Seven Things Christians Must Do in Church

There are many things that a church member could and should do to help make their church a healthy, happy and worshipful place to be. Here is a list of seven things I've learned in my experience as a Christian.

1. Pray.

Pray for the church, for the pastor, for the pastor's family, for individuals within your church. Pray for unity. Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit.

Be willing to pray for others. If someone is at the altar weeping, go and pray with them. If someone says, "I'm not feeling well today", say "Let's pray about that right now."

2. Support your pastor in any way possible.

If you are a member of a church, you must support your pastor. If for some reason you feel you cannot, and the issue cannot be resolved, leaving is often the best course of action for you, the pastor, and the church.

This isn't to say that you must smile, nod, and say "yes" to everything the pastor says and does. "Support" does not mean that you must agree. If you disagree with something he's saying or proposing, say so - just do so in an appropriate way. Open communication and loving, respectful dialogue in disagreement always help.

If the pastor decides to do something and you disapprove, do not tell the world about it. Keep the matter between you and your pastor. Your pastor is God's leader in the church. You do not know everything, and you are no more perfect than your pastor is. There's a good possibility that he is right and you are wrong!

If your pastor is engaging in dodgy financial activities or you know he's pursuing immoral involvements, investigate, gather evidence, and speak up. DO NOT go to him about suspicions and rumors. Tell him that you're aware of what's going on and allow him to show you a defense. You may have assumed something you shouldn't have, or been given incorrect information. If not, bring your evidence, in love, to the church's board or supervisory committee. Do not make demands. Seek biblical restoration.

3. Support your church financially.

Tithe. That means that you give ten percent (yes - ten percent) of your income to the Lord for His work in the church. It's all His money anyways; He's entrusted you with it. We've found the easiest way to tithe is to take the gross dollar amount listed on the paycheck every week, calculate ten percent, and round up to the nearest dollar. We often include an offering of a few dollars more, to make it a nice even dollar figure. For example, a paycheck with a gross of $383 would mean tithing $38.30. We'd round it up to $39 or even $40, for simplicity's sake and also for an easy way to give more.

Give Offerings. That means that above and beyond that ten percent, you should be giving what you can, when you can. Some people have causes they support, such as missions. Other times, the church is in need of funds - a building project, a new Sunday School program, or a specific outreach are all opportunities to give.

4. Volunteer and Participate.

The Christian life is not about sitting back in your cushion-lined pew and listening to sermons. A worship SERVICE is about serving God, and it's to prepare you to serve Him for the sake of your fellow man. That may be inside the four walls of the church, teaching a class or cleaning. Or, it may be praying with people at the grocery store and witnessing in the park. The church always needs people to help; the pastor cannot do everything.

The church has periodic meetings (at the least, an annual business meeting). Show up, find out what's going on, and participate. Ask your pastor how you can best help. Approach meetings and important decisions prayerfully. The church should never make a decision without its members being on their knees seeking the Lord about it.

4. REFUSE to Gossip.

Got something bad to say about someone? Got juicy news? Shut up. And don't use "Mary W. needs prayer, she ________" as an excuse to share what is really no one's business.

Nothing cuts deeper than being talked about by others. Words are just words - but they can hurt. If something is told to you in confidence, you must keep that confidence. If for some reason you cannot (such as a report of child abuse) you must be up-front with the person telling you. Tell them who you will tell, and why. If it's not something that legally or morally must be told to another - shut up! If you JUST HAVE to talk to someone, close your door and talk to God.

5. Share the church's business with outsiders in the right way.

This is actually an addendum to the "Gossip" caveat above. Churches have their ups and downs. It's natural to want to tell people what's going on at your church. If you are in any sort of leadership position in a church, you should have a trusted confidant in whom you can trust unconditionally and go to for a "reality check" any time you need one. Resist the temptation to tell all to everyone you meet.

Be aware that how you speak of your church - good or bad - reflects on both you and the church. Other Christians can often cut to the chase and understand what they're hearing. Non-Christians are often immediately suspicious and may be discouraged by the way you share information. It's almost a tightrope. If every-last-little-thing at your church is perfect and the preacher dances on water every Sunday... no one's going to believe you. If something's happened and people are at odds with one another, or if the church is in financial trouble, be careful how you communicate that. If you don't need to, don't! But if someone asks you directly, tell the truth as positively as you can. There's a big difference between "Harry and Jerry got in a fight and now the whole church is taking sides and the preacher's had to step in" and "Well, we're like a big family. Sometimes we disagree and have to work out our differences." The latter communicates the truth, but does so in such a way that the listener does not form entirely the wrong impression!

7. Do not continually demand attention or be a distraction.

Everyone has their moments where they NEED attention. It might be something serious, like a death or illness in the family. Or it might be as "little" as a really bad day. At moments like this, the church family should gather around and pray and comfort. However, some people crave this level of attention and you can find them every Sunday, telling their tales of woe to anyone who will listen. People focus on them, rather than on God.

Every church has its share of "distracters", too - some people don't do this on purpose. Others revel in it. For example, there's the person who genuinely can't sing but loves the Lord and loves to sing to Him (like me!) ... they'll sing when everyone else is, but otherwise they hush when they're in public. Others delight in demanding a place in the choir and the opportunity to sing solos!! Some distractions are probably unintentional, like the woman who wears way too much perfume. Take care that your appearance does not cause others to take their eyes off God.

Anyone who follows these simple steps will be supporting their church and maintaining their integrity with both God and man.