INTRODUCTION
Thank you for taking the time to consider becoming a member of Sojourn Church. At Sojourn we believe membership to a local church is an important and necessary step in your discipleship to Jesus Christ, and we look forward to helping you discover where you are in the process and discern your next step.
We believe this step is important because being connected and committed to a local church is the best way to learn how to follow Jesus and his way of life. Our goal in this membership process is to provide you with a clear pathway to help you grow in your faith and participation in the life of Sojourn Church.
We all come from different backgrounds so the purpose of this booklet is to explain the membership process at Sojourn as well as connecting membership to the vision, mission, values, and beliefs of Sojourn. We ask you to read through these pages with prayerful consideration and not to hesitate if you have questions.
Regardless if you are ready or not, attending Sojourn 101 is a great next step because it allows you to learn our story, where we’ve been, where we are going, and how you can join this journey as a family member with us. This is for both newcomers and people who've been around Sojourn for some time now.
MEMBERSHIP AT SOJOURN CHURCH
Membership at Sojourn Church is a commitment to follow Jesus and practice his way together in community. The Book of Acts describes the original church as a community of people practicing their faith together, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread, including The Lord’s Supper, and to prayer...and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved,”( Acts 2:42,47 ESV). The key word is devoted. They were devoted to following Jesus together as a community.
Every Christian has a responsibility to become a member of a local church community, where they are committed to worship, fellowship, and the work of building the kingdom of God.
We believe church membership should be meaningful, in keeping with the pattern of the New Testament Church, which emphasized belonging and accountability for every Christian. We believe meaningful membership closely reflects the language of Scripture (Paul’s use of “member” imagery in 1 Cor 12) and follows the New Testament prescription for accountability to other believers (1 Cor 5) and to the elders of the church (Heb 13:17).
Consequently, we believe every Christian ought to live as a member of a local church. Sojourn invites all guest to become friends and then invites guest to become family upon a credible gospel testimony who then desire to be baptized by immersion as believers, who agree with our “Core Beliefs,” and who are willing to fulfill the Great Commission (going wherever God calls and doing whatever God calls the rest of their lives).
We have made the membership process at Sojourn straightforward. In order to become a member of Sojourn you have to commit to worship together on Sundays, break bread regularly with other believers, serve others to strengthen the church, and give generously for the spread of the kingdom of God. These steps are already part of our Discipleship Pathway at Sojourn but membership is formally committing to this pathway.
We believe making the decision to become a member of a local church is an important step in your discipleship to Jesus Christ, but not a decision to be taken lightly. You have to decide to transition from casually showing up when it’s convenient, to committing yourself to Jesus, His way and His people. Is it worth it? Absolutely! When you live out your faith in this way you experience personal growth, contributing to the overall health of Sojourn and the surrounding community and city as we all bring glory to God together.
What if you are not ready to commit to all of the discipleship steps above. Can you still be a part of Sojourn Church?
Absolutely! Sojourn Church is a kingdom-centerted, multiethnic church that exists to invite people on a journey of learning what it means to follow Jesus. We understand that membership is not the next discipleship step for everyone. So, you are still welcome to join us on this spiritual journey, and in time hope to see you become a member.
It doesn’t matter whether you are trying to figure out what you believe, if you are looking for a new church or if you’ve been coming for years, we are happy you’re a part of our church community. But you need to know that we will always challenge and encourage you to take steps of faith that will help you grow in your relationship with God. Anne Lamott said it this way, “God loves you the way you are...and loves you too much to let you stay there.”
This is the purpose of membership at Sojourn Church: To provide you with a clear discipleship pathway to help you become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. If you have questions about any of this or would like to talk with someone about your next step of faith let us know! To schedule a meeting visit the Connection Table in the lobby on Sunday or email amy@sojournpdx.org.
How do you become a member of Sojourn Church?
1. Read through these pages to make sure you understand the vision, basic beliefs and leadership structure of Sojourn.
2. Listen to the message series, “We are the Church” online at sojournpdx.org/wearethechurch.
3. Attend Sojourn 101 or Schedule a meeting with one of our church leaders to discuss membership. To schedule a meeting visit the Connection Table on Sunday or email amy@sojournpdx.org.
Membership to a local church is an important and necessary step in your discipleship to Jesus Christ, and we look forward to helping you discover where you are in the process and discern your next step.
THE VISION OF SOJOURN CHURCH
Sojourn Church is a kingdom-centerted, multiethnic church that exists to invite people on a journey being transformed by Jesus.
? Our aim is life transformation. Not simply a life improvement or an upgrade to your standard of living, but a complete change that produces the life you are looking for. Jesus described it this way: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35 NLT) Jesus offers you real and eternal life. The only way for you to experience this is through a complete transformation, like what happens when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly! We believe this kind of change is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. ?
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Here are the steps of faith:
Worship Together on Sundays to nourish your soul and to glorify God.
Worship Alone throughout the week to nourish your soul.
Break Bread regularly with friends to motivate and encourage one another.
Serve Others to strengthen the body of Christ.
Give Generously to support the work of building the kingdom of God.
Share Jesus with people who are lost and searching for real and eternal life.
Worshiping Together is the practice of gathering with other believers to worship on Sundays. At Sojourn, we pray, sing, listen to Scripture and celebrate communion together.
This is an indispensable aspect of following Jesus. Jesus said, “Where there are two or more gathered in my Name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20) We believe Jesus is always present with His people through the Holy Spirit, but when we gather together in His Name, He shows up in a unique and powerful way that nourishes our souls.
This is why the writer of Hebrews said, “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially as the day of The Lord draws near.” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT) These days it’s easy to neglect worshiping together, so you have to decide to make it a priority in your life. When you do, you ensure that your soul is consistently nourished, you stay connected to the church community and God is glorified.
Worshiping Alone is the practice of spending time alone with God. At Sojourn, we teach people to spend time alone with God by practicing the spiritual practices of Jesus.
There are many different spiritual disciplines, but a few of the most common and helpful ones are reading & reflecting on scripture, prayer, sabbath rest, fasting and silence & solitude.
This is an important practice because God uses spiritual disciplines to nourish your soul in His presence, form your character and train you to live like Jesus in your daily life. The Bible says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV NLT)
It’s important to point out that practicing spiritual disciplines is a partnership between us and God, where God does most of the work. We “work out” our faith by putting the disciplines into practice, depending on God to “work in us, giving us the desire and power” we need to follow Him. So this means the spiritual disciplines don’t have any spiritual power in and of themselves, they are simply tools that connect us to the real power, God’s presence in us.
Developing a new practice requires being consistent over time, and eventually it becomes a normal part of your life. The same is true with spiritual disciplines. When you make worshiping alone a part of your daily life, you ensure that your soul is consistently nourished throughout the week.
?FROM101?We believe worship is a way of life. Worship is the honor and adoration of the Triune God, warranted, commanded, and prescribed by God. Worship is the all-encompassing purpose of all creation. It is the recognition of and proper response to who God is as Sovereign Creator and Redeemer. Our worship exalts and exults in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through worship, we participate in the chief purpose of all things—the glory of God.
Worship flows from the heart and expresses itself in visible ways. During Sojourn gatherings, worship is directed by the Scriptures and expressed primarily through reading, teaching, fellowship, the ordinances, songs, and prayers. In these, we remember and rejoice in who God is, what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do.
Breaking Bread is the practice of meeting regularly with other believers. The original church “devoted themselves to...fellowship, breaking bread and sharing meals together.” (Acts 2:42, 46) At Sojourn we break bread by meeting regularly in gospel communities, tables, discipleship courses, fun activities, and over meals or coffee.
This is an important practice because God created you to be in relationship with others. The Bible says, “It is not good to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) This is true for many reasons, but the most important is that you are vulnerable when you’re isolated and disconnected from other believers. And from a discipleship standpoint, it’s always better to follow Jesus with people than try to go at it alone. Proverbs 27:9-10 tells us, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”
You need a community of people where you really know and trust one another, love and support one another, spur and encourage one another, confess and pray with one another and share and celebrate life with one another. When you make time to cultivate strong relationships like this, you ensure that you will always have people in your life to help you along the way.
We gather in Gospel Communities to live out our core values. We share a meal together, celebrate stories, bear one another's burdens, pray for one another, and serve our city together.
Serving Others is the practice of serving in and through the local church. At Sojourn, we serve others by using our spiritual gifts to strengthen our church community, we serve locally to show the love of Christ to our neighbors in need, and we serve globally to help make disciples of all nations.
We believe God has uniquely gifted you to serve in the local church. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT), “A spiritual gift is given to each of us for the common good.” And when you use your gift the whole church benefits. Paul said it this way, “Jesus makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT)
So, if you’re just watching, not using your gifts, the church is missing out on what you have to offer, and you’re missing out on seeing God move in you and through you!
An easy way to get involved in serving others is to join a ministry team on Sunday mornings. There are many ways to serve, and we could always use more help. When you decide to serve, you contribute to the growth of the whole church body, making it strong and healthy, and as a by-product, you grow too.
Giving Generously is the practice of giving financially to the work of the local church. At Sojourn, we teach people to start by giving a percentage of their income to the local church, working towards the goal of giving ten percent (EDIT).
This is an important practice because God loves when His people give generously to the work of building His Kingdom. The Bible says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need, and plenty left over to share with others.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT)
In other words, don’t be stingy with your money, but also, don’t give in response to guilt or pressure. God doesn’t need your money. He wants you to give willingly and joyfully out of trust in Him, gratitude for His provision in your life and awareness that He is the one who gives you the ability to earn in the first place. The beauty of God’s design is that by giving, you provide for the needs of the local church, and you are blessed in return by seeing God provide for all of your needs.
If you’re not already in the practice of giving generously to the local church, we recommend that you pick a percentage, even as little as one percent of your income, and give at that percentage until you’re ready to increase it, working your way to ten percent. We firmly believe that when you give, you position yourself to see God’s provision in your life, and that He does more with ninety percent than you could ever do with one hundred percent.
Sharing Jesus is the practice of sharing the Gospel with people who are lost and searching for life. The gospel is the good news of what Jesus Christ has done to restore a broken world and sinful people back to God. It’s the true story of God’s love, humanity’s rebellion, amazing grace and the restoration of all things.
At Sojourn, we teach people to pray for opportunities to share this Good News with people who are lost and searching for life, in a relational way that is “gentle and respectful.” (1 Peter 3:15), and most importantly, to live attractively to people who don’t know Jesus.
Sharing the good news of Jesus is essential because this good news “is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16 NLT) Jesus not only saves us from the penalty and power of sin, but he also provides us with the life we are looking for. Real and eternal life.
We can’t keep this kind of news to ourselves, we are called to share it with everyone we know! And when you do, you ensure that the people in your life have the knowledge and the opportunity to turn to Jesus for salvation and new life!
If you have any questions about our discipleship process, please don’t hesitate to ask.
THE BASIC BELIEFS OF SOJOURN CHURCH
We share a common commitment to the Scriptures and the beliefs expressed through the Apostles Creed. We also believe the following beliefs summarize basic, historic Christianity. Sojourn members must agree with these beliefs to maintain their membership in good standing.
1. THERE IS ONE TRIUNE GOD: There is only one true and living God who is the Creator of the universe. He exists eternally in three Persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD: The Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself to mankind divinely given through human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is entirely true, totally sufficient, and completely authoritative for matters of life and faith.
3. PEOPLE ARE CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE: Human Beings are created by God to bear His image. They are the crowning work of His creation worthy of love, dignity, and respect regardless of matters like age, race, gender, or class.
4. PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF REDEMPTION: Because of the Fall, the image of God in people is distorted but not lost. All people have disobeyed God willfully through sin; thus inheriting both physical and spiritual death and the need for redemption. All human beings are born with a sin nature and into an environment inclined toward sin. Only by the grace of God through Jesus Christ can they experience salvation.
5. JESUS IS BOTH LORD AND CHRIST: Jesus is both fully God and fully human. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the Cross as a substitute for mankind, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will one day return.
6. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION: Salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man. No other religion, belief, or person can reconcile God and man. He alone can provide forgiveness and eternal salvation.
7. SALVATION IS BY FAITH ALONE: Salvation comes only through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior, as a person repents of sin and receives Christ’s forgiveness and eternal life. Salvation is instantaneous and accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. This salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, not on the basis of human works. All the redeemed are secured in Christ forever.
8. THE CHURCH IS CHRIST’S BODY: The Holy Spirit immediately places all people who put their faith in Jesus Christ into one united spiritual body, the Church, of which Christ is the head.
9. JESUS CHRIST WILL RETURN: God will bring the world to its appropriate end in His own time and in His own way. At that time, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. Christ will judge both the saved and unsaved. Those who have trusted Christ will receive a glorified body and dwell forever with the Lord. Those who have not trusted in Christ will spend eternity in hell, the place of everlasting punishment.
THE LEADERSHIP OF SOJOURN CHURCH
THE LEADERSHIP EXISTS TO CATALYZE THE CHURCH TO ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION
The Bible teaches that Jesus is the head of the church. “At the risk of stating the obvious, every church must place Jesus Christ in the position of highest authority and devotion in both the organizational chart and the life of the church.” Serving under Jesus’ leadership and authority are elders, deacons and members.
Our church is Jesus-ruled, Elder/Board-led, and Congregationally-accountable. Jesus is the ultimate leader of the church. Under his leadership, he appoints human leaders who are called to lovingly, sacrificially, and boldly lead his church to become everything it should become. Our church loves its leaders, and our leaders love the church.
Elders are leaders (men) who are responsible for knowing, leading, feeding, and protecting the church and her individual members through prayer, counseling, discipleship, preaching, etc. Our eventual goal is to practice a plurality of elders, seeing this to be the best reflection of the New Testament pattern. As a church plant we currently have an elder/board of directors that make up our plurality. All elders are endowed with the same level of authority, with different areas of responsibility in the leadership of the church—all while sharing in the same accountability before God. Staff Elders are compensated for full-time employment so they can give more time and energy to leading the church.
According to the Bible, elders are men chosen to lead the church. The qualifications for elders are clearly laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. These qualifications are about consistency, not perfection. At Sojourn our desire is to grow into an elder leadership team to lead the church. As a church plant we currently have an elder/board of directors that make up our plurality. All elders are endowed with the same level of authority, with different areas of responsibility in the leadership of the church—all while sharing in the same accountability before God. Staff Elders are compensated for full-time employment so they can give more time and energy to leading the church.
This team is responsible for leading and caring for the church by maintaining the vision of the church, protecting the doctrine of the church, managing the resources of the church with faith and wisdom and equipping leaders to serve in the church.
Serving under the leadership of the elders are leaders called deacons, men and women who help lead and care for the church alongside the elders. The qualifications of deacons are found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Although we do not use the title “deacon” at Sojourn Church, we do use the qualifications of deacons for all paid staff and volunteer leader positions. Using these qualifications provides a Biblical standard of accountability for the leaders of Sojourn Church.
Members are men and women who are committed to following Jesus and his way of life together in community. Members love and support the vision of Sojourn Church with their time, money and abilities to help strengthen the local church and build the kingdom of God.
The Commitment of Sojourn Church
The leadership of Sojourn Church commits to:
Depend on the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead and care for the church.
Protect and maintain the vision, mission, beliefs and unity of the church.
Steward the resources of the church with faith and wisdom.
Lead, teach, counsel and live from the truth, authority and wisdom of the Bible.Empower and equip leaders to serve in the church according to character, ability and experience.
Provide a Sunday worship gathering that nourishes your soul and glorifies God.
Provide community groups to help you meet friends to motivate and encourage you in your faith.
Provide ways to use your time, money and abilities to accomplish the mission of the church.
Provide a discipleship process that helps you follow Jesus and His way of life in your daily life.
The Commitment and Expectations of Membership
Membership in Sojourn Church is the commitment to follow Jesus and practice His way of life in community by adhering to the following expectations:
We expect you to faithfully attend our weekend gatherings by worshiping with Sojourn on Sundays.
We expect you to join a serve team as a way to strengthen the church.
We expect you to break bread with other believers by being an active participant of a Gospel Community.
We expect you to give generously for the spread of the kingdom of God: joyful, consistent, and sacrificial.
Statement of Faith
I am a Christian, not because of my good behavior and hard work, but because I have trusted in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness of sin and to save me from eternal judgment. I have been brought into a secure relationship with God and have been made new by the Holy Spirit so that I can follow Jesus in a life of obedience. I have been baptized* to publicly declare my faith in Jesus Christ and my commitment to follow Him.
*If you have not been baptized and would like to talk about it, let us know!
Next Step
Thank you for taking time to read about membership at Sojourn Church. We hope and pray that this has given you a clear understanding of our church vision. We look forward to answering any questions you may have, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss membership with you.
To schedule a meeting visit the Connection Table on Sunday or email amy@sojournpdx.org.