Why Church Membership Matters
There is a “membership epidemic” in the church today that must be addressed and solved. The idea of meaningful membership in the local church nearly went extinct during the past 30 years as churches became more focused on seeker-driven models, getting people to come back and fill the seats, and voting with their feet (the idea that you are a member by attending) based on how “fun” the youth center was; disregarding concern for the lack of biblical content. The problem only compounds when it’s considered that we’re now living in a post-Christian world. Going to church is no longer “American” or cultural. In fact, being a churchgoer is getting downright controversial. Many people in our world today think, Membership? Sure! At a Country Club or CrossFit. But for the Christian who is serious about Christ, the word “membership” takes on a meaning that is far deeper than socialization or petty preference. It is a spiritual term, even, eternal. By eternal, I mean that the concept of church membership guides our journey on earth as we follow Christ by grace through faith towards heaven. Membership helps us know what we’re supposed to do and who we’re supposed to be while on earth. Mark Dever rightly asserts, “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, cultural, friendships, financial contribution, or baptism will save us” (Dever 2013, 159).
This paper will prove that a meaningful membership process is essential to the health of a church. While some may argue that no such process is necessary, or perhaps, that in the early church there was no pragmatic process or systemized methods for assimilating people into membership, the evidence will show otherwise. An understanding of the biblical description of the church, the historical evidence surrounding membership, and a clear process for membership will affirm: the church needs an ecclesiological reformation – again, and again.
The Biblical Pattern for Membership
The question naturally arises: Is church membership even mentioned in Bible? The answer is quite simple. No, and yes. The words “church membership” are not, but like many terms not mentioned in the Bible (like “Trinity”), the concept clearly is.
First, the church is viewed as a set apart group of people by God. In other words, the church is saved people! If that sounds exclusive, it is. J.C. Ryle clarifies that a minister’s work involves laboring for believers – not merely entertaining visitors. He explains,
“The church which comprises all who repent and believe the gospel, is the church to which we desire you to belong. Our work is not done, and our hearts are not satisfied, until you are made new creatures, and are members of the one true church. Outside of this church there can be no salvation” (Ryle 2016, 4).
Not everyone in the world is a part of the church – only believers can truly be. Of course, there will be people who attend church gatherings and will be false Christians (Matt. 7:22-23), but that is why meaningful membership processes need to be in place. More on that in subsequent sections. John Hammett helps us understand the biblical pattern of the set apart church when he writes,
“The very idea of the church as the called-out ones presupposes that the members of the church have heard and responded to God’s call. The image of the church as the people of God assumes that these are people who belong to God. They are referred to more than sixty times as saints, or holy ones (hagioi), or people set aside for devotion to God. They are the ones who believe in Christ and are bound to one another by the Holy Spirit” (Hammett 2005, 83).
Second, the biblical pattern of church membership is that these set apart people are committed to Christ and each other. Over fifty “one another” passages in the New Testament give explicit reason to believe that membership is much more than just attending a gathering and counting down the minutes to your lunch reservation. Membership is meaningful because it involves a community that is devoted to one another. There is no such thing as lone ranger Christianity. Nobody who professes to be a believer gets a free pass to being bitter, disappearing without dealing with issues, or treating others with contempt and disdain. Here is just the shortlist of how the Bible lays out the pattern of membership, teaching us that we are to:
Love one another (Romans 13:8; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:11)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Meet with one another (Hebrews 10:25)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Build up one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Confess to one another (James 5:16)
Be humble towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
To state the obvious, you can do none of those “one another’s” if you are not committed to a community, known in a community, and pouring into a community. The Bible assumes membership by painting a picture of people who are attached to something in a very official and forthright way. The biblical pattern for membership is not unclear. People were identified as Christians not by going to church, but by the way they devoted themselves to others in the church.
Third, this set apart people who love one another and live in community together gather formally with the purpose of worship in mind. In the New Testament we see the church engaged in the teaching of God’s Word (2 Tim. 4:2), using their spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12), exercising discipline (1 Cor. 5:1-13), protecting from false teaching (Rom. 16:17-18), remembering Christ through communion (1 Cor. 11:23-34), evangelizing and making disciples (Matt. 28:16-20; Acts 1:8). These are the marks of true Christianity. Those who claim to be a part of the church don’t just talk the talk. They walk the biblical walk. John Mark Yeats poignantly states, “The borders of the early church were not porous. You either submitted your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, or you rebelled against him” (Allen 2016, 98). This is in stark contrast to the idea that someone is a part of the body of Christ – or a member – if they are on some sort of “faith journey” or exploring religion. This couldn’t be further from the biblical picture.
The plain biblical pattern of church membership is that members are set apart from the world (2 Cor. 6:14-15) and that members are committed to Christ and His people (Rom. 12:3-5); evidenced by gathering together to make professions of faith, be baptized, take communion, engage in discipline, sit under the teaching of God’s Word, singing to the Lord, and persevering in the faith. This is the ongoing pattern of the church in Scripture.
The Historical Picture for Membership
The historical picture of the church shows that membership was meaningful and assumed to be the norm. Being a part of the church meant being known. You couldn’t hide in the café venue, sit in the back row for years without a greeting, or just use the children’s ministry for free daycare. You were formally acknowledged; a bread-breaker and valuable part of the close community of believers. Further, early churches were not scattered on every corner or being rigorously planted like they are today. There were no planting agencies, no hipster entrepreneurs starting a satellite campus 20 miles away from the “mother ship” church, and certainly not three of the same kind of churches in the same small town. This meant you needed to, more often than not, work out issues in your local assembly because there wasn’t a long menu of churches competing for your “business”. Membership was your only option. Explaining what it was like in the first-century church, Robert Banks paints a historical picture that is akin to many small group gatherings today (Banks 1980). People naturally knew who each other were. Communities were smaller and tighter knit. Christians had to stick together through thick and thin. They were in each other’s lives. They were in each other’s homes. When someone was converted they were expected to plug right into the life of the church. It wasn’t trendy to be a Christian. You were risking potential income, social status, or even your life. Membership meant a life commitment to the cause of Christ. The early church had no one but each other. They taught, shared, comforted, mourned, and disciplined as a committed body. People didn’t say, “I don’t like the pita bread so I’m going to the other church down the street.” Or, “I don’t like the music here, I am going to the church next door.” Why does understanding all of this matter? Because when we realize the sacrifice they made in becoming a part of the church, we begin to realize how different the early church is from today in how they viewed being the church. Therefore, today we need more teaching, more explaining, and more formalizing of membership than they did. If we want to see our churches grow healthy and strong – full of growing believers – we need to raise the bar of awareness and expectations on what it means to be a member. What if before adding someone to the rolls we asked them to explain their conversion experience or explain what it means to be a follower of Christ? What if we required someone who bitterly transferred from another church to settle, if possible, the dispute with their former church before accepting their membership? At the very least, we’d have confirmed and affirmed members who know we’re big on doing what the Bible says, and at best, we’d increase our unity and effectiveness in being the church!
A common modern sentiment may go something like this: I love the Lord but really dislike the church. Tim Boal argues convincingly,
“There are many in these postmodern times who say they love Jesus but don’t like His church. Can you love one without the other? The answer is an emphatic no! The church is the bride of Christ. She is going to marry Him some day (Revelation 19) and husbands can be quite jealous…If you are going to serve Christ, you will have to serve His people…To represent Him well, you will have to love them. That may mean swallowing your pride…” (Boal 2006, 206).
Another element of the historical picture of church membership is the terminology used for the early church. Of course, this could fall under the category of the biblical pattern of membership, but historically speaking, the early church applied this better than the average church today. I’m referring to the description of church members as “family.” Paul used this metaphorical description more than any other in his New Testament Epistles. The terms he chose under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to describe the church are focused on the familial nature of the “household” of God. From oikeioi (household), to oikonomos (steward of a household), to adelphoi (brethren), Paul uses no uncertain terms about how the church is to operate. The historical church was indeed a family, as are we today. What family does not know who is a part of it? When is there ever a time when a family member is not a family member? Are we confused about who our sister is? Brother? Household? Why was the early church so familial, yet we today are so distant? One of the distinguishing marks of a family is time spent together. This doesn’t mean that we, today, have to spend every waking minute together, but it does affirm that true membership of the church will be marked by togetherness. John MacArthur firmly states, “The church cannot sit in isolation. Its members cannot merely come in, sit down, walk out, and say they are involved in what the church is doing” (MacArthur 2008, 120-121).
The historical picture for church membership has always been that of a family who knows who is in, and who is out; worshipping in unity and persevering until Christ returns or calls them home.
The Modern Process for Membership
Because of the post-Christian cultural climate, and the way church has been done for 30 years, meaningful membership needs to be clearly explained. We need to teach people about something that the early church was not as confused about. We need to help people view the church as a family we’re a part of, not a vendor catering to consumer needs. We must provide a clear process for meaningful membership in our churches. This includes making much of membership. But what does this look like practically speaking? It starts in the pulpit and permeates to every other area in the church. We must work to assimilate people into an environment for learning about membership, and joyfully deploy those who are professing, baptized believers into “body life” to serve, disciple, evangelize, and grow! Oh, and let’s not forget sustaining all of this by ensuring that our qualified church leaders actively shepherd, maintain proper church discipline processes, and clean the rolls. As the SBC has taught us, poorly kept or bloated member rolls are a recipe for poor stewardship. John Mark Yeats’ sobering words are convicting.
“Can you imagine what would happen if 45,000 SBC congregations cleaned their rolls and became honest about who actually were members? What if corporately we reduced our rolls to the point where we accurately reflected who we are? We would see ourselves move away from chasing power in politics or culture. We would see ourselves honestly projecting who is in our midst. Our regenerate membership would best present the gospel as we lived the life we are called to live” (Allen 2016, 108).
Yeats accurately captures the importance of a modern-day process that clarifies and sustains proper membership within the church. So what does a modern-day process look like? It could, and probably should, include the following elements and be tailored to meet the doctrinal distinctives of a certain local body. Terms like “consistently” or “periodically” can be defined as leaders determine:
A class that teaches what the who, what, where, why, when, how of biblical membership
A follow-up process in which a pastor (or elder) formally interviews member candidates
Confirmation of baptism, previous church status, and public commitment to Christ
A covenant that member candidates can read and sign
A commitment by members to attend, give, serve, and preserve unity consistently
Church leaders who model a commitment to church discipline
The ordinances rightly taken by professing Christians (some may prefer members only)
An exit meeting for any member deciding to withdraw from the local church
A formal letter sent to a church that a current member transfers to
Annual review of member rolls; removing (and possibly evangelizing) absentees
Such a list is customizable, but for the most part, covers the essential aspects of what biblical membership should look like in the modern era. Cultural changes may require us to put a greater emphasis on teaching people about membership, and different generations may use slightly different methods, but our theological commitment to the core elements of church membership should never change. With a clear membership process, there’s no faking being a part of a church. People become more than just a number. This comes down to soul care (Heb. 13:17) in a day and age where so many people put on a smile, while under the surface they’re uncertain about eternal security. Chuck Swindoll, in his book Church Awakening, tells of a study in which psychologists discovered one of the top three places that people “fake it” and one of them is church! Of all the places we should be authentic, and transparent, we hide behind a mask (Swindoll 2010, 100).
The Unlikely Partner for Membership
In this final section, a case must be made for what may be the most unlikely partner for church membership. By “partner,” that is to say that this other ministry within the church serves as a method for assimilating people into membership, and facilitating people who are in membership. This partner is a compliment to membership. I’m referring to small groups. Terms vary but include “Bible studies,” “cell groups,” “home groups,” “growth groups,” and more. Whatever the term, they function in similar ways. A small group becomes the ally to meaningful membership because it provides the ideal environment to do all that has been previously described. Outside of evangelism, and public preaching, which a small group can “go” and do, a small group experiences every aspect of meaningful membership. The “one anothers” are achievable, and discipline and accountability are feasible. Baptism, even the Lord’s Table, and worship, are all elements that can be experienced through small groups. Small groups make the larger gatherings less daunting and disconnected. Small groups encourage people who are converted to be baptized and enter the formal process of being known by the church at large. Small groups reinforce what the church is about. Small groups serve as an announcement hub of sorts, linking information to members that can be easily passed throughout a large membership. Small groups serve as an extension of church leaders; creating epicenters of pastoral care and moving critical items to qualified leaders. Overall, small groups can be seen as a vehicle to a healthy church because they support meaningful membership. Of course, a church needs to view them and use them this way otherwise they remain a mere fellowship-based social circle. As a “church within the church,” small groups serve to enable discipleship, as well as affirm and remind members of their commitment to Christ and each other.
If the aforementioned principles for membership are understood and applied, the case for meaningful membership is simple. Members are regenerate believers, baptized into the body, identifying with Christ, worshipping God, growing together, and evangelizing the world. Instead of floating in and out of a weekly gathering, the best way to be a member of Christ’s church is to be formerly known by His church.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, Jason, The SBC and the 21st Century. Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2016
Banks, Robert J., Going to Church in the First Century. Jacksonville: Seed Sowers, 1980.
Banks, Robert J., Paul’s Idea of Community. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994.
Boal, Tim, Building Authentic Community. Winona Lake: BMH, 2006.
Dever, Mark, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. Wheaton: Crossway, 2013.
Hammett, John S., Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2005.
MacArthur, John, The Master’s Plan for the Church. Chicago: Moody, 2008.
Ryle, J.C., Warnings to the Churches. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2016.
Swindoll, Charles R., The Church Awakening. New York: Faith Words, 2010.
