Unity in Church Membership
Subscriptions, dues, fees, balances, ownership, roles… These are words we may typically associate with the idea of “membership.” It makes sense. We live in a world where luxury and status are equated with success. When considering church membership, some are prone to view it as yet another token of social status. Meanwhile there are others who view church membership as unnecessary and even unspiritual. The reality is that church membership is both necessary and spiritual as long as that membership is meaningful. In today’s pragmatic world our first question tends to be, “so what do I do?” Before we can get to the do of church membership, we must first understand what it is.
Church membership is a Covenant. A covenant is a “relational contract.” Let me explain the principle of church membership as a covenant with the example of two God ordained covenants. The first is something many of us are familiar with: marriage. Yes, the vows made between a husband and wife are a covenant before God and man. As a married couple the two become one flesh and vow to love, cherish, and be faithful to one another until death. The other covenant I have in mind is the greatest of all. The New Covenant was inaugurated at the first Lord’s Supper between Jesus and his disciples. This covenant was promised by God in Jeremiah 31 and fulfilled when Christ died on the cross for our sins. In this relational contract, God has promised salvation and new life to all who enter in by faith in His son Jesus Christ. This covenant is the basis of our covenant to one another as a church body. It is the foundational reality behind our shared identity.
Unlike sales agreements and business partnerships, when you commit yourself to a local church you are agreeing to a personal relationship. Think about it as joining a family. As christians we are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, the household of God. As church members we acknowledge our commitment to one another in a shared location, mission, purpose, identity, worship, and accountability. There is no church membership without a true commitment to one another to act as brothers and sisters in Christ, to submit to God’s ordained leadership within the church, and to worship together. This is far different from being a member of a country club. There are no fees, there is no glamor to be gained. There is only the act of living out who you are in Christ.
Are you a church member? If not, would you consider taking that step? If you are, then are you taking it seriously? Remember the apostle’s words to the church, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Heb 10:25).
Bro. Tyler Williams
