – in the form of quotes straight from the book – organized by chapter. The book’s chapters are centered around COMMITMENTS that Mr. Rainer encourages every Christian to make in relation to his or her local church.
While the below quotations serve as a great overview of the book, they can’t replace reading the book itself. I encourage everyone reading this review to get the full book and read through it word-for-word.
CHAPTER ONE – I WILL BE A FUNCTIONING CHURCH MEMBER
- “With a country club membership you pay others to do the work for you. With church membership, everyone has a role or function.”
- “Church membership is founded on love. Authentic, biblical, unconditional love.”
- “The concept of an inactive church member is an oxymoron. Biblically, no such church member really exists.”
CHAPTER TWO – I WILL BE A UNIFYING CHURCH MEMBER
- “You have a responsibility as a church member. You are to be a source of unity. You are never to be a divisive force. You are to love your fellow church members unconditionally. And while that doesn’t mean you agree with everyone all the time, it does mean you are willing to sacrifice your own preferences to keep unity in your church.”
- “Unity in the church will not happen if members have unforgiving hearts.”
CHAPTER THREE – I WILL NOT LET MY CHURCH BE ABOUT MY PREFERENCES AND DESIRES
- “Christians can sometimes act [like] demanding children who want things their way.”
- “Church membership from a biblical perspective … is about servanthood. It’s about giving. It’s about putting others first.”
CHAPTER FOUR – I WILL PRAY FOR MY CHURCH LEADERS
- “We are church members. We must be the prayer intercessors for pastors and their families. Few families face the kinds of pressures and expectations as the families of pastors.”
- “We are church members. We will pray for the protection of our pastor and other church leaders.”
CHAPTER FIVE – I WILL LEAD MY FAMILY TO BE HEALTHY CHURCH MEMBERS
- “[From the Scriptures] we are … reminded of the importance of the family to the church. We are to encourage our family members to be faithful to the church.”
- “Many church members are single. They have no immediate family with whom they can worship in the church. Regardless, there are still people watching them and how they love the church. They are to be an example to others.”
- “As a church member, I am not merely to like my church or serve my church well. I am to fall deeply in love with my church.”
CHAPTER SIX – I WILL TREASURE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP AS A GIFT
- “Membership in the body of Christ, the church, is a gift from God.”
If you have the opportunity to pick up a copy of this great book, I encourage you to do so. You can read it in one or two sittings. Three at most.
May God bless you and richly use you to be a positive, constructive, unifying presence in whatever church He leads you to worship with and serve.
