By Dr. Aldo Pucci, Pastor, Free Gift Baptist Church
1. Read your Bible daily (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12).
2. Lead people to Christ and encourage them to join your church (Matthew 28:18-20).
3. Show up for worship services (Hebrews 10:24-25).
4. Give God all the glory, not the pastor, band, church leadership, or fellow church members (1 Timothy 1:17; Matthew 23:8-12).
5. Show love to your fellow church members (Hebrews 10:24-25).
6. Be patient with your fellow church member. Be slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19).
7. Encourage your fellow church members to do good works for the Lord (Hebrews 10:24-25).
8. Do good works for the Lord with your fellow church members (Philippians 2:12).
9. Realize that you are important and matter to your church, no matter who you are or what you are able to do (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
10. Place the needs of your fellow church members above your own (Philippians 2:3).
11. Serve the church in ways that you are called to do by your church, which might be different than your preferred way to serve (1 Peter 4:10-11) .
12. Love your fellow church members more than your Christian liberty (1 Corinthians 8:9-13).
13. If someone in the congregation is newer to the faith and has some preconceived ideas that are incorrect, do everything that you can do keep them from stumbling (1 Corinthians 8:9-13).
14. Refuse to gossip. Instead, pray and directly discuss issues that arise (Proverbs 16:28; Psalm 101:5; Proverbs 26:20).
15. Refuse to murmur. Instead, pray and directly discuss issues that arise (Philippians 2:14).
16. Avoid hanging out with disgruntled former church members who left not for sound biblical reasons, but because they did not “get their way”. These people usually have every interest in the world to bad mouth your church and its leadership. This can harm YOUR spirit. Instead, pray for them (2 Thessalonians 3:14; Psalm 101:5).
17. Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Investigate information that matters to you (1 John 4:1).
18. Provide financial support for the church as the Lord directs you. Be a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
19. Refuse to place the pastor on a pedestal, yet respect the position that he has. Pray for him (Matthew 23:8-12).
20. Be willing to adapt to necessary change sanctioned and consistent with the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3).