We had our first membership class this past Saturday @ SouthView. It was amazing to see the different families that came out to join the church. LeeAnn and I felt extremely blessed. I’ve been studying membership and getting other pastor’s thoughts on it to see exactly what God desires regarding this step. Essentially why we do what we do.

I’m heard people on both sides of the fence and I understand the arguments for each. I’ve decided we don’t want to do it just to say we have “members”. What does God’s Word say regarding it and how do we proceed with those commands? Here are some thoughts on why we think it’s important.

The Bible actually describes two kinds of membership.   The first is membership within the universal Body of Christ; one body of believers that transcends space and time. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:13-22; 4:3-6; Colossians 1:13-22).  Membership in the universal church of Jesus Christ is based solely on Christ’s merit and grace.  This membership is eternal and unchanging.  The Bible also urges members of His universal body to become members of a specific local assembly.  (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:25-31; 14:12; 26; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Timothy 3:14-15).

There seems to be 4 main themes as to why we continue to do “membership” to a specific church body. Each one seems to hold merit to me and growing up in church pretty much all my life, I see value in each one.

Biblical: Christ is committed to the church.  In Ephesians 5:25 Paul wrote, “… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her….” (NAS)  Also, in the New Testament, believers clearly identified themselves with a specific local body and were challenged to become devoted, committed participants. It’s easy to be non-committal in this day and age, but honestly, I believe God deserves more and so does the local church. Does a local pastor and church have the opportunity to “let me down”? Of course, but so does everything else we commit to. Our job, our marriage, our friends, our hobbies and activities all have a chance to do us wrong and let us down.  But when it comes to church we feel a sense of caution. Why is that? That leads me to the next point…

Cultural: We live in an age where very few want to be committed to anything… a job, a marriage, our country.  This attitude has produced the phenomenon of “church shoppers and hoppers.”  Formal church membership swims against the current of “consumer religion” by building character through commitment to a local body. When you are committed you support the group regardless if you agree with everything. We should clearly agree on the “basics” as I like to call it. Vision, Values, Statement of Faith….those things should be our starting point. But just because you don’t like the worship songs your church does, the way they run their small groups or who’s in charge of their Usher’s ministry should not cause you to want to leave. Can you image if we did that with every other relationship we are involved in?

Practical: Membership defines who can be counted on to build and sustain the ministries of the church.  It identifies our community, our family, and is valuable to the leaders of the church as they fulfill their God-given task of shepherding. I don’t see how any person attending a church can possibly think they aren’t needed. As a pastor, I absolutely love seeing people get involved. A pastor and his family have made a HUGE commitment to the church and its members. Nothing makes us feel more appreciated than when the congregation does the same. You’re not committing to me but committing to the vision that God has given this church. The practical aspect says, let’s do this together!

Personal: Membership produces spiritual growth. The New Testament outlines the essential need for Christians to be accountable to each other for spiritual maturity.  Membership in a local body constitutes a key component of practical accountability.  Membership provides proper care to the member by holding each accountable to the truth of God’s Word.  Membership can be a significant “defining moment” in one’s lifelong discipleship journey. This can be one of the most powerful statements of all. People can be afraid to commit because this means somebody actually has to get to know the real you.

Let’s face it, all of us wear “masks”, to some degree, on a daily basis. We have things in our lives we are ashamed of, or insecurities that we don’t care to reveal. What better way to grow than to let other “godly” people in to help you walk these issues out in your life. You can’t do it alone. Why do we kid ourselves in thinking that God designed church to be a place were we attend on Sunday for 2 hours and go home….never engaging or interacting or committing to anything part of it. That’s not at all the church I see in the New Testament. In fact, I know they made big commitments to each other.  They even put all their money together to help those in need. Can you imagine if the present day church asked us all to do that to the same extent in today’s times?

Your commitment should consist of 3 points. Commitment in your Time, Talent and Treasure are the things that I believe God asks of us to give to the local church. Once again, we give that easily to so many other things in our lives without even a thought. When it comes to God and the local church, let’s give cheerfully.

Some people think all membership is, is a way for a pastor to get your money. You’re a member now, give us your money. This could be a whole separate topic in itself. Some people stating this clearly haven’t learned the freedom in giving back to God what he has given to us. Giving as a cheerful giver is part of the privilege we have as followers of Christ. The local church uses most of its money to make your experience at church that much better. It’s to give you a place to worship and join together as one body of believers. If people don’t give, don’t complain with the state of your church building, the quality of leaders, your worship experience or church events. All those things require money. Once again, when being part of a family, its part of my responsibility to help with the needs. Seeing the church grow and flourish is also a byproduct of me serving within the house. What a great reward to experience as my time, talent and treasure help build something much bigger than myself. Giving back to God and seeding into the local church I am part of, is one of the privileges I have as being a member.

So, to be a member or not to be a member….?  My thought is this…when you finally find your home, why not make it official? It’s Biblical, Cultural, Practical and makes it Personal.

M