Why Church Membership Matters

Many people ask, ‘Why should I join a church?’ or 'Do I really need to be a member of a church? There's no Bible verse that commands church membership, when we look in the Bible, it's clear that being a member of a local church is understood and assumed. 

Here are five evidences from the Bible to be a member of a local church:

1. The majority of letters in the New Testament were written “to the church in or of...”
(1 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:2).

2. The offices of leadership were to be chosen from those who were members of the church (1 Thessalonians 5:12). This only makes sense if there are members of the local church.  

3. Letters of membership were often sent when a member of one church traveled to another
(2 Corinthians 3:1-2).   

4. Jesus taught church discipline in the context of church membership
(Matthew 18:15-20).  

5. Church membership cultivates spiritual growth. As a person comes to faith in Christ, it's vital to their growth that they place themselves under the teaching and authority of the Word of God. By joining a local church, each person is making a statement that they identify with a particular doctrinal position of who God is and what role His Word has in their life. Within the body of the church, we exercise the spiritual giftings received from God.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians describes membership in a New Testament church like being a member of a physical body (1 Corinthians 12:12-24). You are one part of a greater whole, and your part is vital for the overall health of the church, the body. Look specifically at verse 27: "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it".

The declaration that you are a member of this greater whole is self-sacrificing and not preference-seeking. Do you really need to be a member of a church? Absolutely. From Acts 2 to Revelation 3, the local church is God's plan A for his ministry on earth, and He did not leave us with a plan B.  

Grace and Peace
Brian Frank