I am consulting with a church and the question of church membership came up. In this church it's more than a question, it's an issue of great importance to a
number of people in the church family. Some feel the concept of church membership is very important. To others, their independence outweighs the requirement of joining the church. Let's take a look at this dilemma.
Church membership appears to be most important for the Builder Generation and Baby Boomers, or those born between 1924 and 1964. However, today less than 50% of Americans claim any formal membership in any religious congregation, and that number seems to be growing rapidly. As Builders and Boomers decline in numbers, you can expect that those who see any relevance in church membership to decline rapidly for a variety of reasons including the following:
- Some hold the unfounded belief that having your name formal a church membership roll is not found in the Scriptures.
- Some believers think that if you are a believer in Jesus, you are automatically a member of God's family and therefore you don't need to go through a process of church membership.
- Some denominations or networks of churches do not have church membership (e.g., Calvary Chapel), so church membership is not an option.
- Some Christians attend more than one local church at the same time and so they do not want to identify as a member of only one church.
- Others do not want the accountability of local church membership.
- Still, others believe that the concept of membership is a human organizational or political idea that does not belong in God's Kingdom.
- And, there are some who believe that being a member of a local church raises people above the status of Christians who are not church members.
There are also some very good reasons for holding church membership in a congregation that you regularly attend. These include but are not limited to the following:
- The concept of a church roll is found in the Word of God. For example, the New Testament records the idea that qualified widows were to be enrolled by a local church so that their needs could be met by a congregation. (1 Tim. 5:9-10)
- Being a member of a local church means entering into a sacred covenant with others to be an active part of a local body of believers in worship, fellowship, stewardship, service, and ministry. This means that committing to membership in a local church body is a voluntary type of church discipline that will help you grow in Christ.
- If you join a church by a personal decision, you are publicly showing other church members that you submit to one another in the church and the Lord, and are willing to be held accountable for your spiritual growth, ministry, and life as a devoted follower of Jesus.
- By joining a local church, you are giving testimony that your membership doesn't save you but it does say you are part of the universal and local body of Christ because of your faith.
- In most churches, church membership is required for serving in leadership positions in the local body of Christ.
- And, church membership says you will not be an independent follower of Jesus, but an interdependent part of the body of Christ.
So, what excuse do you have for not joining a Jesus-centered and Gospel preaching church, or what reason do you have for publicly committing to church membership?