Is Church Membership Biblical?

I must admit, Facebook is an excellent place to get new
ideas for topics to write about on my blog.
And, as is bound to happen when people discuss discipleship, someone
brought up the topic of church membership a few weeks ago.

When I lived in Alaska this topic would come up quite
often. Being a very independent people, they had difficulty understanding why
they should to belong to a local “church,” because they felt they could worship
God anywhere, and at any time.  I can’t
remember how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I don’t need to join a church.
I can worship God anywhere I wish.” Or “I can’t stand going to church, it’s
just filled with hypocrites.”

people to join a family, a community, a body. And that family
is the local church. Church is not a weekly requirement of an hour or so.
Rather, God has designed the church family to be an essential part of your daily
growth.

And those that do join a local church, do so because they
are drawn to a particular church for totally unbiblical reasons—a friend is
there, they like the music, the church is friendly, they have a program for
their kids, and so on.

So, are there biblical reasons for joining a “local”
church? I’m sure I can come up with quite a few, but let’s start with these
seven reasons:

1)  Membership in a
Local Church Establishes Your Commitment to Christ and the Local Church. Consistently
in the gospels, Jesus Christ calls you to a commitment to Himself and to His
will for your life. Followers of Christ are marked by their commitment to
Christ.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

2)  Because God
requires us to come together for worship and hearing the Word.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is…” (Hebrews 10:25a)

3)  Church
discipline must be done by the “church.”
“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to
listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
(Matthew 18:17)
“When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in
spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to
Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the
day of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 5:4, 5)  

4) Membership in a local church places you under the proper
authority. You are to be under the authority that God has set up for your own
protection.

Hebrews 13:17 instructs us to, “Obey your leaders and
submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an
account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that
would be of no advantage to you.”

How can you obey this command of Scripture if you are not
committed to a local church? It’s clear that this verse assumes you have a
committed relationship to a local, biblical church. The leaders are given to
you to keep watch over you. Protection and care cannot be administered to the
level of benefit you need if there is no commitment.

6) Membership in a Local Church Provides the Structure
for Effective Spiritual Growth and Ministry.

Ephesians 4:11-16 teaches that God has equipped the local
church with all of the people and tools that are necessary to do what God wants
done. The people have the spiritual gifts, and the tools are found in the Word
of God. Together, God uses these to grow His people spiritually and to teach
them how to serve each other more effectively. The goal of this is to have
local churches where people do not bounce around from problem to problem
(4:14), but instead learn how to solve problems God’s way and also learn how to
grow together. God provided you with gifts that need to be sharpened and used
in the local church. “Each part does its work” (4:16).  In order for you to do your part, you must
become a part!

7) And finally, when joining a local church, you
encourage new believers to the same “good works” of commitment to the local
body of Christ.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let
us encourage one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
(Hebrews 10:24, 25)
If you do not join a church, what sort of example are you to new believers when
you remain uncommitted to the local church?

In these verses, God defines and gives reasons for
joining a church, and to show us what it means to be a member of a church. To
be part of a “body” means to belong to a living, functioning, serving,
witnessing community.  In the New
Testament there is no such person as a Christian who is not a church member,
and conversion was described as the Lord adding “to the church daily those who
were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

We must remember that Church membership involves
responsibility, and we must never lose sight of the great privilege that it is.
Church membership, is membership in the body of Christ, and is the greatest
honor a person can have in this world.  Have
you committed yourself to becoming a member of a local, biblical community?

Can God change
your life?

God has made it
possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.

Discover how you
can find peace with God.