Sunday, September 13, 2026
Welcome to our Order of Service page! Each week, a team of pastors and staff get together to collaborate on the liturgy, or order of service, for Sunday. Every element is prayerfully and carefully crafted so that the Gospel, God’s redemptive story to save a people for Himself in and through His Son Jesus Christ, would be clear and compelling. We hope you’ll enjoy following along with us as we present and rehearse the Gospel again this morning.
Order of Service
WELCOME & INVITATION TO SING
Pastor of Corporate Worship: Ryan Foglesong
Ephesians 2:3–6
ADORATION
Praise to the Lord the Almighty
WELCOME & PRAYER
Senior Pastor: David W. Hegg
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
How Great is the Greatness of God
CONFESSION & TRUST
I Set My Hope (Hymn for a Deconstructing Friend)
PETITION: PRAYER FOR THE OFFERING
Executive Pastor: Joe Keller
OFFERTORY
The STREAM: Aaron Miller
SCRIPTURE READING
Member: Jeremy Odekerken
Genesis 29:15–26 (ESV)
PROCLAMATION: INSTRUCTION FROM GOD’S WORD
Genesis: Foundations of Our Story
Jacob & Labon: Reaping What You Sow | Gen. 29:1–30
Senior Pastor: David W. Hegg
SONG OF RESPONSE
Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me
ANNOUNCEMENTS & BENEDICTION
Pastor of Congregational Care: Alan Berthiaume
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)”
Why Church Membership Matters
Church membership is not a man-made formality; it’s a biblical expression of commitment to Christ and his people. In the New Testament, we see clear indications that the early church kept a recognizable list of believers (Acts 2:41, 47), had a defined number of members (Acts 4:4), and knew who was in or out (1 Cor. 5:12-13). Membership helps a church know who it is responsible to shepherd (Heb. 13:17) and helps believers know which shepherds they are called to submit to and follow (1 Thess. 5:12-13).
Joining a local church is a covenant to live out the “one another” commands of Scripture: love one another (John 13:34), bear with one another (Col. 3:13), and stir one another up to love and good works (Heb. 10:24-25). This kind of mutual accountability doesn’t happen in the abstract or in loose association; it happens in the context of committed, identifiable relationships.
Membership also guards the purity and witness of the church. Jesus gave the church authority to bind and loose (Matt. 18:17-18), and Paul instructed churches to remove from fellowship those who persist in unrepentant sin (1 Cor. 5). Without membership, that authority becomes vague and ineffective. With it, discipline is not harsh; it’s loving, restorative, and biblical.
In short, church membership at Grace Baptist Church is how we make visible our commitment to Christ by committing to his body. It’s not about control; it’s about care, discipleship, and displaying the gospel together as a family set apart by grace.