Years ago, a neighbor lady told me she was a “member” of the church down the street and that she “…hadn’t attended for nine years.” Her idea of membership seemed similar to a magazine subscription that could be renewed year after year without leaving the house! Later, while visiting a friend, I was invited to visit “his church.” There, the preacher solicited money from the congregation for the “land of Canaan”—his words for a proposed new building project in an adjacent lot. Immediately following his message, he extended an invitation to any “non-members” to “become members of the church.” I was confused: a message that was basically a fundraising campaign ended in a plea for membership. Did his definition of “church membership” signify that I needed to sign up? Was it somehow tied in with money? Was this a biblical view of church membership?
Members of a body, not of an organization. The Bible never refers to the church as a building nor as an organizational hierarchy that employs religious professionals to conduct business. Rather, it refers to us as members (parts) of a body (Rom. 12:4f; 1 Cor 12:18ff). This speaks of the vital connection each believer has to Christ and to one another. It also emphasizes that our involvement in the church entails our entire lives—not a token appearance when if fits into our schedules. Who ever heard of a hand that was only occasionally part of a body?
Composed of genuine believers. When Scripture speaks of being a member of the body of Christ, it is in reference to whether a person has accepted Christ as his or her Saviour, not whether they have signed up with a religious organization. We read, “The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Ac. 2:47).
Fellowship with God. Immediately upon being saved, we possess fellowship with the triune God: God the Father (1 Jn. 1:3), God the Son (1 Cor. 1:9), and God the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). Both Thayer’s and Vine’s describe “fellowship” (in Greek, koinonia) as, “association, joint participation, sharing in common.” When we enter into a relationship with the Lord, we enter into all the blessings, privileges, and responsibilities of being a child of God; we become part of this fellowship—part of this “association, joint participation, sharing in common.”
Fellowship with other believers. When a person is saved and becomes a member in the body of Christ, he or she also enjoys fellowship with other believers as members one of another, as stated in Romans 12:5, which the ISV translates as “individual parts connected to each other.” Fellowship was a hallmark of the early church (Ac. 2:42).
So what’s the big deal? First of all, without becoming a genuine Christian, we are not part of the body of Christ and, therefore, are simply not a part of the church. Secondly, if we think that becoming a member of the church is associated with tithing, signing a pledge, or periodically showing up at the meetings with other believers, then we are in error according to Scripture. We have a fundamental misunderstanding of the church that will taint everything we do. Thirdly, choosing a place to obtain church membership based upon social needs (e.g. friendly people, programs, entertaining preachers, dazzling music, or extra-curricular activities) reduces the church to the level of a country club or a gym, but with a religious twist. People who hold such philosophies are prone to disappointment and spiritual destruction. Of the church in Sardis, the Lord Himself said, “thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” —spiritually dead (Rev. 3:1)!
Being a member of the body of Christ and then enjoying fellowship with a local church are worth the effort required to understand them biblically.