Is Church Membership Biblical?

Taking Church Membership Seriously - Part 2 of 3

Last week in Part 1, we answered the question, “Do I have to go to church to be a Christian?” You can take a look at that post by clicking here.

“I don’t see anything about being a church member in the Bible!” Yeah, I’ve heard it. All that proves is somebody is not reading their Bible. And that somebody doesn’t want to be accountable to a group of people.

Here is my premise. I think you can make a very good case for church membership in the Bible and, therefore, it is important. As we discovered in last week’s blog, you will not be a flourishing and growing follower of Jesus without involvement in a local church community of faith. This week, I want to present to you the Biblical case for church membership and encourage you to be be an active part of a Bible centered church.

The Old Testament Background

We see a pattern of faith community as far back as the children of Israel as they settled in the Promised Land. God allocated land allotments for the various tribes in the Promised Land. Two and a half tribes settled on the east side of the Jordan River. The other nine and a half tribes received allotments in the Promised Land itself. One tribe, Levi, was not given an allotment but was designated as the priestly line. The other tribes shared space and provisions to take care of those who led them in their most important task - worshiping God.

But God did not allow the tribes to isolate themselves. He prescribed several times a year when all the people would assemble in a single location to worship Him. They have lived as 12 tribes, but God considered them 1 people. The came together to worship and to help each other defend themselves from outside attack. They were God’s chosen people - a single people living as 12 tribes.

In The New Testament

Last week we say that the word translated “church” in the New Testament - ekklesia - appears 115 times. It refers to a single collection of assembled followers of Jesus in a common faith community 90 of those 115 times. Local gatherings of believers was the obvious norm for the early New Testament believers. In fact, the word ekklesia means “called out.” It refers to a specific group that has been called out from the larger population and assembled as a special gathering.

The church was birthed in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. But as newly concerted Jesus followers went back to their homes, they gathered together for worship and instruction. And they spread the Gospel in the communities in which they lived. The Book of Acts records Peter and Paul traveling throughout Judea Samaria, and all across Asia Minor. As they travelled they either planted new congregations wherever they went, or they visited existing congregations to encourage and instruct them in Christ. Local gatherings of believers were the norm in the book of Acts.

Many of the New Testament letters were written to churches in communities. Paul encouraged the church at Colosse to pass their letter on to the church in Laodicea and to read for themselves the Laodicean letter (Colossians 4:16).

Jesus dictated through John letters to seven churches scattered across Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3). These churches were not symbolic. They were active gatherings of believers in the named communities.

Some Specific Instructions

We can deduce church membership from several places where Paul instructs churches on how to conduct themselves.

In 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, Paul is teaching the Corinthian church about church discipline - holding each other accountable to obey God’s Word. He mentions “outsiders” and “those inside the church.” You cannot determine who is an insider or outsider without some form of official membership.

In 1 Corinthians 14:23, Paul refers to the “whole church” coming together and “outsiders” being present. Again, without some sort of accounting for membership, how would the determine who is “church” and who is “outsider”?

In 1 Timothy 5:9, Paul instructs young Pastor Tim about how they should care for widows in the church. He speaks of them being “enrolled.” The word translated “enrolled” means to be put on a list or to have one’s name written down. How would they know which widows they were responsible for if there was no official church membership. They were not responsible to care for every widow in the world, or even in their community. They were responsible only for those who were a part of their faith community.

Yes, It IS Biblical and Important

So we can see the Bible actually presents a good case for the fact that God is about assembling His people in groups. He created us to thrive in community. Churches are a beautifully diverse gathering of Jesus followers united to serve Him. If you would like click here to view a recent sermon I preached about the local church being a functioning body of Christ.

If you aren’t already a part of a Bible centered church, let me encourage you to prayerfully seek out one. If you are a member, let me challenge you to not be a consumer in your church, but an investor. Be involved. Serve Christ together with other Jesus followers. It is what He intended for His redeemed.

Feel free to click on the button and leave a comment. Feedback is always welcomed.

Next week, we will look at the third and final part of this series: Why Do I Need Church?