How to Prepare for a Church Meeting
Counsel for the Faithful Church Member
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-5)
Church meetings invoke all kinds of feelings. For some, the thought of attending a congregational meeting is cause for great consternation and inward distress. Perhaps these people have been involved in church divisions in the past or have experienced deep hurt at the hands of fellow-believers, and the thought of reliving that experience is overwhelming. Others embrace these meetings as an opportunity to push their own agendas or correct those in leadership. Some attend out of obligation, approaching church matters half-heartedly, and simply cannot wait get home and back into “ordinary life.” Hopefully, these examples above do not describe your approach to church meetings or resonate with your thinking patterns!
Preparing for a church meeting requires preparation. That may sound a little redundant, but it seems that very few church members actively prepare for having spiritual discussions and making decisions in the Lord’s church.
When a person decides to buy a new appliance, they often pore over catalogues, look up Google reviews, seek advice from friends, compare pricing, and even go to a showroom to test a working model before making their final purchase. However, that very same person who may be the most avid investigator of mod cons, and incredibly frugal with their money, does not approach spiritual matters with the same attitude. This is a very disturbing trend in the church today, and it is a sad commentary on the spiritual immaturity of our assemblies.
So then, how should the committed Christian prepare for a church meeting? The same way he prepares for everyday life as a Christian – with humility, dependence, love, and a Christlike attitude.[1]
Ultimately, the moment a church meeting is announced, the faithful church member should not have to change anything in his personal life or attitude, because he is already walking with the Spirit and keeping short accounts with God.[2]
However, we all know that this is not true all of the time. To help the struggling Christian (all of us) in approaching a church meeting with the right attitude and preparation, consider the following biblical commands and principles:
- Prayer [3]
- Pray for yourself. Ask the Lord to prepare your heart, to reveal sin, to strengthen your faith, to produce humility and submission, to supply wisdom for right decision-making, to expose faulty thinking patterns, to uncover evil thoughts and motives, to bring to light any forms of bitterness, resentment, or anger against a fellow believer.[4]
- Pray for those in leadership. Ask the Lord to grant them excellent wisdom and insight, clarity of thought and communication, a spirit of meekness and gentleness, the boldness to do what is right, the grace to lead, and the power to govern aright.[5]
- Pray for the church. Ask the Lord to build the church, to sift the church, to refine the church, to strengthen its biblical resolve, to deepen its worship, to bring peace and unity through the truth, to admonish the idle, to encourage the fainthearted, to help the weak, to discipline the unrepentant, to have an effective witness in the community.[6]
- Mind Renewal
- If the church member is to assist in making wise and godly decisions for the church, he must know God’s mind on things.[7] This is where reading the Bible regularly and faithfully is important. Since wisdom is God’s perspective on any matter, and the Bible is God’s Word, it is incumbent on the Christian to bring his thinking into alignment with the Scriptures.[8] A church member who is not in the Word should not be involved in decision-making in the church.
- Humility
- Christlikeness demands humility.[9] The entire thinking pattern of a believer is to be that which mimics His Master’s. Pride, selfish ambition, arrogance, and conceit are not the way of godliness, and must be decisively amputated before the Christian is involved in voting and setting direction for the church.[10]
- Self-Evaluation
- Understanding the nature of our own hearts and our predisposition toward evil is an essential step on the path to spiritual maturity.[11] Imminent Church meetings and discussions are a great opportunity to be reminded that left to ourselves we will be like those “believers” of James 4 who were marked by quarrels, unbridled passions, anger, murder, hatred, idolatry, pride, self-adulation, and doublemindedness.
- The faithful church member will make time for self-evaluation in the light of the Scriptures.[12] He will inspect his own eye for fragments of sin and rebellion before attending a meeting where the eyes of others may need to be scrutinised.[13] He will inspect his own fruit to ensure there are not sour grapes in his own cluster before judging the fruit of others.[14]
- Submission & Relationships
- In the Christian life, there are different spheres of authority, and each are to be honoured, loved, obeyed, and prayed for.[15] In preparing for a church meeting, it is important that the faithful church member takes time to analyse his relationship and obedience to the God-ordained authorities in his life. This of course begins with God, but it does not end there. Thought must be given to the role of submission in his biological family, the government, the workplace, and of vital importance, the church leadership. Too many Christians willingly submit to laws of the land, but somehow think it is right to live outside, or kick against, the authority of the local church.
- Due consideration must also be given to the quality and nature of the faithful church member’s personal relationships. This includes but is not limited to his marriage, children, family, friends, individual brothers and sisters in Christ, and the church as a whole.[16]
- A man who is not living under authority in his own life and/or not maintaining biblically based relationships, has no right to cast a vote in the church of God. First, he must address the issues of his own heart, reconcile with those he has wronged, and then he will be in a position to serve as a faithful church member.[17]
- The Search for Truth
- Having attended to these matters mentioned afore, the faithful church member is now in a position to consider properly the items outlined on the meeting agenda. His responsibility is to read, pray, and consider what has been presented to him. Since no matter is insignificant or trivial in God’s Kingdom, the faithful church member sets out to familiarise himself with what the Scriptures have to say about said matters.[18]
- Whilst the faithful church member may not be scholarly in the study of God’s Word, he recognises the importance of becoming familiar with the precepts and principles related to the subjects in question. His desire here is not to demonstrate his knowledge of a particular subject before the congregation, but to conform his own thinking, and that of his family’s, to that which is revealed in the Word of God. In order to gain a fuller understanding of the subject matter, the faithful church member may enlist the help of godly authors, listen to sermons, or speak with trusted Bible teachers.[19]
This brings to a close the responsibilities of faithful church members before attending a congregational meeting.
Now, let me briefly outline the manner, conduct, and etiquette of a faithful church member during a congregational meeting.
- Be prayerful.[20]
- Be quick to hear; slow to speak.[21]
- Speak graciously, gently, slowly, and truthfully.[22]
- Guard your heart, motives, feelings, and attitude.[23]
- Speak the truth plainly and lovingly.[24]
- Be courteous, well-mannered, and modest.[25]
- Be bold in asking questions and seeking clarification.[26]
- Be excited and full of cheer when godly motions are raised.[27]
- Be careful to not betray a person’s trust or confidentiality.[28]
- Operate with empathy and care when painful matters are raised.[29]
- Be interested and engaged in every part of the meeting.[30]
- Demonstrate support and excitement (where appropriate and right).[31]
- Seek unity and peace.[32]
- Be an example of Christ in word and deed.[33]
- Be available to take on responsibility in accordance with your time and talents.[34]
In closing, church life, like family life, is seasonal. There are times of great ease and enjoyment; there are times of increase and blessing; there are times of tragedy, trial, and tribulation; there are times of warfare, injury, pain, and loss; there are times of plenty and times of famine.
[35]Whether your church is enjoying the “green meadows of tranquillity” or “staring down the barrel of a gun,” it is important to remember that faithful church members play an essential role in the local church and its direction. These responsibilities are not conferred by the church, but by Jesus Christ Himself, who chose you for salvation, and appointed you to serve as a member of a local body.[36]
Are you ready for the next church meeting?
[1] 1 John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1-2
[2] Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:8
[3] Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17
[4] Psalm 139:23-34; James 1:5; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 26:41; Colossians 1:9-11; Psalm 32:5
[5] Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Titus 1:9; Proverbs 27:23-24; Hebrews 13:17
[6] Ephesians 2:20-22; Colossians 3:16; Romans 16:17; Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 Timothy 3:15; Acts 9:31; 1 Corinthians 1:10
[7] Romans 8:5; 1 Corinthians 2:12
[8] Romans 12:2; Psalm 119:130
[9] Philippians 2:1-5; Colossians 3:12; Micah 6:8
[10] James 4:1-6; Romans 12:16; Job 11:14; Colossians 3:5-6
[11] Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7:18; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
[12] Haggai 1:7; Psalm 32:5; Lamentations 3:40
[13] Matthew 7:3-5
[14] Luke 3:8; Matthew 7:16-20; James 3:17-18
[15] Romans 13:1; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13; Titus 3:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3
[16] Colossians 3:18-19; Ephesians 5:33; 1 Timothy 5:18; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Matthew 5:23
[17] Ephesians 5:21; Matthew 5:24; Mark 11:25; Matthew 18:15
[18] 2 Kings 19:14; Joshua 1:8; Acts 17:11; Matthew 22:29; 2 Timothy 2:15; Matthew 6:33
[19] Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 24:6; Proverbs 28:26; Proverbs 13:20; Acts 18:24-26
[20] Philippians 4:6
[21] James 1:19
[22] Ephesians 4:29; Proverbs 16:24; Proverbs 15:4; Psalm 34:13
[23] Proverbs 4:23; Philippians 2:3; 1 Timothy 1:5; Proverbs 29:11; 2 Corinthians 10:5
[24] Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 4:25; 1 John 3:18; Zechariah 8:16
[25] Titus 3:2; Romans 12:10; Colossians 4:6; Philippians 4:5
[26] Proverbs 28:1; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Corinthians 16:13
[27] Psalm 40:16; Isaiah 55:11-12
[28] Proverbs 11:13; Proverbs 25:9; Proverbs 16:28
[29] 1 Peter 3:8; Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 12:26; Colossians 3:12
[30] Proverbs 4:25; 1 Peter 1:13
[31] Romans 15:5-6; Philippians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 13:11
[32] 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:3; Colossians 3:14; Romans 14:19
[33] 1 Timothy 4:12; Philippians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1-2
[34] 1 Peter 4:10; Romans 12:11; 1 Corinthians 15:58
[35] Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
[36] 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Corinthians 12:18
