Matters concerning church membership have been part of some conversations within the past weeks. During discussions in the recent leadership planning/retreat the topic of membership also came up. As we celebrate our 34th anniversary, perhaps it would be worthwhile to review some of the issues relevant to church membership.
It is necessary to clarify at the outset that the main concern is local church membership. The local church is to be distinguished from the universal church, which refers to all who have made a personal and intentional commitment to follow Jesus as Lord. Simply put, the universal church refers to all believers everywhere. On the other hand, the local church is a specific body of believers in a specific location, who have banded together for a specific purpose.
So, while every follower of Christ is a member of the universal church, not every believer is necessarily or automatically a member of a specific local church.
One may say that membership in a local church is not essential to salvation. That may be true. However, if one is serious about following Christ, then membership in a local church becomes an issue of obedience. The Bible is clear that Christ has established his church in order to continue his work of drawing people to himself and accomplishing his purpose for creation. It is not enough simply to talk about the universal church, because it is through the local church that the gospel can be embodied in a specific place. The local church is where believers come together and try to live out the values of the gospel and declare the truth of its claims.
It is worth noting that in the early church, those who first believed in Jesus as the Christ understood that following Jesus meant the risky business of joining a specific group of people who could be identified, who were usually despised, even persecuted. Yet they did join because doing so was very basic to their following Christ. They became members of the church in their area: the local church. Membership mattered.
—Keith Y. Jainga