Formal Church Membership
If every Christian is a universal church member, why bother committing to membership in a local church?
As an elder in a local church who desires to see believers commit to the church in membership and flourish in a covenant community, this is a question I am asked frequently. My answer comes in three parts.
The Biblical Basis
As I read Scripture, it is clear to me that God desires that his people actively commit to a local church.
There is a clear emphasis in the New Testament on the local church. In the New Testament, the Greek word that is translated as church (ekklesia) is used 20 times to refer to the universal church and 85 times to refer to the local church. The letters written by Paul are written primarily to local churches. The focus is squarely placed on the local church.
A lone Christian is an oxymoron, according to Scripture. Once converted, the priority is to commit to a local body of believers. The pattern in the New Testament is that new believers join the local church. Acts 2:37–47 perhaps illustrate the pattern of repenting, believing, being baptized, and joining.
Scripture also contains evidence of administration within the local church. In Acts 2:41, the number of people who joined the church is documented. In Romans 16:1–16, there is a list of people in the church in Rome. In 1 Timothy 5:9–16, there is a roll of widows within the church. Each of these passages offers evidence of administration within the church. There must have been an awareness of who was part of the local church and who was not. The New Testament sees such administration as an effective way of caring for the church.
Decision-making in the New Testament heavily implies a defined group of people identified as the local church. Consider Galatians 1:6–9, Matthew 18:15–17, and Acts 6:1–6. In all of these passages, there is evidence of individuals deferring decision-making to the corporate body of the church. But, to know who can or cannot vote, there must be a defined list of who belongs to that local church.
The New Testament’s vision of leadership in the local church suggests a defined group of people identified as the local church. In Hebrews 13:17 and 1 Peter 5:2, it’s implied that there is a defined group of believers under elders’ leadership. There are people in particular locales for which the elders are responsible and people for which they are not responsible. What makes that distinction? I suggest formal church membership.
Discipline in the local church confirms all of the above. Church discipline is apparent in 1 Corinthians 5:1–12 and Matthew 18:15–17. These instances are difficult to comprehend without a definable group identified as the local church—it is difficult to exclude someone from something they never belonged to in the first instance.
Mark Dever and Paul Alexander (The Deliberate Church, pg. 61) deftly summarise the biblical basis for formal church membership by writing: “At the very least, then, we may say that local church membership is a good and necessary implication of God’s desire to keep a clear distinction between His own chosen people and the worldly system of rebellion that surrounds them.”
The Collective Benefit
There is a collective benefit when individuals commit to a local church in membership. Mark Denver remarks:
“By identifying ourselves with a particular local church, we are telling the church’s pastors and other members not just that we commit to them in gathering, giving, prayer, and service. We are telling them to expect certain things from us and to hold us accountable if we do not follow through” (Mark Dever, What is a Healthy Church?, pg. 95).
So, what is expected of the individual, and how does it benefit the whole? Individuals joining formal church membership benefit the whole body by committing to regular attendance (Heb. 10:24–25). When I turn up for public worship on a Sunday morning, I know others will join me, and my fellow members will be there.
Baptism and Communion belong to the church. Individuals joining formal church membership benefit the collective by celebrating the ordinances and displaying the high regard they hold. Individuals participating in these together benefit the whole.
Individuals joining formal church membership benefit the church body by governing the church. By joining a local church, individuals help shoulder some of the congregation’s responsibility for making decisions (e.g., Acts 6:1–6).
By joining formal church membership, individuals make themselves available for various avenues of service in the church. Many roles within local churches are reserved for members, including leadership positions, so individuals who make themselves eligible for such roles by joining membership benefit the corporate group.
Individuals joining formal church membership benefit the corporate group by committing to pray continually and specifically for the church (1 Thess. 5:17). One of the best ways to do this is by attending the prayer meeting.
Supporting the church manifests itself in practical ways too. Individuals joining formal church membership commit to supporting the church financially, generously, and consistently (2 Cor. 8–9). This benefits the corporate group by providing funds to be used in ministry.
Individuals joining formal church membership benefit the corporate group by committing to guarding the church against danger on the outside and indifference on the inside (Gal. 6:1).
There is a collective benefit when a believer formally commits to a local church in all these ways. It is like getting married; the individual makes public promises and commitments that benefit the couple. Likewise, in formal church membership, the individual makes public promises and commitments that benefit the whole body.
The Individual Blessing
The flip side is that there is an individual blessing when a believer formally commits to a local church.
There is an assurance of salvation. To be admitted into membership in a congregationally governed church means the church affirms your claim to salvation. Mark Dever (What is a Healthy Church?, pg. 97) writes, “By calling someone a member of your church, you are saying that that individual has your church’s endorsement as a Christian” (see Matt. 16:17–19).
Accountability is formally activated. Admission into membership offers a firm structure for accountability to function properly. There is both negative (Gal. 6:1) and positive (Heb. 10:24–25) accountability. This makes it more difficult to stray from the faith. In this way, church membership provides the best context in which to mature and grow as a disciple. This, after all, is the aim of church membership (Eph. 4:11–16).
We find committed siblings. To be admitted into church membership, one must realize the “one another’s”: “love” (John 13:34; 15:12, 17; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11), “live in harmony” (Rom. 12:16), “instruct” (Rom. 15:14), “care” (1 Cor. 12:25), “comfort” (2 Cor. 13:11), “serve” (Gal. 5:13; 1 Peter 4:10), “bear” (Eph. 4:2), “be kind,” “forgiving” (Eph. 4:32), “admonishing” (Col. 3:16), “encourage” (1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11), “do good” (1 Thess. 5:15), “stir up” (Heb. 10:24), “confess your sins” (Jas. 5:16), “show hospitality” (1 Peter 4:9), and “fellowship” (1 John 1:7). Brothers and sisters in Christ make binding promises as members of the church to do these things for their fellow members—and although they will not be done perfectly, they will be done.
Not only do we find committed siblings, but we find committed leaders. To be admitted into membership ensures that the leaders of that church commit to you in an equally binding manner (Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 5:2).
After reflecting on all of this, my follow-up question is: why would you not commit to a local church in formal membership?
Davy Ellison is married to Tracy. Having served in a variety of youth, pastoral and teaching roles in the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, he now serves as the Director of Training for the Irish Baptist College and as an elder in Antrim Baptist Church. In 2021 he graduated with a Ph.D. in OT Biblical Studies from Queen’s University, Belfast. Davy is the author of a short overview of Isaiah entitled The Holy One of Israel: Exploring Isaiah, a primer on Reformation Theology entitled Five: The Solas of the Reformation, and forthcoming books on meekness and resurrection in the Old Testament. He has also written for historicaltheology.org, Evangelicals Now, The Gospel Coalition, and For The Church. Some of his academic work has been published in Themelio and Semănătorul. You can connect with Davy on Twitter: @DavyEllison.