After three weeks of doing ministry in and around Hyderabad, India, I am finally home and catching up on regular responsibilities - like sending out this weekly "thought." And I get back into the swing of it with this short thought on "Church Membership." Though membership in the local church is a highly debated issue, and more assumed as a given in the New Testament than anywhere commanded, the more I read my Bible the more I see that all the evidence weighs heavily along the lines of what Ricky Jones -- lead pastor of River Oaks Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and author of this thought -- states in this entry. You can follow him on the RiverOaks Presbyterian Church blog.
If you find yourself taking
exception to what he says, I urge you to dig into the pages of the N.T. and see
whether it fits with the overall message found there, or is at odds with with
it. I believe you will see that it fits. Enjoy.
Is Church Membership Really
Required?
This month we will be
inducting new members into the most honored body the world has ever known: the
church of Jesus Christ. The initiation fee for this club is so high that no
human could have ever paid it; God himself had to pick up the tab. The benefits
of the club never expire. The fellowship of the club is unmatched; you receive
intimate access to the Lord himself (John 17:23).
With
such benefits, you'd think church membership would be held in infinitely high
esteem. But for many reasons, Christians seem to think less of it than ever
before. If you're one who looks upon church membership lightly, then I
invite you to reconsider.
When we hear the word
membership, we immediately think of a club. A member pays dues, comes to
meetings, and fulfills the obligations of a club member. When you move, or no
longer have time for the club, you simply withdraw your membership and move
on. The Bible says membership is much more intimate. “For no one ever
hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the
church, because we are members of his body” (Eph. 5:29-30). To be a church member
means we are a member of Christ's body—just like your finger is a member of
your body. His blood runs through us. His Spirit animates us. His will moves
us. He feels our pain, cleanses us when we get dirty, nurses our wounds, and
cherishes us with pride.
Leaving the church is not
simply leaving a club. When you walk away, you dismember yourself from the
body. Jesus and the rest of the body sorely miss you, and bleed after your
departure. You cut yourself off from your only source of life and nourishment.
Like an amputated hand, you will slowly bleed out, wither, and die.
Not Possible, Biblical, or Healthy
I hear you complaining
already. "My, he's being a bit dramatic. I'm a member of Christ; I just
can't find a local church I like. I'm a member of the universal church, just
not of any one in particular." I want you to understand that being a
part of the universal church without submitting to a local church is not
possible, biblical, or healthy.
First, it's
simply not possible. To imply you can be part of the greater community without
first being part of the smaller is not logical. You cannot be part of Rotary
International without also being part of a local chapter. You cannot be part of
the universal human family without first being part of a small immediate
family.
Second, it's not biblical. Every letter in
the New Testament assumes Christians are members of local churches. The letters
themselves are addressed to local churches. They teach us how to get along with
other members, how to encourage the weak within the church, how to conduct
ourselves at church, and what to do with unrepentant sinners in the church.
They command us to submit to our elders, and encourage us to go to our elders
to pray. All these things are impossible if you aren't a member of a local
church. (See 1 and 2 Corinthians, James, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and 1
Peter for references.) Asking where the Bible commands you to be a church
member is like asking where the USGA rule-book for golf insists you be a human.
The whole book is addressed to the church.
Finally,
living without church membership is not healthy. Independence—the desire to
choose for yourself what's right and wrong—is at the heart of sin. You need the
humility lesson of submitting to flawed elders. You need the encouragement of
sharing victories with your church. You need the fellowship of sharing
sufferings with your church.
You need to know we're all
in this life together, and we won't walk away from you just because you let us
down or we disagree. Together we build each other up into the image of Christ;
no one can make it alone. I encourage you to rethink the importance of church
membership. Our fellowship may be an affliction, but we are a glorious
affliction. And we will walk into glory together.
With prayers for Christ's Church - it's health, it's growth, it's
vibrancy, and it's witness, Pastor Jeff
