Membership is Biblical

Acts 2:46–47 “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

To understand the difference between the local church and the universal church, one must get a basic definition of each. The local church is a group of professing believers in Jesus Christ who meet in some particular location on a regular basis. The universal church is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ worldwide. The term church is a translation of a Greek word having to do with a meeting together or an “assembly” (1 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:1). This word pertains to the work of God in saving and sanctifying believers as “called-out ones.” Another Greek word that speaks of ownership and literally means “belonging to the Lord” is transliterated as church, but it is only used twice in the New Testament and never in direct reference to the church (1 Corinthians 11:20; Revelation 1:10). A local church is normally defined as a local assembly of all who profess faith and allegiance to Christ. Most often, the Greek word ekklesia is used in reference to the local assembly (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 11:8). There is not just one specific local church in any one area, necessarily. There are many local churches in larger cities.

The universal church is the name given to the church worldwide. In this case the idea of the church is not so much the assembly itself but those constituting the church. The church is the church even when it is not holding an official meeting. In Acts 8:3, one can see that the church is still the church even when its members are at home. In Acts 9:31, the King James rendering of the plural word churches should actually be the singular church, which describes the universal church, not just local churches. Sometimes the universal church is called the “invisible church”—invisible in the sense of having no street address, GPS coordinates, or physical building and in the sense that only God can see who is truly saved. Of course, the church is never described in Scripture as “invisible,” and, as a city set on a hill, it is surely meant to be visible (Matthew 5:14). Here are more verses that talk about the universal church: 1 Corinthians 12:28; 15:9; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18.

One of the most important aspects of the believer’s life is the church to which he belongs. Church is where the Scripture is taught, where believers fellowship and encourage each other, and where Christians gather to worship God as a community. Church is a very important thing.

What are some ways in which people understand the word “church”?

Usually the building; a denomination, all believers, a local group of believers

What are the two ways in which the term “church” is used in the NT?

1 Cor 1:2; Rom 16:5 a certain church in a town, i.e., a local church

1 Cor 12:13; Eph 1:22-23 all saved people, i.e., the universal or “catholic” church

Read the following verses and formulate a definition for what the local church is.

Acts 2:41 saved and baptized

Acts 2:42 devoted to teaching, etc

Acts 5:42 preaching the gospel

Matt 28:19-20 going, making disciples, baptizing, teaching (fulfilling the Great Commission)

Heb 10.25; Acts 20:7 meeting regularly

Phil 1:1 organized with elders and deacons

Definition of church: combo of above elements

Are you currently a member of a church that follows this definition?

How do you become a member of a church? Acts 2:41

For new converts, baptism is the means of addition to a church. You would talk to the pastor, explain how you got saved and that you want to be baptized. If the pastor is convinced you really understand and are saved, he’ll schedule a baptism, usually after a PM service. After the baptism, the church votes to take you into membership. Next time we’ll look at the meaning and importance of baptism.

Unlike the universal church, membership in a local church is voluntary. One must choose to become a member of a particular local church. Unfortunately, some Christians choose not to.

The fact that some Christians refrain from uniting in membership with a local church is unfortunate, for church membership is a good thing.

I. The Reasons for Membership

Though it is true that church membership is not explicitly taught in Scripture, the general concept is found throughout the NT. Consider the following:

A. Biblical precedent suggests church membership.

1. Believers were added to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:47). They could not have been added to an organization that did not exist.

2. Records of membership were kept

1 Timothy 5:9 “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,”

3. Members could be removed from the local church

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.””

4. Members could transfer from one church to another

Romans 16:1 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,”

B. Biblical principles suggest church membership.

1. The principle of accountability

The local church is the context in which one makes himself accountable to other believers. Members of a church are responsible to exhort, encourage, warn, and disciple one another. We should welcome and seek such accountability. Unwillingness to join a church implies an unwillingness to be held accountable.

2. The principle of commitment

The members of the early church had a sincere commitment to one another (Acts 2:41-47). The author of Hebrews exhorts his readers not to forsake the assembly of believers (Heb 10:25). Members of a church ought to be firmly committed to one another and to the ministry of their church. Those who are not members have little or no ownership of the ministry. No matter how faithfully they attend, they are not really committed to the assembly.

Most churches have a formal covenant that members agree to when they join. A covenant is an agreement or contract which lists the obligations members voluntarily take upon themselves. Such a document is helpful in that it spells out very clearly the commitments people are making when they join the church.

Pass out copy of church covenant and read thru it.

3. The principle of orderliness

In the local church, all things are to be done in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:40). Church membership promotes orderliness by clearly identifying who is part of a local church and who is not. If one is part of a church, the church members have the right and responsibility to help that person live an orderly life. If a non-member is living a disorderly life, the church has no right or obligation to confront the person about it. Non-members are not under the authority of any church.

In the world we live in, church membership is under attack. specifically the question of “Is church membership even biblical?” With the advancements of technology and the ever growing busy calendar, can’t I just worship wherever I happen to be and at my own convenience? What does the Bible have to say about being a church member?

Acts 2:46–47 “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

1. Universal Church vs. Local Church

Ekklesia: The basic meaning of the Greek ekklēsia is assembly or gathering. In ordinary Greek it most often refers to the citizens of a city gathering to decide political issues and less frequently to an assembly of the devotees of a god.

a. Universal Church: all believers in Jesus Christ worldwide for all time

Acts 8:3 “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

Ephesians 5:22–23 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.”

b. Local Church: a group of professing believers in Jesus Christ who meet in some particular location on a regular basis

1 Thessalonians 1:1 “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.”

1 Corinthians 4:17 “That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.”

2. New Testament (NT) churches set the precedent

a. Members were added to the local church in Jerusalem

Acts 2:47 “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

b. Membership records were kept

1 Timothy 5:9 “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,”

c. Members were removed

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.””

d. Membership could be transferred

Romans 16:1 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,”

3. The functionality of the NT church suggests local membership

a. Members were accountable to one another

Matthew 18:17 “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

b. Members were committed to one another

Philippians 1:27 “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”

Hebrews 10:25 “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

c. There was an expectation of orderliness to be done

1 Corinthians 14:40 “But all things should be done decently and in order.”