WHERE YOU BELONG

The local church is a sort of embassy of God’s eternal kingdom within the present day world. We are residents of God’s city, making temporary residence in the city of Albany. If you call Albany home and are wondering how you can become a part of God’s family and join his mission, you have come to the right place. We have multiple ways of getting involved: see below.

ANNUAL RETREATS

MEN & WOMEN AT ENGAGE

We host an annual men’s retreat in the late summer or early fall. Check back here for more info as it becomes available or email Pastor Sean at sean@engagealbany.org.

We also host an annual women’s retreat. For current information email stephanie@engagealbany.org.

FAMILIES

Jesus loved children, and as His Church, so do we!

We offer children’s ministry during our Sunday morning gatherings for children through age 9. We also have a class for ages 10-13 which meets the 2nd and 4th Sundays. Children are dismissed after the opening songs of worship (we encourage families to worship together for the beginning of the service).

We screen all of our volunteers. Kids learn a Bible lesson, enjoy a small snack, do a craft or other activities all while in a safe and fun environment.

If you have any further questions or want to register your kids ahead of time, email Pastor Sean at sean@engagealbany.org

REJOICE WITH US AS WE CELEBRATE FINALLY MOVING INTO OUR NEW CHILDREN’S FACILITY JUST 3 DOORS DOWN!

DISCIPLESHIP

We believe that the best way to grow as a follower of Jesus is through relationships. In other words, you should be engaged in a local church community. While we gather on Sundays for Word and worship, we also scatter throughout the week into smaller Engage Groups where we are known and know others in community. We’d love to have you join us! Our current groups are as follows:

NEW! Tuesdays @ 7am (weekly - Engage Sanctuary)

Thursday @ 7pm (weekly – Buckingham Lake)

Sundays @ 4pm (3x monthly – Pine Hills)

Sundays @ 4pm (2x monthly – Rennselaer)

GENERAL SERVICE INITIATIVES

SERVICE

As a church, one of our chief aims is to pursue “whole-hearted” discipleship (see Matthew 22:36:38). As such we seek to Learn about Christ, Love our community and city, and finally Labor to see change and transformation within our city.

Toward this end it is our joy to do various acts of service as we “pursue the well-being of [our] city” (Jer. 29:7). Our Engage Groups tend to be the primary vehicle for ministry and as such we want to empower them to be on the front lines of serving in these capacities.

If you’d like to submit a project idea, or want to get involved in serving within the church, fill out the connection form HERE and someone will be in touch with you.

MEMBERSHIP

One of the most counter-cultural things you can do is become an engaged member of a faithful local church.

HOW CAN I BECOME A MEMBER OF ENGAGE?

Becoming a member at Engage is currently a two-step process:

  • The members of a church should be Christians. In Acts those who believed the gospel were added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47). Paul’s letters to churches are letters to Christians (Rom. 1:7, 1 Cor. 1:2). While no church will be able to perfectly discern who is and is not a Christian, every church should open its membership only to those who credibly profess faith in Christ.

  • The members of a church should be regular attenders. Church membership helps the church to oversee the lives of her members. If someone doesn’t regularly attend it becomes difficult to consider them a part of the church community.

  • Members view the church as their primary context for fellowship and ministry. The New Testament is full of “one anothers” that were written to the members of local churches. That is to say that it is impossible to live out the Bible’s commands for Christian ministry to other believers without regularly gathering together with them. That’s not to say that Christians shouldn’t fulfill those commands among Christians in other churches as occasion arises. But the New Testament envisions Christians fulfilling those commands primarily among a concrete group to whom they are accountable (e.g. 1 Cor. 12).

  • In which we go over the distinctive beliefs about the church and being a member within it in order to have all of the information necessary to make an informed decision about joining. We’ll cover topics such as: What is our number one focus? What are our core beliefs? What is our primary mission? How is Engage organized as a church? How do you fit into the picture?

  • The prospective member would later meet with one of our leaders and ask any questions they might have to make an informed decision about joining the church. The prospective member would then sign the statement of faith and church covenant.

WHAT DOES MEMBERSHIP ENTAIL?

  • The members of a church should have certain biblical privileges and responsibilities. The members of a local church should have the privilege of being admitted to the Lord’s Supper. They also have the responsibility to:

  1. Pray for the church.

  2. Be in transparent relationships with other church members in which they care for, encourage, teach, and learn from each other (Eph. 4:15-16).

  3. Submit to the church’s leadership and teaching (Heb. 13:17).

  4. Promote unity in the body (Eph. 4:3).

  5. Financially support the church’s ministry (Gal. 6:6).

  6. Use the spiritual gifts God has given them to build up the body however they can (1 Cor. 12:7).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: