Membership

Sometimes well-meaning people object to church membership based on the assumption that it’s not taught in Scripture and is therefore a man-made imposition. This mistaken notion arises from two factors that are present in our day that did not exist during the first century: multiplication and mobility. By multiplication we mean the increase in individual churches in a given geographic area. In the time of the NT, there was most often only one church in a city. Therefore, there was no need to identify with a specific church since it was “the only game in town.” Upon baptism, one became a member of the church.

In addition, even if in a given locality there was more than one church, lack of mobility did not allow one to go from one to another. The practice of “church hopping” was completely unknown in the first century.

In NT times there was no such thing as an “unchurched Christian.” When one was baptized, he was united with the particular local church in his area (see Acts 2:41). The modern practice of church membership is, likewise, nothing more than commitment to serve in a particular local church. “Membership” is just a synonym for commitment to a local church.

Without such commitment it is impossible to obey the numerous NT commands with regard to “one another” in the NT (these are all given in the context of the local church). Further, the biblical injunction regarding church discipline (i.e., the removal of a professing believer from the church) assumes that one has previously joined—otherwise, from what is he removed?

If you would like to apply for church membership, click below for our Membership Application. If you still have questions, see the helpful article below and you can use the Connection Form at the bottom of this page to contact us.

Click to download a PDF of the helpful article, Spiritual Disciplines Within The Church, by Donald S. Whitney outlining the biblical principles that necessitate membership in a Bible-believing and teaching local church.