Thoughts on Church Membership

A few weeks ago I sat down with a friend and we discussed the idea of church membership. I, being a military brat who has never stayed in one church for more than two years, previously has no understanding of why church membership was a valuable component of the Christian life. I thought: why can’t I be a member of the church by merely getting involved in serving and partaking in the community? Isn’t this essentially the same? I’ll probably just be leaving within six months to a year anyway. I won’t be here long enough to become a “member”. My friend, however, strongly believes becoming an official member of the local church you attend is not only biblical but often necessary, and, the next step in the individual-church relationship (hence the DTR metaphor). I peppered my friend with question after question, he pondered, he searched Scripture, and he answered with wisdom and honesty. There are still things I am unsure about, but I did come away with a much better understanding of Why Church Membership?

I’ve never been taught about church membership. There was never a chance to become an official member of a church and it just wasn’t something my mom and dad ever talked about with me and my siblings. I thought: I am a member of Christ’s body and anything regarding ‘the church’ in the New Testament was in reference to the universal church of Christ (anybody who proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and has surrendered their life to Him). However, ‘the church’ is often in reference to not just the local church but Christ’s body as well. This was where one sense of my confusion stemmed from. Where I thought global, church membership says local.

But can’t I just serve and get involved in the community of the church? Yes. You can most definitely serve and get involved without becoming an official member. This is where I still hold back a bit—because I definitely believe, either way, a person can become involved. This is especially relevant for people who are moving from home to home or are in a temporary location (ie: college). However, I am not encouraging church hopping. There is a point individual’s need to settle down (note: this does not mean one settles) but we must find a place to worship intentionally and regularly. Part of the Christian life is cultivating community and community cannot be cultivated unless individuals invest their time and their love for an extended period. Moving on from this, if you have found a place you worship intentionally and regularly, it might be time to look into something a bit more permanent—it might be time for that extra step.

Through even all of this, I still lacked any understanding as to why church membership was valuable until my friend read Matthew 18:15-17 out loud. These verses were always a cause of dissonance within me. They blatantly say we need to call out the sin in one another, but I never understood how that was to properly be done. We can’t very well go up to those we know and call out all of the sins in their lives—we probably wouldn’t have any friends if we did that. This is the beauty of church membership. Church membership makes a community a close-knit family that is charged with the keeping of one another as well as the calling out of sins. It is within a church membership family that brothers and sisters are able to bring matters before the rest of the family that need to be addressed (whether leadership issues or sin or anything else). Church membership allows for accountability.

If the pastor at my church came up to me and told me: “Hi, I think you’re committing such and such sin” I more than likely would not want to listen to him right away. First of all, I go to a large church. Second of all, he doesn’t know who I am. Third of all, we don’t know each other well enough for him to come up to me and tell me these things.

However, if I became a member of my church…

• -          I’m part of a close knit family within the community.
• -          The pastor and leadership team knows who I am and can now pray for me by name and often.
• -          I am intentionally spending my time and resources on behalf of my church and family.
• -          This trusted family, that I have gotten to know and still am, now has permission to draw me in as well as call me out.
• -      When and if God calls me elsewhere, I can be sent with grace, love, support, and prayers into the mission field (whether I’m moving to another state/home, or going internationally).
• -          I will always have a church I can return to and will return to, welcomed with love and grace.

 If I don’t become a member of my church…

• -          I can continue serving as well as getting involved in the community (but, let’s face it, I more than likely won’t).
• -          I can easily and quickly decide to attend another church…and another…and another, or skip going to church altogether.
• -          I can skip the commitment and decide church membership isn’t for me and that I believe in the global church and that’s good enough.

These are not awful things, but church membership does benefit the believer. Granted, altogether quitting attending church if you can go is not a good lifestyle choice to make. I’m still not a member of my church. I don’t know what life after college holds, my schedule is currently not set up to include serving and community opportunities with my church, and I still have a lot of questions as to what church membership generally means (this also varies on a denomination to denomination and church to church basis). I would also add that church membership is a step that should be taken only when the believer feels and knows God is calling them to membership in that church. It is not a decision that should be made willy-nilly, but requires prayer and thought.

Perhaps, like me, this is something entirely new to your world and you’re curious, but not so sure. I’d encourage you to search Scripture with an open mind and heart as well as eyes to see and ears to hear what God may be speaking to you on this subject. I’d also encourage you to open up this conversation with your friends, with your pastor(s), with your family members, or even just with yourself.

It is something worth exploring and worth asking questions about. I’d love to hear your experiences/thoughts on church membership as well as any questions this may have sparked!