Christ Creates a People
Jesus’ followers follow Jesus with other Jesus followers. When Jesus was on earth, he called twelve men to follow him together, not individually. God called the nation of Israel to follow him together, not individually. God’s people have always been a group, not isolated individuals. God’s people will always be a group, not isolated individuals.
Yes, Jesus loves you and died for you and wants to be in a relationship with you. But he loves you so much that he doesn’t want you to be alone in the world. It makes sense that Jesus would call his people together and put them in groups. He knew that his followers would understand each other in ways that no one else could, that his followers would need each other in profound ways, and that his followers wouldn’t be able to effectively spread his word as individual agents. So, in mercy, Jesus saves us and puts us into a group.
The Church is a Lifeline for Jesus’ Followers
These groups are lifelines for Jesus’ followers. They’re incubators meant to keep us alive and healthy as we journey through the dark ravines of this world. They’re an oasis in a parched and dry land, the place where we find water for our thirsty souls. They’re a charging station for our spiritual batteries. They’re a storm shelter where we find protection from the winds of the world and the darts of the devil. Without these groups, Jesus’ followers wouldn’t live very long.
The Church is an Exclusive Group
We call these groups “churches.” A group of Jesus followers, a church, is a beautiful thing. But these groups aren’t just for anyone. They’re exclusive groups. Yes, other people can visit and peer into their life together. But there are boundaries around these groups, or at least there should be.
What Jesus is doing in and through the church is too precious to be left unattended or to be opened up to people who don’t love him. God is fierce in his love for his church, as any Father is in his love toward his children. Parents don’t let just anyone come in and hang out with their children. God puts boundaries around his people because he loves them too much not to.
Called Out and Called Together
The mechanism that churches use to draw these boundaries is called church membership. Some churches call it “ownership” or “partnership.” But all have the same basic function: defining who the church is. A church is its members, not everyone who happens to show up on any particular Sunday, not its building or assets or programs or pastors.
A church, by definition, is a gathering of specific people. The word for “church” in the New Testament is ekklesia, which literally means “called out ones.” The way the word was used was to refer to an assembly of specific people called to perform a specific task. Certain people would’ve been known to be in, and others to be out, of these assemblies. An ekklesia was a gathering of the “called out and called together ones.”
A Christian is someone who’s been called out of darkness and into light, out of sin and into holiness, out of death and into life, out of Satan and into Christ, out of judgment and into grace, out of fear and into peace, out of the world and into the church.
The way we recognize who the “called out ones” are is church membership. Church membership doesn’t make us the people of God, but it does show us who the people of God are.
Why People Don’t Like Church Membership
Many people, even many pastors, think that church membership is not important. Why do people think this way? One reason is consumerism. We approach the church with a self-centered consumer’s attitude. We ask, “What can you do for me?” Rather than, “How can I serve?” Another reason is prideful independence, or individualism. We don’t see any need for others. We think we can live the Christian life on our own without help and accountability. Another reason is having a critical spirit. No church is ever good enough. We can’t get past the imperfections of the church, and so we never commit to one. Another reason is commitment phobia. We’re afraid to make a binding commitment to anything that’ll limit our options.
But there could be an even deeper reason why we don’t think joining a church is important. It could be that we don’t like authority and accountability. In his book The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love, Jonathan Leeman says that behind many of our reasons for not committing to a church is really a distaste for authority. He says, “It’s not relationships that people are so afraid of; people long for relationships…Rather, it’s a particular kind of relationship that people despise. The real problem then is not finally individualism; it’s anti-authority-ism. Loneliness is not the problem. A refusal to live life on anyone else’s terms is.”
This means that the first step many people need to take regarding church membership is one of repentance. A change of heart and direction is required. A willingness to make God the Supreme Ruler over our lives is where we must start. And part of living under his authority is to put ourselves under the authority of a local church.
Church Membership in the Bible
If church membership is so important, where do we find it in the Bible? Is church membership commanded in the Bible? The short answer is, “No.” There may not be specific verses on membership, but there’s ample biblical evidence for membership. As one scholar says, “The case for church membership is nowhere argued in the New Testament but everywhere assumed.”
In Acts, after Peter preaches on Pentecost, it says that the church “added to their number” about three thousand people (2:41, 47). These are the ones who were “cut to the heart” by Peter’s preaching and asked what they should do (v. 37). Peter tells them to “Repent and be baptized” (v. 38). He tells them to identify themselves with Jesus and with Jesus’ people by being baptized. Jesus’ people needed to be marked off from everyone else. Peter wants the people of Jerusalem to know who’s part of the Jesus movement and who’s not.
There are other passages in the New Testament which imply church membership because they reveal that there were clear boundaries between those who were “in” and those who were “out.” Paul tells the church in Corinth to exclude a man who was living in unrepentant sin in 1 Corinthians 5 (esp. vv. 2, 13).
Paul later tells the same church to receive someone back who had sinned (2 Cor. 2:5-8). This is likely the same man who was living in sin in 1 Corinthians 5. The “punishment by the majority” (v. 6) that this man received tells us that there were clearly defined boundaries on who was in and who was out. Otherwise, they couldn’t have known what a “majority” was. Without a counting of members, a majority would’ve been impossible to establish.
We’ll talk about church discipline, or the removal of church members who’re living in unrepentant sin, next week. Church discipline, however, is the greatest argument for church membership. How can you remove someone from something they’re not in? Church membership may not be explicitly commanded in the New Testament, but it is everywhere assumed.
What Are Church Members?
Now that we’ve seen that membership was a reality in the New Testament, how did the writers of the New Testament express the idea of church membership?
The New Testament uses several images to teach us what church membership means. First, the church is described as a body and individuals as members of it. 1 Corinthians 12:20, “There are many members, yet one body.” Romans 12:5, “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (cf. Eph. 1:23, 4:12; Col. 1:24).
The image of the body is used to highlight the church’s unity in diversity. There is one body but many members. It also reveals the necessity of members caring for one another and the connection of the members to Christ, the head of the body (Col. 2:19).
Second, the church is described as a family. There are no verses that explicitly call the church a “family,” but there are several that refer to the church as a “household” (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15). The New Testament’s use of “Father” to refer to the first person of the Godhead describes our relationship with God in family terms. Paul’s use of the word “brother” or “sister” 139 times tells us that he viewed the church as a family. Those who know God as Father are adopted into his family (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 1:5). The church is a family, not an event.
Membership in the New Testament is never viewed as a dry, formal matter of paperwork. Being a member of a church is like being a body part or a family member. These images tell us that church membership is a high honor and great responsibility.
Who Is Called to Church Membership?
Now that we have some idea about what church members are, let’s now consider who should join a church. Who’s called to church membership? Another way to ask the question is: What are the requirements for church membership?
First, church membership should only be for Christians. This is called “regenerate church membership.” John 1:12-13 says, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” And 3:3, “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
We become children of God through regeneration, or being “born again.” You aren’t regenerate just because you say you are. We can be deceived, so we need others to help us discern whether we’re born again or not. This is where church membership comes in. Church membership is how our claim to being “born again” is tested and publicly affirmed, and is thus only for those who profess and give evidence of new life in Christ.
Second, church membership is for those who’ve been baptized by immersion as believers. There’s no command in Scripture about church membership only for those who’ve been baptized. But throughout church history, baptism has been viewed as “the rite of entry” into the church, by both Catholics and Protestants. This is supported by the order of events in Acts 2:41, where people are baptized and then “added” to the church. An unbaptized Christian is a foreign idea in the New Testament. If church members must be Christians, and if Christians must be baptized, then it follows that church members must be baptized.
Third, church membership is for those willing to commit to a Church Covenant. In other words, church members are willing to accept certain responsibilities for one another. This is best done through a covenant.
There’s no specific biblical command for Christians to enter into a covenant with one another. But since the New Testament is full of commands concerning the relationship of Christians with one another, a church covenant can be a helpful way to formalize the commitment to one another that the New Testament calls us to. It’s a way we officially say to God and the church that we will live out the principles of the New Testament with other Christians.
Churches who don’t require such a commitment from their members are full of members who don’t show up for worship regularly, give consistently, serve faithfully, or grow spiritually. Church covenants used to be normal for Baptist churches. They were often displayed prominently in the church’s gathering space. Our church reads the covenant out loud together at each member meeting in order to remind ourselves what we’ve promised to do and be for one another. As one theologian says, “The…covenant is a mutual agreement to walk together as the people of God.”
Why Should We Join a Church?
We’ve seen who’s eligible for church membership, but now we need to ask the following question, “Why should we join a church?”
There are at least four reasons why Christians should commit themselves to a specific local church. First, churchless Christianity is foreign to the Bible. The Bible knows of no Christian who lives the Christian life apart from submitting to a body of believers. I talked earlier about how church discipline implies church membership, but there are two other ways the Bible assumes church membership.
The “one another” passages imply membership. In the New Testament, there are fifty-nine “one another” commands. Fifteen of the fifty-nine are “love one another,” and the others show us different ways we can “love one another.” For example, “Serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13), “Forgive one another” (Eph. 4:32), and “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another” (James 5:16).
How can a Christian fulfill the “one another” commands if they don’t commit to a local church? How do you know which Christians to serve, confess your sins to, and pray for? These commands assume the Christians who obey them have made a real commitment to one another.
The responsibility of leaders to the church and the church to its leadership also implies membership. The Bible says that pastors are called to “shepherd the flock of God among them” (1 Pet. 5:2). How would Nick and I know who to shepherd if we didn’t have membership?
And the church is called to submit to its leaders. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” How is it possible to obey these commands if you never put yourself under formal, spiritual authority by joining a local church? Which leaders would you follow and obey?
The second reason we should join a church is for assurance of our salvation. Although you don’t join a church to be saved, you should join one to help you make certain that you are saved. Hebrews 3:12-14, says, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
When we join a church, we’re putting ourselves in a position to do what verse 13 says to do, to “exhort one another” so that we’re not “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” We’re putting ourselves in a position that will allow brothers and sisters in Christ to hold us accountable, to challenge us when there’s a discrepancy between our talk and our walk. Membership in a church is that church’s public endorsement of your salvation. They’re affirming that you not only talk the talk, but that you also walk the walk. And they help you keep walking the walk.
The third reason why Christians should join a church is because God designed the church to be the primary place where Christians grow (Eph. 4:8-16). How does joining a local church help us grow in Christlikeness? The church is where we’re forced to love people we wouldn’t normally have a relationship with. The church is where we disciple one another and are discipled by one another. The church is where we protect one another from sin and expose one another’s blind spots. The church is where we’re led by pastors who guide us in truth and equip us for ministry. The church is where we’re built up through preaching and teaching. The church is where our faith is strengthened through the corporate worship gathering. Are the Christians you know who aren’t active members in a local church growing in their faith or bearing fruit?
The fourth reason why Christians should join a local church is for the spread of the gospel. The mission of the church is to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18-20). We can do more of this together than we can apart. When we pull our resources of time, talent, and money, we can have a much greater effect in spreading the gospel, both near and far.
A Fundamental Misunderstanding
I want to close with an illustration. I want you to think of four people and their attitudes toward church: Jesse follows Jesus but isn’t into “organized religion.” He feels he worships best by going for a hike on Sunday. Leann is a church hopper. She’s here for a while, there for a while. She worships somewhere pretty much every Sunday, but never really “lands” in a church. Natasha found a great singles group. She’s always at the singles group and shows up at church in the morning when she’s able to wake up in time. Jose loves the preaching at his church, but he tends to slip out right after the service. He never really talks to anyone and has never really thought about joining.
What do all these people have in common? They all see themselves as Christians, but they all see the church as pretty unrelated to their faith. They all, therefore, share a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian. How can they be assured of their salvation or obey all the “one another” commands or submit to leaders if they never commit themselves to a local church?
Join a Church as Soon as Possible
Jesus’ followers must follow Jesus with other Jesus followers. If you’re here and you’re a Christian and you’re not a member of a local church, I urge you to join one as soon as possible. If you’d like to join our church, come see me or ask one of our members about joining after the service.
The church is the called out and called together people of God in the world. The way we recognize who the “called out ones” are is through church membership. Church membership doesn’t make us the people of God, but it does show us who the people of God are.