Is Church Membership Important?
For some, the idea of being a formal member of a local church body makes good sense right away. After finding a church they believe to be faithful in upholding the Christian faith, they are eager to join. For others, however, past experiences have instilled some hesitation and suspicion about formal membership. Unfortunately, at times church membership has been wrongly used in ways that were more hurtful than helpful. For this reason, the very practice itself has been significantly called into question and needs some thoughtful explanation to help us see it in the right light.
Is Church Membership Biblical?
We should note, right out of the gate, that there is no explicit command in the New Testament for formal church membership. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to assume on this basis that the Bible does not heartily endorse it. Before we take a look at what the Bible does say, let’s consider a hypothetical scenario that will help us start thinking well about the subject as a whole.
For a person who right now says—“I believe the Bible and desire to live in submission to every word that God has given us therein, but I do not believe in Church membership”—I wonder how you would respond to a phone call from a Pastor or Elder at a church in Albania, Estonia, Patagonia or maybe just a different local church down the street, who asked you why you have not been present in their worship gatherings, or tithing in their offering? As the conversation continued, let’s imagine that the person also begins to confront you on your lack of care for the fellow members of their church who have been facing significant needs. How would you respond? Is their confrontation biblically justified? If not, why not?
You may be surprised by the question altogether, indeed it seems a little far-fetched. But, nevertheless, it helps us see something very important. After all, doesn’t the Bible say that Christians are called to “Obey [their] leaders and submit to them…”? What grounds would you have to make any argument against such a confrontation by the church leader? If your original argument is that church membership is not biblical, and that the Bible only speaks of membership in terms of our universal place in the Body of Christ, then would not those verses which refer to the role of pastors and elders have to be understood in terms of universal application as well? Briefly processing this scenario helps us see the need for thinking more deeply about the subject. With this in mind, let’s consider some of the following biblical principles about church membership.
Principle 1: God always describes his church in terms of distinct membership, & this includes distinct local membership.
Some of the most common biblical metaphors for the Church depict her as: Members of a Body, Members of a Flock, and Members of a Household. Each of these pictures describe the local church as a specified group that is clearly recognized and distinguished from non-group members. However, this distinction is often improperly limited to the universal church and thereby the argument is made that formal membership at the local level is unbiblical. Yet, such a view cannot rightly square with a closer look at the Scriptures. For just one example, when Paul says in his greeting to the Corinthians, “To the church of God that is in Corinth…”—is he suggesting that any person who is not part of the church at Corinth is not part of “the church of God”? Of course not! Instead he is simply distinguishing a specific group of local believers who have formally identified themselves as members of that particular local church.
Principle 2: God’s design for the roles of spiritual leaders & followers require distinct local membership.
The calling of all spiritual leaders is to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight…” The calling of all Christians is to “obey your leaders and submit to them.” In both cases, we see a clear teaching that the responsibility of both parties is limited and particularized. Leaders are not responsible for—nor do they have authority over—every person who is a Christian. Spiritual leaders are, however, responsible for “the flock of God that is among [them]”—a distinct, formally recognized body of people.
Likewise, the responsibility of individual Christians is to obey “your leaders”—the use of the possessive pronoun “your” clearly communicates a formally recognized relationship to the particular spiritual leaders of a particular local church. The plain fact is, if you have not placed yourself under their authority as a formally recognized member of the local flock which God has called them to “shepherd”, they may be men you look up to but they have not become “your leaders”. To use the words of Scripture, they are not truly spiritual leaders “over you” because you have never formally placed yourself ‘under them’.
Principle 3: Christians are called to be actively identified with & caring for the needs of a distinct local body of believers.
In our hypothetical scenario above, one of the things the spiritual leader was confronting you about was your lack of personal care for the struggling believers within his local context. After all, the Bible clearly says that we are to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. So, while we all know and affirm that God’s people have a universal debt of love to others, is it accurate to say that you are sinning by not fulfilling every “one another” passage for every other Christian in the world? Of course not. The term “one another” is to be understood within the context of a visible and distinct membership within the local church, not the global church. This is the meaning Paul had in view when he communicated his desire that, “members” within the local church at Corinth, may have a deeply authentic “care for one another.” So much so that, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
Church Membership Is For Your Joy In Christ
The three principles identified above are by no means exhaustive of the Biblical teaching on this subject. There are numerous other passages in both the Old and New Testaments which affirm the important place of formal membership within the life of the local church. Exactly how membership is to be approached is left open for each church to determine for themselves, but it is clear that a formal commitment by both the spiritual leaders and spiritual followers is part of God’s good design for our progress and joy in Christ. Without this, it is far less likely that leaders will be in a position to provide the depth of spiritual care and accountability that God’s Word clearly teaches every Christian needs. Furthermore, the kind of God-glorifying mutual care that Christians are to be displaying toward “one another” will no doubt be hindered if their connection to “one another” is loose, ill-defined, and informal.
Based on these convictions, we believe that no matter where God calls your family to worship him long-term—whether at Covenant Grace, or another faithful local church—becoming a committed member will be a catalyst for your continued spiritual maturity in Christ.