PO Box 2382, Vacaville, CA 95687 sanctuarychurchinfo@gmail.com

BECOME A PARTNER

We invite you to consider being a partner with Sanctuary Church! Becoming a partner allows you deeper opportunity to be involved and grow as a follower of Jesus. Below is some helpful information on what iw means to become a partner.

*If you are interested in becoming a Partner, Email Pastor Scott @ scott@tsvv.org for the next step!

What does it mean when you become a partner?

  1. I affirmed that I have made a decision to follow Jesus (Born Again Experience)
  2. I have been baptized in water
  3. I am at least 16 years old
  4. Support Sanctuary Church through Regular Attendance to Sanctuary Church
  5. I support the constitution and bylaws of the church
  6. Support the tenets, vision and values of Sanctuary Church
  7. Support the mission of the church through regular and faithful giving to Sanctuary Church
  8. Support the ministries and outreaches of Sanctuary Church
  9. Support the leadership of Sanctuary Church
  10. Live a life of Christian Character and Conduct as a follower of Jesus

Should every Christian join a church? 

Jesus established The Church to be a public, earthly institution that would mark out, affirm, and oversee those who profess to believe in Him. (Matthew 16:18-19, 18:15-20) 

Jesus established The Church to publicly declare those who belong to Him in order to give the world a display of the good news about Himself. (John 17:21, 23; Ephesians 3:10) 

Jesus intends for His people to be marked out as a visible, public group, which means joining together in local churches. Scripture repeatedly commands Christians 

to submit to their leaders. (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) The only way to do that is by publicly committing to be members of their flock, and saying in effect, “I commit to listen to your teaching, follow your direction, and submit to your leadership.” There’s no way to obey the scriptural commands of “submit to your leaders” if you never actually submit to them by joining a local church. 

Is church membership biblical? 

In the New Testament, the ethnic and cultural boundary markers of the Old Testament are exploded. But a clear, bright line remains between those who are God’s people and those who are not, as indicated by their profession of faith in Christ and the visible fruit of their lives, as well as by the practices of Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Galatians 3:27) These two acts of faith are what give substance and shape to a church’s membership. There is an inside (those who have been baptized and are welcomed to the Lord’s Table) and an outside (those who are not). 

In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 Paul challenges the Corinthian church to hold accountable those who are inside the church and leave judging of those outside to God. How did the Corinthians know who was in and who was out? They knew whom Paul was talking about because some people had formally, publicly identified themselves with the church in Corinth (they were members), while the rest of the city had not. 

Does being a member of a church mean I’m a Christian? 

No. Turning from your sin and trusting in Christ alone makes you a Christian. However, church membership is meant to be a church’s corporate affirmation of your profession of faith in Christ. Membership is supposed to be the Church saying, “We’ve looked at your life. We’ve heard your testimony, and your explanation of the gospel. You look like a Christian to us, so we’re happy to affirm you as a Christian.” So, while church membership is no guarantee that a person is a Christian, it should offer genuine Christians some assurance of their salvation.