Hill-n-Dale Christian Church

A SIMPLE STRATEGY
for serving and growing here

In most churches, it’s not uncommon to hear a comment like this:

“There are so many things going on
and so many things to get involved in,
I don’t even know where to start!”

We know that people at Hill-n-Dale have certainly expressed that sentiment, and we want to provide some simple guidelines for navigating your way away toward healthy spiritual growth and away from overload and burnout.

Simple Guideline #1:

Don’t try to do everything. You can’t!

Simple Guideline #2:

Run with a simple strategy for involvement and growth.

Here's a five-step example:

Get oriented here by participating in weekly corporate worship, and by getting into the next Connection Point class

Commit to regularly attend one kind of LifeGroup (a Sunday School class, a small group in someone’s home, a study group) where you can meet people and study the Word with them (again, don’t try to simultaneously attend all of them)

Try out some places to serve until you find one that fits, and then
be a "regular" in a single area of service (again, don’t try to serve everywhere; you can’t do it, trust me)

Make a formal commitment by becoming a member of the church—this may mean a commitment to Christ for the first time, or just an official accountability with Hill-n-Dale and a renewal of your previous commitment

Continue to be constantly involved in at least one of each of these: worship, a LifeGroup, and an area of service. As you do, keep a pulse on your spiritual growth by asking two questions: a) Am I finding a balance between growing in Christ through the church and growing in Christ on my own? and b) am I continuing to experience growth, or is it time for a readjustment of my area of service or LifeGroup?

If you would like further help with this strategy, why not make an appointment to sit down with one of our ministers for discussion and prayer?

WHAT'S EXPECTED of Hill-n-Dale Members?

Becoming a member of Hill-n-Dale is simply a practical way to profess that you:

share with us the major beliefs from the Bible

seek to give & receive here in meaningful ways

are committed long-term to the mission/vision and are living it out in your own life

are accountable to the leadership here

are fully invested in the life of the church (time, treasure and talent)

might someday wish to lead a ministry/group

have a positive view of what God is doing here

We have six very simple scriptural prerequisites for membership at Hill-n-Dale:

Hear the gospel message (Romans 10:17)

Believe the good news (John 3:16, Romans 10:9,10)

Repent of your sins (Acts 2:38, 3:19)

Confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9,10; Matthew 10:32)

Be baptized by immersion upon or after believing (Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3-10)

Live a new kind of life led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26; John 10:10)

Anyone who makes a public confession and is baptized at Hill-n-Dale is considered a new member of the church, unless they specifically request not to be. Any other person who has met the six prerequisites above needs only to come forward during a weekend service. There they will simply be greeted, and introduced, and will thenceforth be considered a member of Hill-n-Dale Christian Church.

Anyone wishing to discuss membership should contact the church and make an appointment to talk to one of the ministers on staff.

Membership Covenant

In The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren presents a Membership Covenant that reflects exactly the kind of spirit that any Hill-n-Dale member should exemplify. Please examine the following variation of that very closely as you consider membership here…

I. I will protect the unity of my church

By acting in love toward other members (1 John 4:7)

By refusing to gossip (Proverbs 11:13)

By following the leaders (Matthew 4:19, 1 Peter 5:1-5)

II. I will share the responsibility of my church

By praying for its growth (Philippians 1:1-4)

By inviting the unchurched to attend (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)

By warmly welcoming those who visit (Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 2:11-3:11)

III. I will serve the ministry of my church

By discovering my gifts and talents (1 Peter 4:10)

By being equipped to serve and equipping others (Ephesians 4:12,13)

By developing a servant’s heart (John 13:13-20)

IV. I will support the testimony of my church

By attending faithfully (Acts 5:42, 20:7; Hebrews 10:25)

By living a godly life (Philippians 4:8,9; 2 Corinthians 7:1)

By giving regularly (2 Corinthians 9:5-8)

By belonging to a small group (Matthew 17:1)

By personal study and devotion (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

SERVICE OPPORTUNITES at Hill-n-Dale

We hope that every member of Hill-n-Dale will consider checking out some of our ministry opportunities and trying one or two of them out. The goal is that eventually you might find one or two permanent places to serve that best utilize your unique gifts and talents. If you aren't sure where to begin, we encourage you to check out the next Connection Point class which will help you discover what your special gifts and talents are, and how they could be used at Hill-n-Dale. If you already know what your strengths are, don't wait! Contact the church office for more information about any of these areas of service:

Athletic
Audio Visual/Music
Bereavement
Christian Education
Communion
Counting
Decorating
DownTown
Evangelism
Greeting/Ushering/Parking
Home Communion
Finance
K-5th Children’s
King’s Kitchen
Legal/Insurance
LifeGroups
LoveLoaf
Maintenance
Maternity Meals
Men’s
Missions
Nominating
Planning
Praise Band/Praise Team
Prayer
Pre-School Children’s
Shepherding
Social Outreach
Van
Website/Marketing
Women’s
Worship Choir

Who can be a teacher or leader at Hill-n-Dale?

Standards for Leading a Ministry Group or Teaching a Class at HnD

Almost all of our ministries are geared so that just about anyone can serve within them; but to be a ministry leader or teacher, there are several requirements, which are as follows…

The leader or co-leader of a ministry group or LifeGroup, or the teacher of an Adult Bible Class or youth or elementary class, must…

…be a member of Hill-n-Dale, which includes having been baptized by immersion as a believer

… have gone through the Connection Point course, and must a) agree fundamentally with the main beliefs, teachings and practices of the church; and b) abstain from publicly or privately contradicting any minor points with which he or she might not be in full agreement

… be approved by the elders and staff of the church before assuming a leadership role

… serve under the authority of the elders and the supervision of the staff

… agree to be held accountable for activity and behavior within the group, and for personal lifestyle and reputation outside the group

… realize that s/he has a major responsibility and opportunity to accurately represent the Lord, the church and what it means to be a Christian leader


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Join us at a NEW TIME on Sunday mornings! Bible classes – 9:15 a.m. • Worship – 10:30 a.m.
A SIMPLE STRATEGY for serving and growing here In most churches, it’s not uncommon to hear a comment like this: “There are so many things going on and so many things to get involved in, I don’t even know where to start!” We know that people at Hill-n-Dale have certainly expressed that sentiment, and we want to provide some simple guidelines for navigating your way away toward healthy spiritual growth and away from overload and burnout. Simple Guideline #1: Don’t try to do everything. You can’t! Simple Guideline #2: Run with a simple strategy for involvement and growth. Here's a five-step example: Get oriented here by participating in weekly corporate worship, and by getting into the next Connection Point class Commit to regularly attend one kind of LifeGroup (a Sunday School class, a small group in someone’s home, a study group) where you can meet people and study the Word with them (again, don’t try to simultaneously attend all of them) Try out some places to serve until you find one that fits, and then be a "regular" in a single area of service (again, don’t try to serve everywhere; you can’t do it, trust me) Make a formal commitment by becoming a member of the church—this may mean a commitment to Christ for the first time, or just an official accountability with Hill-n-Dale and a renewal of your previous commitment Continue to be constantly involved in at least one of each of these: worship, a LifeGroup, and an area of service. As you do, keep a pulse on your spiritual growth by asking two questions: a) Am I finding a balance between growing in Christ through the church and growing in Christ on my own? and b) am I continuing to experience growth, or is it time for a readjustment of my area of service or LifeGroup? If you would like further help with this strategy, why not make an appointment to sit down with one of our ministers for discussion and prayer? WHAT'S EXPECTED of Hill-n-Dale Members? Becoming a member of Hill-n-Dale is simply a practical way to profess that you: share with us the major beliefs from the Bible seek to give & receive here in meaningful ways are committed long-term to the mission/vision and are living it out in your own life are accountable to the leadership here are fully invested in the life of the church (time, treasure and talent) might someday wish to lead a ministry/group have a positive view of what God is doing here We have six very simple scriptural prerequisites for membership at Hill-n-Dale: Hear the gospel message (Romans 10:17) Believe the good news (John 3:16, Romans 10:9,10) Repent of your sins (Acts 2:38, 3:19) Confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9,10; Matthew 10:32) Be baptized by immersion upon or after believing (Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3-10) Live a new kind of life led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26; John 10:10) Anyone who makes a public confession and is baptized at Hill-n-Dale is considered a new member of the church, unless they specifically request not to be. Any other person who has met the six prerequisites above needs only to come forward during a weekend service. There they will simply be greeted, and introduced, and will thenceforth be considered a member of Hill-n-Dale Christian Church. Anyone wishing to discuss membership should contact the church and make an appointment to talk to one of the ministers on staff. Membership Covenant In The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren presents a Membership Covenant that reflects exactly the kind of spirit that any Hill-n-Dale member should exemplify. Please examine the following variation of that very closely as you consider membership here… I. I will protect the unity of my church By acting in love toward other members (1 John 4:7) By refusing to gossip (Proverbs 11:13) By following the leaders (Matthew 4:19, 1 Peter 5:1-5) II. I will share the responsibility of my church By praying for its growth (Philippians 1:1-4) By inviting the unchurched to attend (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8) By warmly welcoming those who visit (Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 2:11-3:11) III. I will serve the ministry of my church By discovering my gifts and talents (1 Peter 4:10) By being equipped to serve and equipping others (Ephesians 4:12,13) By developing a servant’s heart (John 13:13-20) IV. I will support the testimony of my church By attending faithfully (Acts 5:42, 20:7; Hebrews 10:25) By living a godly life (Philippians 4:8,9; 2 Corinthians 7:1) By giving regularly (2 Corinthians 9:5-8) By belonging to a small group (Matthew 17:1) By personal study and devotion (2 Timothy 3:16,17) SERVICE OPPORTUNITES at Hill-n-Dale We hope that every member of Hill-n-Dale will consider checking out some of our ministry opportunities and trying one or two of them out. The goal is that eventually you might find one or two permanent places to serve that best utilize your unique gifts and talents. If you aren't sure where to begin, we encourage you to check out the next Connection Point class which will help you discover what your special gifts and talents are, and how they could be used at Hill-n-Dale. If you already know what your strengths are, don't wait! Contact the church office for more information about any of these areas of service: Athletic Audio Visual/Music Bereavement Christian Education Communion Counting Decorating DownTown Evangelism Greeting/Ushering/Parking Home Communion Finance K-5th Children’s King’s Kitchen Legal/Insurance LifeGroups LoveLoaf Maintenance Maternity Meals Men’s Missions Nominating Planning Praise Band/Praise Team Prayer Pre-School Children’s Shepherding Social Outreach Van Website/Marketing Women’s Worship Choir Who can be a teacher or leader at Hill-n-Dale? Standards for Leading a Ministry Group or Teaching a Class at HnD Almost all of our ministries are geared so that just about anyone can serve within them; but to be a ministry leader or teacher, there are several requirements, which are as follows… The leader or co-leader of a ministry group or LifeGroup, or the teacher of an Adult Bible Class or youth or elementary class, must… …be a member of Hill-n-Dale, which includes having been baptized by immersion as a believer … have gone through the Connection Point course, and must a) agree fundamentally with the main beliefs, teachings and practices of the church; and b) abstain from publicly or privately contradicting any minor points with which he or she might not be in full agreement … be approved by the elders and staff of the church before assuming a leadership role … serve under the authority of the elders and the supervision of the staff … agree to be held accountable for activity and behavior within the group, and for personal lifestyle and reputation outside the group … realize that s/he has a major responsibility and opportunity to accurately represent the Lord, the church and what it means to be a Christian leader



©2009 Hill-n-Dale Christian Church, Lexington, KY