Church Membership
This is a list of sermon notes from the sermon titled “Church Membership”.
“Until you figure out how you fit in with a local church…it will always feel like something is missing.”
A brief case for church membership
In order for the concept of “church membership” to make sense…we must first understand the difference between the Universal and Local church. The Bible tells us that when a person puts his/her faith in Christ they are born again, adopted into the universal family of God. This family is comprised of all true believers in Christ from all times, all places. We call this family the Universal Church.
#1: All believers are members of the Universal Church.
(1 Corinthians 12:12-13) 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
If you are a believer today, then you are—by virtue of your belief in Christ—a member of the Universal Church. But as we continue to read through this letter, it becomes clear that Paul is giving instructions that cannot possibly be accomplished by individual believers on a global scale. In other words, the NT instructions for the church can only be meaningfully accomplished on a smaller scale—in local communities. These smaller groups or communities are called local churches.
#2: God designed us to live out our Christian faith within a local church.
(1 Corinthians 12:18-20) 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The New Testament consistently shows believers living out their Christian identity within actual, identifiable local churches. This is why it frequently speaks of “the churches” in the plural (ex. Acts 15:41, 16:5, Romans 16:4, 1 Corinthians 7:17; 11:16; 14:33, Galatians 1:2, etc.)
The universal Church is not a substitute for the local church; it takes visible form through many local churches. The Mission Church is one of those churches
This means you do not have to belong to this local church—but every Christian should be meaningfully committed to alocal church. This is why leaving The Mission Church does not necessarily mean leaving the faith. It may simply mean joining another faithful local church where you can worship, serve, submit to spiritual leadership, and care for other believers.
#3: God's design for spiritual gifts assumes membership in a local church.
(1 Corinthians 12:7) 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
God's Word commands us to gather with one another, bear one another's burdens, encourage one another in the faith, pray for one another, meet one another's needs, love one another, serve one another, greet one another, sing together, confess our sins to one another, live in harmony with one another, share communion with one another, and much more. Additionally, we are instructed to help build up the church with our unique gifts. Because these are not merely suggestions but commands, it is wrong for us to neglect them. Church membership, then, answers the following question:
“So, if we are supposed to do these things…who are we supposed to do them with?
The answer to this question cannot be “The Universal Church,” because that would be impossible to do! None of us is able to fellowship with every believer in the world (Christians in the U.S., China, Madagascar, Russia, Bolivia…you get it). In other words, it is not possible to regularly and meaningfully carry out the “one another’s” with the whole Universal Church. But you can—and must—do these things with believers in a smaller community.
Answering a common objection
I am well aware that some believers reject the idea of local church membership. I've even heard Christians say, "Local church membership isn't in the Bible." But that isn't quite true.
What is true is that the Bible does not prescribe a particular process for formalizing local church membership. You can search the entire New Testament and never find membership classes, signed covenants, interviews with the elders, or votes at member meetings. Those are human procedures, not divine commands.
But don't confuse the absence of a prescribed process with the absence of the principle. The New Testament clearly assumes that believers are committed to a specific local church—a group of people with whom they regularly gather, worship, serve, shepherd one another, and submit to spiritual leadership.
In my experience, most Christians who resist church membership are not actually resisting that biblical reality. They are resisting man-made formalities, unnecessary bureaucracy, or legalistic traditions. To that resistance I say, "Amen." There is a little Pharisee in all of us, always looking for another rule to make ourselves feel righteous. Resist him.
But don't let your rejection of unnecessary formalities lead you to reject the biblical substance. We must be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The Bible may not prescribe how a church formalizes membership, but it unmistakably teaches the kind of committed, accountable relationships that formal membership is meant to recognize.
Putting it all together
At The Mission Church, we try hard to not be dogmatic about church membership formalities! We keep it simple, because we believe that biblical church membership is not complicated.
Church membership is the commitment to intentionally live out the "one another" commands within a local family of believers.
What about having Christian friends who are not members of your local church?
These friendships can be an amazing blessing in the life of a believer! Personally, I can say that my family is deeply grateful for our regular connections with fellow Christians who are not members of The Mission. But at the same time, we know that we have made a special commitment with other fellow members of The Mission.
Becoming a member is a commitment to prioritize your "one another energy" at this church...over and above other churches.
What does membership entail? While the specifics may vary from church to church, membership generally involves a commitment to:
Gather together for Sunday worship
Pray with and for one another
Spot and meet needs of others in the congregation
Join in Kingdom efforts with the local church for greater impact.
Financially support the needs and ministry of that local church.
Utilize your spiritual gifts for the good of the local church
Pursue unity by dealing with church conflict issues in a biblical manner.
Take part in the corporate decisions of the church (i.e. attending member's meetings, voting on pastors/deacons/budget, etc.)
Submit to the leadership of the elders in matters of local church governance.
Each of these commitments is clearly rooted in Scripture. That is why churches that practice formal membership include them in their membership commitments.
Because we should take these commitments seriously, finding the right church for you matters!
As believers, we ought not look for a church merely as a consumer. We shouldn’t choose a church the way we’d choose a vacation rental—by weighing which one provides the greatest number of amenities. Instead, consider the following:
What to look for in a local church
Ability to regularly gather:
This should seem obvious, but it deserves a mention. At a very practical level, you should consider the church’s location and service times. If the church is too far for you to get to on a regular basis—then you should probably look for a church that is closer to home.
Shared beliefs:
While members of a church do not need to be doctrinal clones, there should be: (1) agreement on primary matters, and (2) sufficient agreement on secondary matters. In my experience, when Christians leave a church over doctrinal differences, it is usually not over the essential truths of the Christian faith, but over secondary issues. For that reason, it is important to understand what a local church believes about a broad range of "non-Gospel" matters (e.g., Calvinism, women in ministry, end-times, politics, spiritual gifts, etc.) so that you can determine whether there is enough agreement to worship, serve, and grow together in unity over the long haul.
Elders that you trust:
This is an essential foundation for church membership. If you do not trust the elders of a particular local church, you should not become a member there. The New Testament calls church members to submit to their elders (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1–3). If, over time, that trust is lost and cannot be restored, you should not remain in membership. You cannot submit to spiritual leaders whom you do not trust That said, this trust is not absolute. The authority of elders is limited to the life and ministry of the local church. You do not need to trust that your elders can manage your personal finances, diagnose a medical condition, or repair your car. You do need to trust that they are able to faithfully and competently—albeit imperfectly—lead the church.
Needs that can be fulfilled by your God-given gifts:
While I do not think this point is quite as essential as the previous three (at least initially), it is still a biblical truth that God provides for the church through the church. Every local church has needs, and God has uniquely gifted His people to meet them. There is great joy in finding a church where your gifts meet genuine needs. When you visit a potential church, the primary question should not be, "What can this church do for me?" but rather, "How can God use the gifts He has given me to strengthen and serve this church for the advance of His kingdom?"
Church membership is not about paperwork or formalities—it's about committing to live out the "one another" commands of Scripture with a specific body of believers. Find a faithful local church, and commit yourself to it.