BIBLICAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
The word church does not simply refer to an organizational unit of any particular religion. You won’t hear anyone speak of Buddhist churches or Jewish churches. In that sense, church is a thoroughly Christian word. Church does not fundamentally mean a building; only in a secondary sense is it that.
The building is simply where the church meets—thus the New England Puritan name for the church building was meeting house.
According to the New Testament, the church is primarily a body of people who profess and give evidence that they have been saved by God’s grace alone, for his glory alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This is what a New Testament church is; it is not a building. The early Christians didn’t have buildings for almost three hundred years after the church began. A church is a local collection of people committed to Christ, to regularly assemble and have his Word preached and obeyed, including Christ’s commands to baptize and to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
A few passages in the New Testament seem to refer to the church in the abstract, or universally, but the overwhelming majority of references to the church are to a local, living, and loving collection of people who are committed to Christ and to each other. That’s what the word church means again and again in the New Testament. It is a body from which you can be excluded and in which, therefore, you can clearly be included.
Consider this: If there is no way for you to be excluded from the local church you are currently
attending, perhaps that’s because you have not included yourself in it as the Bible intends.
If you read the story of the early churches recorded in the book of Acts, you will find no evidence that any of them meant to have anyone other than believers as members. When you read the letters of Paul, it seems clear that Paul too wrote as if the churches were composed entirely of believers; thus he addressed them as saints—those whom God has specially chosen. The church is the body of Christ, the local collection of Christians committed to Christ and to each other.
Many churches today just try to bring in as many people as possible. You don’t need to make any commitment. Just attend, you can do whatever you want when you leave. Come when you feel like it. There is no question about. Church membership is non-issue.
But I think that this topic is a must for our churches, and for us as Christians today. Church membership is a crucial topic for understanding what Christ is calling us to as his disciples. Joining a church will not save us any more than our good works, education, culture, friendships, financial contributions, or baptism will save us. Non-Christians should not seek to join a church, but to learn more about what it means to be a Christian.
But for those who are confessing Christians, what does it mean to live the Christian life? Do we live the Christian life alone? Is it merely a matter of our individual, isolated virtues, or spiritual disciplines that we work on—the fact that we’re honest at work, that we don’t cheat on our spouse, that we believe certain things to be true?
Or maybe that does not describe you. Maybe you know that the Christian life is to include others. But who are these others? Are they the other people at work or the other women in your women’s Bible study or your friends from back in school days or your fellowship group at college? Which Christians are we called to relate to? The church is for everyone who is a Christian. The church is not a homogeneous group, centered around one subtask such as evangelizing college students or publishing a magazine. A Christian church is not just for you and our friends; it’s for all believers.
The responsibilities and duties of members of a Christian church are simply the responsibilities and duties of Christians. Church members, like Christians, are
To be baptized and to regularly attend the Lord’s Table.
We are to hear God’s Word and to obey it.
We are to regularly fellowship together for mutual edification.
We are to love God, one another, and those outside our fellowship,
We are to evidence the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23).
We are to worship God in all the activities of our home, work, community, and life.
Christians also have particular duties in relation to the congregation. Christianity is a corporate matter, and the Christian life can be fully realized only in relationship to others.⁵ The most fundamental duty Christians have in relation to the congregation is the duty to regularly attend gatherings of the congregation (see Heb. 10:25; cf. Ps. 84:4, 10; Acts 2:42).
In general, membership duties can be divided into duties toward other members and duties toward pastors.
Church membership puts into practice what the Bible teaches about the self-conscious commitments that should exist within a church—the commitments between an individual Christian, his or her pastors, and a defined gathering of Christians.
The duties and responsibilities church members have toward one another summarize the life of the new society that is the church. As followers of Jesus Christ, Christians are obliged to love one another (John 13:34–35; 15:12–17; Rom. 12:9–10; 13:8–10; Gal. 5:14; 6:10; Eph. 1:15; 1 Pet. 1:22; 2:17; 3:8; 4:8;
1 John 3:16; 4:7–12; cf. Ps. 133). Christians are members of one family, even of one another (1 Cor. 12:13–27). Absent a life of love for one another, what other duty of church members is satisfying or worthwhile? Love obligates the members of the church to avoid anything that tends to cool love.⁶ By this love, the nature of the gospel itself is demonstrated.
Church members are also obliged to seek peace and unity within their congregation (Rom. 12:16; 14:19; 1 Cor. 13:7; 2 Cor. 12:20; Eph. 4:3–6; Phil. 2:3; 1 Thess. 5:13; 2 Thess. 3:11; James 3:18; 4:11). The desire for peace and unity should follow naturally from the obligation to love (Rom. 15:6; 1 Cor. 1:10–11; Eph. 4:5, 13; Phil. 2:2; cf. Zeph. 3:9). Further, if Christians share the same spirit and mind—the Spirit of Christ—then unity is a natural expression of that Spirit. Given the sin which remains in believers in this
life, however, unity often requires effort. Thus Christians stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel (Phil. 1:27). Strife should be actively avoided (Prov. 17:14; Matt. 5:9; 1 Cor.
10:32; 11:16; 2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 2:1–3).
Love is expressed and unity is cultivated when church members actively sympathize with one another. As Paul exhorts the congregation in Rome, Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15; cf. Job 2:11; Isa. 63:9; 1 Cor. 12:26; Gal. 6:2; 1 Thess. 5:14; Heb. 4:15; 12:3). Other duties follow:
To care for one another physically and spiritually (Matt. 25:40; John 12:8; Acts 15:36; Rom. 12:13; 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:1–2; Gal. 2:10; 6:10; Heb. 13:16; James 1:27; 1 John 3:17; Deut. 15:7–8, 11)
To watch over one another and hold one another accountable (Rom. 15:14; Gal. 6:1–2; Phil. 2:3– 4; 2 Thess. 3:15; Heb. 12:15; cf. Lev. 19:17; Ps. 141:5)
To work to edify one another (1 Cor. 14:12–26; Eph. 2:21–22; 4:12–29; 1 Thess. 5:11; 1 Pet. 4:10; 2 Pet. 3:18)
To bear with one another (Matt. 18:21–22; Mark 11:25; Rom. 15:1; Gal. 6:2; Col. 3:12), including not suing one another (1 Cor. 6:1–7)
To pray for one another (Eph. 6:18; James 5:16)
To keep away from those who would destroy the church (Rom. 16:17; 1 Tim. 6:3–5; Titus 3:10; 2 John 10–11)
To reject evaluating people by worldly standards (Matt. 20:26–27; Rom. 12:10–16; James 2:1– 13)
To contend together for the gospel (Phil. 1:27; Jude 3)
To be examples to one another (Phil. 2:1–18)
Church members also have particular responsibilities toward the leaders of the church, even as the leaders do to them.
As Paul said to the Corinthians, Men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God (1 Cor. 4:1). Leaders in the church should be respected, held in the highest regard, and honored (Phil. 2:29; 1 Thess. 5:12–13).
If Christians expect their pastor to fulfill his biblical responsibilities, church members must make themselves known to him. They must regard him as a gift from Christ sent to the church for their good. This is similar to the way the apostles were to be regarded as delegates of Christ (Luke 10:16; cf. 1 Cor. 16:10).
The minister of the Word is a steward of God’s household and an undershepherd of God’s flock. He serves willingly and eagerly (1 Pet. 5:1–3). His reputation can and should be defended, his word believed, and his instructions obeyed unless Scripture is contradicted or facts are plainly distorted (Heb. 13:17, 22; 1 Tim. 5:17–19).
The faithful minister should be so regarded simply because he brings God’s Word to his people; he does not replace it with his own.
Church members should remember their leaders and imitate their life and faith (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; Heb. 13:7).
Good preachers and teachers are worthy of being doubly honored, according to Paul in
1 Timothy 5:17, which includes material support. (The word used in 1 Tim. 5:17 for honor has a clear financial connotation. See also Acts 6:4; 1 Cor. 9:7–14; Gal. 6:6.)
And church members should give themselves both to praying for their ministers and to assisting them in every way they can (Eph. 6:18–20; Col. 4:3–4; 2 Thess. 3:1; Heb. 13:18–19). Ministers of the Word have been given the task of bringing God’s Word to God’s people. As Paul said to the Corinthians, We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal
through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20).
Not convinced? Let me break this down a little bit more. Below are five good reasons (you can probably think of more) to join a church that preaches the gospel and models Christian living.
You should not join the church in order to be saved, but you may want to join the church to help you in making certain that you are saved. Remember the words of Jesus:
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him If you obey my commands, you
will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. You are
my friends if you do what I command Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do
them. (John 14:21; 15:10, 14; 13:17)
I could quote many more words from Jesus that teach us how we are to follow him, and how we must be careful not to delude ourselves. In joining a church, we are asking our brothers and sisters to hold us accountable to live according to what we speak with our mouths. We ask the brothers and sisters around us to encourage us, sometimes by reminding us of ways that we have seen God work in our lives and other times by challenging us when we may be moving away from obeying him.
It is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we’re Christians simply because at one time we made a tearful decision and then joined a church. Perhaps we’ve gone along with the life of the church for years, supporting its organizations, making friendships based around activities, liking some of the hymns, complaining about others, but never really knowing Christ. Do you have a vital relationship with Christ that changes your life and the lives of those around you?
How can you tell if you do? One of the ways you can discover the truth about your own life is to ask this question: Do I understand that following Christ fundamentally involves how I treat other people, especially other people who are members of my church? Have I covenanted together to love them, and do I give myself to that?
Or, have you claimed that you know a love from God in Christ and yet live in a way that contradicts that claim? Do you claim that you know this kind of love that knows no bounds, and yet in loving others you set bounds, saying in effect, I’ll go this far but no farther?
Such a claim to love, without a life backing it up, is a bad sign. And yet, if you just hang out by yourself and refuse to join a church, other Christians can’t help you. You’re sailing your own little ship your own little way. You’ll come to church when you like the sermons, you’ll come when you like the music or when you like something else that the church does, then you’ll sail on out to wherever else you may go when you want something else.
Membership in a local church is not an antiquated, outdated, unnecessary add-on to true membership in the universal body of Christ; membership in a local church is intended to be a testimony to our membership in the universal church. Church membership does not save, but it is a reflection of salvation. And if there is no reflection of our salvation, how can we be sure that we are truly saved? As John explains, If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20).
Illustration: Think about it like a saving group. Can anyone just walk in and say. I am also part of it without following the proper channels to join. Can you just leave at any time after borrowing money and just say: I am no longer part of it, don’t ask me for anything? Whenever you have a group, you necessarily have to have members. There is no such thing as a family without members. A country without citizens. It is simply impossible. If you have a Church, you have to know who the members are.
In becoming a member of the church, we are grasping hands with each other to know and be known by each other. We are agreeing to help and encourage each other when we need to be reminded of God’s work in our lives or when we need to be challenged about major discrepancies between our talk and our walk.
Another reason you should join a local church is for the sake of evangelizing the world. When we act together, we can better spread the gospel at home and abroad. We can do this by our words, as we share the good news with others, and as we help others to do so. A local church is, by nature, a missionary organization. We back up this missionary outreach with our actions as we show God’s love by meeting the physical needs of orphans and those otherwise disadvantaged.
We promote the gospel by cooperating to take it to those who have not yet heard it, and by making the gospel visible to the world through how we live. Those not yet saved may see us, and they may see something of the gospel. As imperfect as we are, if God’s Spirit is genuinely at work in us, he will use our lives to help demonstrate to others the truth of his gospel. This is a special role we have now that we
won’t have in heaven—to be part of God’s plan, and to take his gospel to the world. If you are reading
this but haven’t yet joined in that great task, do so today.
As we interact with other Christians, we show the world what Christianity really is; we dispel the false notion that Christians are nauseatingly self-righteous people who are worried that someone somewhere might be having fun, and who believe, above all else, in their own goodness. This is how many non- Christians think of Christianity. We can combat that false image by having a church that is not marked by such an attitude.
There are some people out there when they hear us emphasizing this doctrine of church membership. They think that we are simply pretending to be holy by putting ourselves in this category. They will say things like: “so you think you are perfect!” “You think you are better than us!” My answer to that is no. The difference between believing members of a church and the people of the world out there, is that the believers know that they are sinners saved by Grace, and they know that the need Christ and the people of Christ.
And I think Christians know that we are, and that’s why we come to church—because we know we need help. Because we know that we’re dependent on God, that we’re saved by his grace alone.
All we can bring to our salvation is our sins. It must be God’s love in Christ that saves us. He came and lived a perfect life for us and died on the cross in the place of all those who would ever turn and trust in him, and rose in victory over death and over sin. Our faith in him alone is the instrument by which we are saved.
So join a church that believes in that gospel. Join with other Christians in covenanting to make the truth known.
A fourth reason you should join the church is to help in the edification or building up of other believers. Joining a church will help counter our wrong individualism, and it will help us to realize the corporate nature of Christianity.
We need to give up trying to live the Christian life on our own. We need to covenant together with others to follow Christ. Christians must stop being selfish in their understanding of the Christian life. The Christian life is not just about you and those you are personally trying to reach with the gospel. God also intends for you to be a committed part of helping to make disciples out of the flock of sheep he has already saved.
If you commit to a church, you commit to a local body of people who will try to help you work through challenges and problems. So, for example, if it is found that you have a problem with gossip, your brothers and sisters will try to talk with you about that. If you’re getting discouraged and falling away, your brothers and sisters will try to encourage you.
The New Testament clearly shows that our following Jesus is supposed to involve care and concern for each other. That is part of what it means to be a Christian. And though we do it imperfectly, we should be committed to building each other up, and, in so doing, building up the church.
Some people feel that they are too perfect that the church members with many problems will slow then down. These people don’t realize that part of being in the church is helping those who are struggling.
Of course you don’t join a church because you’re perfect and you’re only going to bring benefits to the church. Whenever you join a church, you will bring problems into that church! But don’t let that stop you—the church has problems already! That’s why Christians are in a church. I’ve got problems; you’ve got problems. But we know that Jesus is Lord, and that his Spirit in us has already begun to work on
those problems. Let’s say, for example, that you’re paranoid—that you don’t really trust anyone. In Christ, God can begin to show you that he is trustworthy and that other people can be trustworthy too. Problem after problem, you will see God working in your life. Slowly, imperceptibly sometimes, but deliberately he will work on your problems, and most likely he will do that through his church.
It simply will not do for Christians to be self-centered, even in the name of Christ. God is not only concerned about the length and regularity of your quiet time each morning; he is also concerned about how you treat others—and that includes how you treat others with whom you have nothing in common except for Jesus Christ. That’s why you need to invest your life in others and allow others to invest their lives in you. Being a member of a church should inculcate in you a committed concern for others.
Growing as a Christian is not merely an individual matter; rather, it is a matter for the whole church.
Hebrews 10:19–25 has been called the lettuce patch of the New Testament. The writer keeps saying let us . . . let us throughout the passage. These are good verses to meditate on in our individualistic age:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Church membership is our opportunity to grasp hold of each other in responsibility and love. By identifying ourselves with a particular church, we let the pastors and other members know that we intend to be committed in attendance, giving, prayer, and service. We allow fellow believers to have greater expectations of us in these areas, and we make it known that we are the responsibility of the local church. We assure the church of our commitment to Christ in serving with them, and we call for their commitment to serve and encourage us as well.
We see this concept of church life reflected, among other places, in Paul’s use of body imagery when referring to the local church. We see it also in Scripture’s together and one another passages.
Joining a church increases our sense of ownership of the work of the church, of its community, of its budget, and of its goals. We move from being pampered consumers to becoming joyous proprietors. We stop arriving late and complaining that we don’t get exactly what we want; instead, we arrive early and try to help others with what they need. We must begin to view membership less as a loose affiliation useful only on occasion and more as a regular responsibility, becoming involved in one another’s lives for the purposes of the gospel.
Many Christians today seem to have forgotten church membership—or they’ve forgotten the church altogether. That’s why you find Christian books that talk about growing as a Christian but completely ignore the role of the church.
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the purpose of spiritual gifts is to build up the church (1 Cor. 14:12). This is to be one of the main goals of your Christian life. If you’re thinking there’s nothing for you to do as a Christian, you must have missed this one. According to Paul, this applies to every Christian.
Incorporation into the church is both a glorious privilege and a practical help. Joining a church will help you to encourage and edify your fellow Christians and to be encouraged and edified by them. It will help both you and others as you struggle with temptation. In my own local church, we covenant
together that:
We will walk together in brotherly love, as becomes the members of a Christian church; exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require.
What about you? Do you love the people of God? Do you just feel well-disposed toward them, or do you actually, actively give to them? Do you use your hands for them? Your money? Your lips?
In the church, discipleship is both an individual project and a corporate activity as we follow Christ and help each other along the way. We can hold each other accountable in times of temptation. We can study God’s Word together to prepare us for spiritual warfare. We can sing God’s praises together and
pray together. We can encourage each other’s joy and share each other’s burdens. As Jesus told us, My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you This is my command: Love each other (John
15:12, 17). John reinforced that when he wrote, Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18). Link arms with the other Christians around you, to build the church.
Finally, if you are a Christian, you should join a church for the glory of God. Though it may be surprising to us, the way we live can bring glory to God. As Peter wrote to some early Christians, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (1 Pet. 2:12).
Amazing, isn’t it? You can tell that Peter had heard the teaching of his Master. Remember what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
Again, the surprising assumption seems to be that God will get the glory for our good deeds. If that
is true of our lives individually, it shouldn’t surprise us that it is also true of our lives together as Christians. God intends that the way we love each other will identify us as followers of Christ. Recall Jesus’s words in John 13:34–35: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so
you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. Our lives together are to mark us out as his and are to bring him praise and glory.
Jesus said, I will build my church (Matt. 16:18). If Jesus is committed to the church, should we be any less committed to it?
Most Christians who regularly attend a God-centered, Bible-preaching church feel frustration at some point, but we should consider the obligations and opportunities of membership. Our basis as a congregational church family must always be in being even more than in doing. If you join a church, you are not included merely for a function you could perform (whether for your sake or the church’s), but you are adopted into a family. And the relationships to which you are committing yourself will bring glory to God.
This is why, if you are a Christian, you should join a church.
What Does Church Membership Entail?
Fundamentally, church membership entails a life of repentance and belief. God established the church to be the community of those who have been born again. His grace in our life, granting us repentance and faith, is signaled by two things.
In Action—Initially by Baptism
The Bible presents baptism as a new Christian’s first step; the New Testament assumes that all Christians have been baptized. In Romans 6, for instance, Paul assumes that the Christians to whom he is writing have all been baptized. This universal practice was rooted in the command of Christ recorded in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20) and is written about in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament. One must wonder why some who say they are Christ’s disciples refuse to do something that they know is clearly commanded. As one writer observed,
The church has not been given authority to make commandments; it is the duty of the church to obey the commandments already made. It is not the prerogative nor the privilege of any church to modify, minimize or in any way obscure . . . any commandment, of Jesus Christ.⁸
To reject baptism or the Lord’s Supper or any other clear biblical command is to reject membership among Christ’s disciples—among those who follow his commands.
In Writing—by Signing a Statement of Faith and Church Statement of Commitment
In addition to the biblical commands mentioned above, many Baptist and other evangelical churches express a commitment to God and to each other in writing by signing a church covenant. This is an agreement members make with each other and with God to live out the Christian life together in a local church.
Here at Lubangakene Bible Church, baptized believers attend membership classes before being interviewed and voted into membership.
New Members are taught the following responsibilities of membership
In Hebrews 10:25 we read that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (KJV). That means we should regularly attend the weekly meetings of the church. At Capitol Hill Baptist, we first gather on Sunday morning and then again on Sunday evening, where we spend more time praying together.
In Luke 22:19 Christ commands his disciples to remember and proclaim his death by taking together
regularly the covenant meal of the Lord’s Supper. It was Capitol Hill’s custom a hundred years ago to have Thursday evening covenant meetings where members would renew their covenant and check on the status of their relations with each other before taking communion together the following Sunday. And in many churches at that time, to be absent from communion without a clear excuse was sufficient grounds for someone to be excluded from the membership of the church. In our church we don’t do that, but I sometimes wonder if we should.
As a congregational church, the members’ meeting is an important time in our lives together. It is the
meeting of the church for making decisions as a church, a way to fulfill our Matthew 18 duties.
Paul says we should pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17, KJV). If your church has a membership directory, consider using it as a prayer list.
Scripture is full of instructions about giving. For example, Solomon taught: "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops" (Prov. 3:9; see Mal. 3:10). Jesus taught his disciples: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38; cf. 1 Cor.
16:1b–2)
And Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians that Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).
These five responsibilities are some of what being a member of a church entails.
Are you concerned that such high expectations could put people off or make them feel excluded? I think such expectations actually help. By high expectations, I simply mean that if you’re a member of
our church we will treat you as if you’re converted. We’ll assume that you increasingly love God and
hate sin, and that you are living accordingly, and wanting us to help you do so.
Many churches compromise on this point of high expectations in order to gain a sudden influx of members, but in so doing, they usually doom themselves to losing the gospel, and finally to becoming extinct. Taking unconverted persons into membership in a Christian church will inevitably obscure the gospel. If the gospel is downplayed or confused, the very lifeblood of the church will be cut off, and the church will increasingly lose any distinction from the unbelieving world. And if the salt loses its saltiness, it’s good for nothing (Matt. 5:13).
How exclusive, then, should our churches be? Should our churches adjust our times of meeting, the length of our sermons, and the style of our music to the unbelievers we want to reach? How much is our gathering for the sake of those who are not Christians? Do we understand our meetings mainly in terms of evangelism to non-Christians, or do we understand them to be primarily for the building up of the members in Christ?
Church leaders often ask, how inclusive should we be? Of course, everyone wants to be inclusive. This is obviously loving. But the question of how apparently exclusive we should be perhaps gets to the point more quickly. Do we have to realize that we are out of God’s favor before we can be brought in? Is this what we see of evangelism in the earliest churches in the book of Acts?
I do address nonbelievers in my sermons weekly. For instance, recently I said, "My non-Christian friend, there is an unavoidable discontinuity between our lives and your life. And we actually serve you best if we’re clear about that difference. If you’ve been enjoying the people, the friendliness, and helpfulness of the people in our congregation, that’s wonderful! I hope that continues. And the good news is that there is even more to all this than you’ve experienced!"
Belonging before believing is a popular idea among church leaders these days. And of course we should be extremely welcoming and friendly with nonbelievers in our churches, even inviting them deeper into our lives. But we must be careful about telling non-Christians the theological lie that they, in the most profound sense, belong. In the most profound sense they don’t, and we serve them if we tell them that. We should show unbelievers that there is something more than horizontal community or a vague sense of God’s presence in our congregations.
If the church is a building, then we must be bricks in it; if the church is a body, then we are its members; if the church is the household of faith, then we are part of that household. Sheep are in a flock, and branches are on a vine. Biblically, if we are Christians, we must be members of a church. This membership is not simply the record of a statement we once made or of affection toward a familiar place. It must be the reflection of a living commitment, or it is worthless.
Worse than being worthless, it is dangerous. Uninvolved members confuse both real members and non- Christians about what it means to be a Christian. We active members do the voluntarily inactive members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church. Membership is the church’s corporate endorsement of a person’s salvation. Yet how can a congregation honestly testify that someone invisible to it is faithfully running the race? If members have left our company and have not gone to any other Bible-believing church, what evidence do we have that they were ever truly a part of us? We do not necessarily know that such uninvolved people are not Christians; we may simply be unable to affirm that they are. We don’t have to tell them that we know they’re going to hell, only that we can’t tell them that we know for sure that they are going to heaven. Such unattached Christians should unite with a local church.
How about Faith Alive? How are we doing? Is our membership meaningful? Do we know who our members are? Do we know what criteria others can follow to join us? Do we care about our members? Do we know what is going on in their lives?
Pray that church membership may come to mean something more than it currently does in our church, so that our church can better know those for whom we are responsible, and can pray for them, encourage them, and challenge them.
We should not allow people to keep their church membership for sentimental reasons. Biblically, such membership is no membership at all. Some churches in their church covenant pledge: "We will, when we move from this place, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word." Such commitment is part of healthy discipleship, particularly in our transient age.
Church membership means being incorporated in practical ways into the body of Christ. It means traveling together as aliens and strangers in this world as we head to our heavenly home. Certainly another mark of a healthy church is a biblical understanding of church membership.
Joining a particular local church is an outward reflection of an inward love—for Christ and for his people. And, as we see so often in this life, the greatest love is rarely merely spontaneous; it is more often planned, premeditated, and characterized by commitment.
We read in Ephesians 5:25 that Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Acts 20:28 reminds us that he bought his church with his own blood. If we are Christ’s followers, we too will love the church that he gave himself for.
So, do not merely attend a church (though you should attend), but join a church. Link arms with other Christians. Find a church you can join, and do it so that non-Christians will hear and see the gospel, so that weak Christians will be cared for, so that strong Christians will channel their energies in a good way, so that church leaders will be encouraged and helped, and so that God will be glorified. Lubangakene Bible Church welcomes you!