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Our first loyalty is to Jesus. Our second loyalty is to the fellowship. We must never reverse the order. The church is the means by which we serve God and each other. It is a means and not an end, so it must not become the object of our worship or service. Fellowship life is necessary and important, but it must be in the right context. There must be the acceptance of the sovereignty of Jesus and his word. Make sure this is the case before you align yourself with any fellowship. After that there are two things to bear in mind. There must be something the church can give to you, a feeding which is spiritual, mental, emotional or material. There must be something you can give to the church by way of your nature, talents and possessions. You need to receive blessings, and also have the opportunity to be a blessing to others. In view of the latter read section 8 which considers three further areas of church ministry. A good fellowship should be operating in these areas also.

One area which has not been considered is organisation and decision making. Sometimes rules and procedures are decided by another authority outside the local church, e.g. a denominational assembly to which the fellowship submits. Again, within the local church, decision making may rest with one person, a council (elders or deacons) or the whole body of members. Strong, thriving, growing churches can be found within each type of structure. If you feel strongly on this issue, it is an extra consideration to be taken into account when choosing your church.

CHANGING YOUR CHURCH.
For those already in fellowship the question is sometimes posed, "Should I change my church?" Do not make this decision hastily, but only after much thought and prayer. Sometimes people will leave a church over the least of differences. They may spend their time moving on from church to church, never satisfied, never able to put down roots and have an effective place of ministry. Others will stay put no matter what the lacks, faults, problems, divisions and ineffectiveness. The first group need to remember that there is no such thing as the perfect church, therefore minor differences need to be tolerated. Only if they feel very unhappy or frustrated should they leave. The second group should understand that some churches are flawed and failing. Loyalty to a dying church means wasted time and effort. If you can be the means of remedying the situation with God's empowerment and blessing then fine. If it becomes clear that this is not possible, then get out and go where you can make an effective contribution.

We need to be where God can use us to the full. It must be stressed again that being a part of a church fellowship is important. Only as a body of believers can those areas of ministry which we have considered and the three more still to be considered be undertaken and accomplished. The contribution of everyone in the right place is needed. God has a place and a purpose for all believers. It may be to be part of an established church or to found a new fellowship. You need to be open and obedient to God's call on your life.