3 Reasons for Church Membership

By Ed Stetzer - June 23, 2015

Ed Stetzer: “Membership is often misunderstood, misapplied or not applied at all.”

Bring up church membership and watch people squirm. It isn’t that people in culture are against membership as an idea—Costco seems to be doing well. Perhaps it is because church membership is not often defined well. It’s one of those things that when misunderstood seems a bit like eating your spinach—“at least try it before you decide you don’t like it.” Makes you want to sign right up, doesn’t it?

But in the New Testament, people in churches are recognized as being in some sort of community. It’s just that the reality is how community is expressed in Scripture has fallen on hard times over the last couple of thousand years. Membership is often misunderstood, misapplied or not applied at all.

Membership Reality

The reality is we have often thought of membership like belonging to a select club, or like the old American Express commercial where “membership has its privileges.”

That is not the way the Bible refers to membership. In fact, in 1 Corinthians Paul doesn’t say the church is like a body. He says the church is a body. The phrase he uses to describe the individual connectedness is we are “members of the body.”

The word “member” in the Bible is more closely related to the medical word “member” than it is to the common cultural term. As an example, some of you who are reading may have lost a finger or toe in an accident. On that unfortunate day, you were dismembered. That’s the actual technical terminology. A member of your body was separated from the body. That is a tragic thing.

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Yet today in Western culture, being separated from the body of believers is not tragic. It’s almost normal. It is almost understood that Christians and churches should be separated. Lone Ranger Christians are common.

Biblical Membership

Why then do we have membership? Because regardless of how the culture sees it or Christians misunderstand it, membership is not simply an opportunity to say, I’m a part of a club, but rather a scriptural expression of covenant connectedness to a church.

There are three things that help us understand why church membership is biblical and important.

1. Membership Reflects What the Church Is.

First, membership is a reflection of the organic community already existing in the body. Paul says we are a body. Can one part say to the other, “I’m not part of you”? No, it is already a part. But too often we live as if we are separated.

As a matter of fact, too many churches or Christian gatherings look like piles of dismembered body parts, not a body knit together as God’s agent, his body, his kingdom, at work in the world. To reject the value of membership is to deny what God has already established in fact.

2. The Bible Teaches Covenant Community.

We find in Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth that they were putting people out of the body. So Scripture teaches that we can be a part of the body, and we can be apart from the body. It is difficult to get around Scripture when it talks about being brought into the body and also being put out of it.

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And yet for most churches there’s no way to put somebody out because they’re not even in. While there seems to be flexibility according to various bodies, there is no such thing in the New Testament as a church without some recognition of belonging—of membership in community.

3. People Need Church Membership.

Finally, we recognize biblical membership matters because people need it. People need membership commitment because they need to be connected to a Christian community. This is not just for the sake of the faith community, but also for the sake of the individual.

Individualist Christianity is a myth and a damaging pursuit. At the end of the day we’re redeemed. We’re placed in the body. The Bible specifically says he has redeemed us. He has transferred us, Colossians 1 says, from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Son he loves. A kingdom has a king. The king has subjects and his kingdom has a community together where we function as God’s people.

Membership Matters

God makes us a part of his larger family when we are born again. But then we should covenant in a local body and live in community with them, agreeing to live by certain established godly principles and standards.

Membership doesn’t save us. But it enables us to grow and become spiritually mature in Christ. Not only should we be members of the body, each of us should also be able to express the value of membership. Hopefully, then people will stop squirming when we bring up the topic, but instead passionately embrace the biblical nature of church membership.

Additional Artiles:

https://marcminter.com/2018/09/25/what-is-church-membership/

https://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/connect/membership/

Church Center App

Each person who attends and is a part of our church has access to our custom Church Center App that contains our Church Directory, profiles, Calendar, and giving options. To learn more about logging into our Church Center App, click here.

Expectations of Church Members                           

Purpose, Values, and Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions. Even in the early days of the church, membership was only possible through being in unity, as the local family of God, working together as one body, following God. This brings with it both responsibilities and obligations, just as it does being a member of your own household. Since the early days of the church, the believers obeyed God in holy and obedient living, gathered together, praying, and worshipping:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

While we don’t ask our members to sell their belongings, or show up at the church 7 days a week, we do encourage our members to live a lifestyle based on what the Bible teaches,.

Here are 7 practices of B.A.P.T.I.S.T: 

1. Bible As Our Sole Authority

“The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us to do what is right.”  2 Tim. 3:15

Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living.  Our first question when faced with a decision is “What does the Bible say?”  We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization.  The Bible is the basis for all we believe.

2. Autonomy of Each Local Church

“Christ is the head of His Body, the church. He is the source of the Body’s life...” Col. 1:18 (GN)

Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group, or religious organization.  While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we practice and believe that every local church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control. As part of a self-governing church, we hold church business meetings 1-2 times a year where all members are needed. During this time, members may have an option to vote on the following items:

•       Annual budget                                              •  Changes in the church constitution
•       Calling a new senior pastor                         •  Purchase of land or buildings
•       Electing New Council Member’s                •  Purchases/renovations exceeding $10,000

3. Priesthood of Every Believer

“Christ loves us, and by His death He has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests to serve God...”  Rev. 1:6 (GN)  “You are...the King’s priests...God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God.”  1 Peter 2:9 (GN)

The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation.  We practice that every believer has certain giftings and is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry.  Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading and meditation.

4. Tithing 

“A tithe of everything you produce belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.”  Lev. 26:30

 We practice regular tithing for the support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commands.  We recognize that giving at least 10% of our income is the Biblical standard of giving and comes before any offerings or gifts that we may give to the church.

5. Immersion

“For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ...”  Col. 2:12 (GN)

We practice baptism by immersion under water; the way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands.

6. Spirit-led Living

(Jesus said), “I am the Vine, you are the branches.  If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us.  So we seek to practice a daily prayer which reminds us to be dependent on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right.  (Phil. 2:13, Eph. 5:18)

7. Telling Others About Christ

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”  1 Peter 3:15

It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those with whom God brings us into contact.  We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to church.