Church Membership

I have been grappling with this topic for a long time.
I understand from scripture that once we are baptized, we become members of the body of Christ. That should imply belonging to a local fellowship of believers.
There was no distinction between members and non members in a fellowship in the apostles times. All baptized believers were counted as members of one body, whose head is Christ.

Things have changed over the centuries. I guess it started with the catholic church who had their parish and the mainstream evangelical churches followed suit.
Now, I can understand, churches want to know who is in and who is not, who they should care for and who not.
It also has to do with submitting to leadership. In practice, their are church "members", who are very active and others hardly ever show up and non "members" that are involved in their regular activities.
I have experienced abuse in a couple of churches and therefore I am very cautios when it comes to becoming a "member". We are regularily attending a church now for over a year and wonder if we should become "official members" although that would not change much in our attendance.
In our church new members are introduced to the fellowship and the assembly then votes if they accept them or not, which they usually do. I just wonder, is that biblical?

Isn't church membership an attempt to fix the lack of commitment that our present generation has with any form of relationship, be it marriage, family or church?

Isn't it true that once we believe and are baptized into Christ, we have transferred our ownership from ourselves to Christ and automatically belong to his local earthly expression with is the local church?

This is all complicated through the various denominations that are out there.

On a practical level, I understand that commitment to believers in a local church is vital, so the question is, should that be formalized in an entry in a "membership register" or should we just see over time who is regular and who isn't?

Can anybody point to some teaching resources that brings light into this?

I understand from scripture that once we are baptized, we become members of the body of Christ. That should imply belonging to a local fellowship of believers.

Once we are born again, we become members of the mystical body of Christ. Baptism, as I see it, is symbolic. Every person that has been given the Spirit of adoption, is guided by the Spirit and the word, and has their name written in the Lamb's Book of Life, is a member of this body, regardless of the building they go to or how much time they spend with fellow christians.

As far as belonging to a local fellowship, that's good and should be encouraged. Christians should not try to "go it alone", as it were. We should be accountable to one another, and have a godly pastor over us.

Does it matter what denomination we belong to? Yes and no. I distance myself from anything I perceive to be unbiblical, whether that's dead letter preaching or wild fanaticism. Many entire denominations have fallen prey to these kinds of things. But does it impress God that someone is Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal etc? The answer is self evident.

I guess the most important question is, has God led you into the local church where you are? Another important question is, do you have godly fellowship, or is it more like a social club? Are the churches activities centered around evangelism, prayer, spiritual growth, edifying the body of true believers, helping the poor, etc?

Perhaps the voting thing is a trust issue, in which case I completely understand. No good fellowship wants wolves in the pulpit or pew.

To me, church membership should be a natural, organic thing. Like calls to like. People who are truly born again will see Jesus in you, and they will want to have fellowship with you.

I honestly inwardly agree with Drifter. Our experiences are varied and different. That is one of many reasons Christ Holy Spirit within us is so important. So, He can direct us, and help the brethren through us as we stay in step with Him! I have worked in factories most of my life. Where our Lord has me now. Three of us started fellowshipping at two of our houses, then we had two others that have come, plus my son. We meet every Tuesday at my house and every other Friday at his. Honestly, get quite before our Lord, don't be anxious, and just let him lead you. I see it will be different for each of us in Christ body nowadays, and that's ok. Just keep our heavenly Father first in your heart and through Christ His Holy Spirit will lead you. Just don't let our mutual spiritual enemy push you around. Will be in prayer, that Father reveals to you where He wants you.

I know this must have been covered before, but membership is less important than understanding what the local body is actually for and realizing that without us being a part of this essential purpose and only plan of God, then God's plan for building His Kingdom cannot happen; that is, our own plans, strategies or substitutions will not accomplish the purposes of God for us or for His Church or for the world.

To be equipped by the pastor, teacher and "others” (in my Bible ). for ministry so that the saints can build one another up through speaking the truth in love to one another unto the building up of the Body unto the fullness of Christ.

Submitted to leaders who must be called, gifted, and led by the Spirit to feed and care for the sheep. Care includes protection from the "false" and to protect from the wolf outside and the wolves inside and not as a hireling would.

Discipleship, being discipled and discipling within the body by the body, especially older men to younger men, older women to younger women.

Brotherly love through various "faith working through love” works, one anothering, increasing more and more in love and faith.

Exercising and being exercised by spiritual gifts as God’s appointed and essential means for being built up, strengthened, and called to repentance . Recognizing that this is a significant requirement for becoming Christlike and being able to walk in all His ways, especially worked out in life through character, proclamation, good works and holiness of life that convicts and exposes the world for it's sin and invites and commands the world to repent and believe/receive Christ.

Protection from the evil one.

Admonition, instruction, correction, exhortation, rebuke and discipline for sin.

Helping others get to the finish line of the race.

Encouraging and helping others and likewise being helped personally to avoid unbelief and the bitterness of sin.

Assembling for the indwelling manifest presence of God in the temple or body of Jesus in ways only available through unity.

Worship in song especially exalting Jesus in His supremacy and admonishing one another with spiritual words.

Corporate prayer.

The way I see it, when you are born again you are part of Christ's Church. A local church membership isn't explicitly a bad thing as you are choosing to be part of a community and you're committing to uphold a certain set of values within that community and to serve.

I only see an issue when people make it hard for others to access Christ.
For example, I've been attending a church for several years, with the recent few in a leadership council/vestry/diaconate position. One day, the governing body for my denomination said it was policy that I couldn't continue the next year because even though I was baptised over a decade and a half prior, I wasn't seen as a member because a a bishop wasn't present at my baptism.

It was highly offensive. People at our church thought it absurd and so did I.
In the end I agreed that they receive me into the denomination so that I can continue in the work I feel God has me doing.
For me, my baptism years ago will always be special, while this wasn't.
It was disappointing that I had to navigate the beauricracy of man to serve God, and I will let Him deal with it.

by narrowpath
I understand from scripture that once we are baptized, we become members of the body of Christ. That should imply belonging to a local fellowship of believers.

But when the Lord tells you, you can either ignore Him in favor of your opinion or obey. I remember telling myself, "Guess I'm going back to church!"

I'm on my 3rd church in 6 years!! But in those 3 churches, I can see how the Lord has led me to where I am. And I do not mind paying tithes to this church, they help so many outside the church and that is key to me. Personally, I believe if we are supposed to pay 10%, so should a church be required to pay 10% to the community in which they exist. (But people PLEASE do not make this thread about to pay tithes or not to pay tithes!!) And I found this church, as a matter of fact, pays MORE than 10% to the community they operate in!!

I digress, I joined this church because I wanted to be a part of an thriving, active body of Christ.

In the wild west days of America, people had to wait 6 months or more for the preacher to come back around to have church. Actually, they belonged to their COMMUNITY more than they belonged to the church. Which brings to mind the 2nd commandment of Jesus, Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

I don't think it's as cut and dried as "Get baptized, join a fellowship." Period. Don't stress over it, pray over it!

I listened to a sermon years ago about a woman in the 19th century and she was questioning the Lord about why He never called her to go be a missionary. His response was, "Why would I send you overseas when you don't even minister to those I've sent you?" She said what do you mean? The Lord said, I've brought the Russians, the Indians, the Chinese, the Japanese too and you've not once spoke to them about me."

She was like a female David Wilkerson, everyone knew her in the streets and her building in the 1800's and loved her.

Local assemblies are wonderful and we do need them but the world needs us to minister to them from outside our church's 4 walls. So sorry to take so long to get to my point.

God bless you narrowpath!!
A change is coming in 2024, I feel it!!
Lisa

I don't think there are any bible verses in scripture to do with church membership in the bible

As I have been to churches where they have had church membership , the church ends up more of a social club rather than a church as a vast majority of members may be on the church membership but actually not go to church

Someone may not be even a Christian and be a church member and I know some people have become church members so that they can get married or go to the local school

I saw so many people who were baptised go astray from the faith as online you have the whole Christian deconstructing movement

It is why I don't believe in once saved always saved

The church of England is worse as someone could be Chrisitened and they think they are Christian because they have had there hair washed in a church and baptised as a baby and a member of a church but they are either pagan or antitheist

As with church membership you are assuming as the pastor or the leader may not even be saved as he may have got a theology degree, I have nothing against theology

When I lived in Canterbury there was ministers who were in the church of England who were LGBT, Hindu and atheist doing theology becoming ministers

So you may have a church in which the person who is leading the church who is not saved

If you state something like baptism is a pre requisition for membership then if someone is say a child maybe seven , what age do you say that someone becomes a member

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