Why Should I Be a Member of a Local Church? by Carey Green

Why Should I Be a Member of a Local Church? by Pastor Carey Green

Why Should I Be a Member of a Local Church? by Pastor Carey Green In our day we know about membership. We have health club memberships, discount buying club memberships, memberships in civic organizations such as Rotary or Lion's Clubs, video store memberships, and the list goes on and on. In order to be a member of one of these organizations, we have to meet certain requirements (sometimes it's as simple as paying an annual or monthly fee). But we also receive certain benefits from being a member. We know what it means to be a member of something... don't we? In this booklet we'll be exploring the idea of membership as it relates to being a part of the local church. Church membership, like the other groups mentioned carries with it both expectations and benefits. But it's different in respect to what it takes to be a part of the church. Don't misunderstand, the doors of the local church are open to anyone who would like to enter or attend. Our worship, teaching, and ministries are for anyone who would like to participate. But to be a member of the church, a part of the family, more is required. What IS the church? There are countless buildings, with signs out front, labeled with the word “church.” Many of these represent Christian denominations while others represent groups that do not hold a Christian perspective. But just because a building has the word “church” on it, doesn't mean that it is a true church. When we think about the church, we need to be careful that we are thinking Biblically. In other words, what does the Bible say about the church? When the scriptures talk about the church, they don't primarily speak of a building or meeting place. For at least the first century of the church's existence, there were no designated church buildings. The members of the church would meet in homes, the temple courts, hillsides, caves, catacombs – anyplace that was large enough or appropriate for them to gather together. The Greek word that is translated as “church” in the New Testament (ecclesia) actually means “assembly, or gathering.” That helps us to understand that when the scriptures speak about the church, they are referring to the people who gather together, not the place they meet or a name they may take for themselves. The church is the people. But as mentioned before, the church is not just ANY people who gather together. If that were the case we could refer to a crowd at a football game, or a student body at a school building as a “church.” When the Bible refers to the church, it is speaking about a specific group of people who all have one specific thing in common. What is it? The church is made up of those people who have been called to repentance over their sin by the grace of God, and have received the forgiveness of their sins through their response of faith in Jesus Christ. You can't be a member of the church by paying annual dues, showing up to worship and other meetings, or even supporting the church with your time and money. You must be a disciple of Jesus to be a part of the family known as the church! Since the only members of the church are believers in Jesus Christ, we can see that in one very broad sense, the church is much larger than can possibly be contained in one building! In fact, the church is spread throughout the world, in a variety of cultures and countries, and over thousands of years! The church exists anywhere that people who have true faith in Jesus Christ live! This broad, world-wide understanding of the church is known as the “universal” church. © 2011 – Community Church of Leadville, Colorado  www.ccleadville.org  ccleadville@gmail.com

But there is another way the Bible refers to the church, and that is on a local level. In fact, this is the most common way the word “church” is used in the New Testament. Out of 115 times the word “church” is used in the New Testament, 97 of them refer to a local gathering of believers in Christ, not the universal church. What that tells us is that the broader, universal church is organized locally into smaller gatherings of people. We can see this in the New Testament on countless occasions where those local assemblies of believers are identified BY their region or town. For example: “the churches which are in Asia” - a region (Revelation 1:4), and “the church of the Thessalonians” - Thesalonica was a town (1 Thessalonians 1:1). There are even identifications of groups of gathered believers according to the home in which they met (Philemon 1:2)! The point is that the concept of an identifiable, local church is not only Biblical, it is clearly the way in which God arranged for His followers to be identified and organized. In our day, these local assemblies of believers happen even within communities, as we see in the various churches that may be spread across a town or city. Here in Leadville, there are a number of “churches” (gatherings of Christians) that go by different names (Community Church, Hope Community Fellowship, Mountain Crest Baptist Church, etc.). In the universal sense, all of the believers within each of those groups are together “the church,” over which Jesus is the Head (Colossians 1:18). But in a more specific way, each of the individual local churches are God's ordained way of gathering believers together in a specific, identified way for spreading the gospel message of salvation, growing and equipping Christians, and showing the glory of Jesus to their communities and the world. Local churches are biblical and they are vital. Let's take a quick detour to consider another issue. Some people consider their involvement in or relationship with para-church organizations like Campus Crusade, or Young Life, or the Navigators to serve as their “church.” Others may feel that they read enough Bible study books, or attend women's or men's Bible studies, Christian conferences, etc. – and those are sufficient to serve as their “church.” While all of those organizations and others like them are great things – they aren't the church. They are organized groups of Christians who have come together around a specific cause (Women's issues, youth ministry, discipleship, etc.), and are not open to all people. For example, Young Life is only for teens. Campus Crusade is only for college students. Womens' Bible studies are... well... only for women. You get the point? But the local church is open to everyone! Look at this verse - “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28). What that means is that the church is a gathering of believers in Jesus Christ from all backgrounds, all walks of life, both genders, all ethnic roots – in short, the church is for anyone and everyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ. The organizations mentioned before, and many others, are great organizations doing great things in Jesus' name and for His sake – but they are not churches. Membership Matters Why does it matter that we understand what a church is? Because Jesus has established local churches as His primary means of distributing the gospel message, and His intended way of growing and maturing those who have committed to following Him. It is important that we do our best to pursue God's intended work in our lives in God's prescribed © 2011 – Community Church of Leadville, Colorado  www.ccleadville.org  ccleadville@gmail.com

way. Let's think of it from a different perspective... Why would you want to become a member of a local church? Isn't it good enough just to be a member of the universal church? Truthfully, anyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ is automatically a member of the universal (world-wide) church. But there is more to being a part of the church than simply “getting in.” Don't misunderstand – becoming and being a Christian is a wonderful, life-changing thing, and does result in you being a part of the universal church... but that's just the beginning of the goodness God has to give you! And it's just the start of what He wants to do with and through your life. Jesus wants you to grow in Him, to mature in your faith, to become a stronger and progressing example of the marvelous changes He is able to make in the lives of people. But He doesn't just make you holy all of a sudden. It's a process that the Bible calls sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), and it happens in a very specific way. As the Head of the church, Jesus has ordained that the growth and maturity he wants to happen in your life will be accomplished through the circumstances of your life, coupled with your committed and consistent involvement in a local church! As you commit yourself to Jesus and to a local assembly of fellow-believers, you are putting yourself right in the middle of Jesus' “growth workshop.” He will use your involvement, the relationships you build in your local church, and the teaching, worship, and accountability that is available there, to grow you to maturity (Colossians 1:28). As you live your day to day life, you face all kinds of challenges to your faith. Antagonistic co-workers, financial shortfalls, job loss, sickness, unforeseen emergencies, sudden success – all of these circumstances are able to side-track your growth in Jesus (Matthew 13:1-8). What are you supposed to do when those challenges arise? Gut it out all on your own? No! The Bible says that you need the encouragement, prayers, and support of other believers in Christ who are committed to the same walk of faith that you are! That is the local church! As you come together, week after week, to worship, pray, hear the word of God taught, and minister to each other, you mutually encourage one another's faith (Romans 14:19). That is God's plan for how disciples of Jesus are to work together for the common good! For that reason it is important that you make your partnership with and commitment to a local church known by officially becoming a member of a local church fellowship. Some people respond, “But the Bible never speaks of 'membership' at all. How can a formal church membership be Biblical?” That really is an important question, and has a very simple answer. It is true that the Bible never uses the phrase, “Church membership.” In fact, there are many foundational and vital truths in the scriptures that are never specifically identified by the phrases we use to describe them – things such as “Trinity” and “the virgin birth.” But that doesn't mean the Bible doesn't teach about them! The same is true of the idea of church membership. The idea of church membership is seen in many situations in the New Testament. In fact, there is an underlying assumption throughout the New Testament that believers in Christ are organized into identifiable groups known as the local church. Let's look at a few... Matthew 18:15-20 tells believers how to handle situations where one Christian brother or sister has sinned against another. It is very specific as to how to handle those situations. But what we want to notice is that the final “step” in this process to seek reconciliation says that the offended individual is to “tell it to the church” if the one who has sinned against them does not repent after multiple and various attempts at reconciliation. Does it mean that the person is to tell all believers everywhere (the universal church) about the offense? It couldn't practically mean that. Does it mean the local church? It would have to... but more © 2011 – Community Church of Leadville, Colorado  www.ccleadville.org  ccleadville@gmail.com

specifically, it would have to refer to a certain group of individuals who are known to be “the church” to which those particular believers belong. There is an assumption that the church is identifiable, recognizable in some way. There are individuals in the locality who are a part of that church, and others who are not. How was this offended person to know who was “in” the church's members and who was “out” of the membership of the church if there were no recognized ways in which to receive members? In another example, 2 Corinthians 2:6 refers to a matter of church discipline – where the Corinthian church had implemented a punishment toward a man among them who had committed some sort of open and flagrant sin. The man spoken of in this verse may be the same man we learn about in 1 Corinthians 5:1 who was sleeping with his own mother-in-law, but we can't be certain. Regardless of exactly who it is that Paul is speaking of, we can see from his comment that the decision to put the man under church discipline in the first place was made “by the majority.” What majority is he talking about? Is it the majority of the people in the town of Corinth? No, he's speaking to the church. Then is it the majority of people who showed up for worship on a certain day? No, it is more likely Paul means the majority of the people who were recognized in Corinth as being part of that local church. It was a specific, identifiable group of people who agreed together to discipline this man, not a nebulous concept known as “the church.” If they took a “majority” vote of some kind, then there had to be recognized whole (the entire church membership) out of which that majority came... and how would individuals be recognized as part of that whole if there were not some system of recognizing and receiving new members? We also see church membership assumed in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians when he speaks of how to view and respond to leaders within the church. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” Paul says that there are individuals within the church who are “over” other believers. They are leaders, most likely the Elders who have been appointed for that specific local church. As we consider this passage, there are some common-sense questions we should ask that will enable us to see that a clearly identified church membership is assumed here: QUESTION: Who are these leaders over? ANSWER: Not a nebulous or unnumbered group of people, but a specific group of people... those who are the recognized “members” of the church. QUESTION: How can the leaders properly shepherd those under their care if they don't know specifically who they are? ANSWER: They can't... they would have to know specifically who falls under their care and who does not! QUESTION: Doesn't it seem probable that the early church had some method of determining who was to be recognized as members of the church? ANSWER: There appears to be no other option. Do you see how a specific membership is assumed in this passage? There are people who are under the care of these leaders and people who are not under the care of these © 2011 – Community Church of Leadville, Colorado  www.ccleadville.org  ccleadville@gmail.com

leaders. These types of statements make no sense and cannot be practically applied if there is not a clearly defined membership – a specific, identified group of believing people who fall under the spiritual oversight of the leaders mentioned. There is another way the New Testament writers assume that those within the church are able to clearly identify each other. There are at least 45 different occasions in the New Testament where the Christians in local churches are encouraged to do certain things toward “one another.” Encourage one another, teach one another, exhort one another, love one another, and so on. Again, how are each of us supposed to know who these “other” people are that we are supposed to encourage, teach, exhort, etc.? We have to know specifically who these people are if we are going to carry out these types of commands. We have to be able to say, “He is part of the church, he is not.” To see this more clearly, look at this passage: Galatians 6:10 “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Paul is telling those in the Galatian church that they are to love everyone (a larger group). But within that larger group he distinguishes a smaller group - “the household of faith” (the church). How are these believers to know exactly who is to be the recipients of this “special” amount of good deeds if there is not a specified, clearly defined membership to their local church? If they don't know who is in the church and who is not in the church, they won't be able to accurately distinguish between the “everyone” and the “household of faith.” Perhaps the most compelling evidence of church members can be seen in the idea and practice of church discipline itself. By church discipline, we mean the actions taken by the church to help correct, train, and strengthen the faith of its members. Many times this discipline is ongoing, such as the “one another” passages mentioned earlier. But sometimes, when a member of the church has allowed themselves to become immersed in a pattern of sinful behavior, thinking, or belief, church discipline is utilized as a final means of “tough love” aimed at directing them back to a place where they can live up to the calling they have received from Christ (Ephesians 4:1). Said another way, Christians are expected by Jesus to live in such a way that they demonstrate the change He has made and continues to make inside them. When they don't, Jesus instructs His church to confront, admonish, and even discipline that person if and when it is necessary. Ultimately, the church is instructed to remove that kind of person from their midst if he/she does not repent of their sinful behavior (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). Think that through for a moment. The church is a group of people to whom a person may belong, or not belong. People may be received into the church, and people can be put out of the church. If this practice is to be possible, then we must have some means of knowing who is in and who is out... otherwise, we'd be guessing! Paul assumes that there is a clear delineation of who is in and who is out. There has to be, or else there is no criteria for who this concept of church discipline applies to and who it doesn't! Some respond that it's very simple to know who “belongs” to the church and who doesn't, without requiring a formal membership of any kind. They would suggest that anyone who regularly attends the events of the church belongs to the membership of the church. That sounds good except for this very real fact – non-believing people often attend church functions, even on a regular basis. They are religious but do not have a real relationship with Jesus. If we consider those people to be “members” simply because of their ongoing participation, we are ignoring the primary thing that makes a person the member of the church in the first place – their faith in Jesus! What's even worse in that scenario is this: If we allow all who regularly attend the church events to be considered as “members”, we are implying © 2011 – Community Church of Leadville, Colorado  www.ccleadville.org  ccleadville@gmail.com

that they are saved, when they are not... potentially giving them a false assurance that will lead them toward an eternity without Jesus. Not only are we misleading them, we are also communicating that religious actions (like church attendance) have the ability to make a person right with God, which is not true (Ephesians 2:8-9). In that basic way, the gospel message itself demands that we maintain a healthy practice of church membership. As you can see, though the New Testament never uses the phrase “church membership” we can see it clearly assumed throughout. There has to be some clear way to identify who is genuinely a believer in Jesus Christ so that the church's membership is truly made up only of true believers – because that is what the church IS by definition! It's clear that the local churches in the New Testament understood this and practiced it, but it's not clear exactly how they did so. As believers in Christ who have chosen to gather together in a local fellowship, we are obligated to figure out some way to do recognize who is truly a part of the church family and who is not – for the good of the individual and for the health and stability of the church. Finally, consider what you are really doing when formally becoming a member of a local church. You are identifying yourself with Jesus by making your affiliation with His body, the church, plainly and boldly known (Ephesians 1:22-23). You are putting yourself in a place of growth that God has promised to bless (Ephesians 2:19-22, Ephesians 4;15-16). You are humbly understanding your own proneness to sin, and putting yourself into a network of accountable relationships so that you can be more faithful to the name of Jesus through the help those relationships provide (1 Corinthians 5:12, Hebrews 3:13). You are placing yourself directly in the path of Jesus' love (Ephesians 5:25). You are affiliating yourself with a group of people that Jesus will one day clothe in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). You are placing yourself more directly under the headship of Jesus (Colossians 1:18). You are becoming part of the people God uses to uphold and communicate His eternal truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Becoming a member of a local church is vital – to your health, and the health of the church. One Implication of Membership at Community Church Jesus calls those who trust in Him to represent Him to the world. Said another way, it is through us that they come to know about Him. This is done both through our lives as individuals and through our cooperation and unity as the church. On a local level, people in a specific community or town often make judgments about God, Jesus, the way to heaven, divine forgiveness, and many other eternal spiritual truths through the impressions they get from the churches in their community. For example, if a particular local church is known to be wishy-washy about things like adultery, homosexuality, drug use, etc. in the lives of their own membership – then the people in the community will inevitably form the impression that such things really aren't that big of a deal to God... after all, the church is His representative on the earth, isn't it? When this happens, people begin to think that sin in general is not a big deal, that there is no standard of holiness to which God holds them. They begin to think, “I'm not all that bad.” But that's the farthest thing from the truth! Our sin is the reason Jesus went to the cross. It is what keeps us separated from God. Without a recognition of our sin-sickness, we won't seek a cure! Do you see how our testimony as believers and the standards we uphold for ourselves as the church, have a huge impact on how people view their own sin and need for forgiveness? This is especially true when it comes to those who are in “up front” positions in the © 2011 – Community Church of Leadville, Colorado  www.ccleadville.org  ccleadville@gmail.com

church. Imagine this scenario... a lost person from the community comes to visit your church service on a Sunday morning. One of the people on the worship team that morning is a person who is a known drug-addict in the community who is often in trouble with the law. What impression will this visitor get about the church's view of such things? They may easily think that this church doesn't care about such things, that Jesus doesn't care about such things. For this reason, a local church's leadership is responsible to make sure that those who serve in “up front” positions, those that represent the church in any way (worship teams, teaching, Elder, Deacon) are rightly representing the church, not only in what they are doing to serve in the church, but also in their lifestyle. How should the Elders of a local church accomplish this? There are only two real options. 1) They could become legalistic lifestyle-checkers. They would take it upon themselves to constantly be checking the lives of those in these “up front” positions, to make sure they pass muster. In this approach they would tend to become heavy-handed, overbearing leaders rather than shepherd of the flock. Or, 2) They could ask for a mutual commitment to a Christ-like life and participation in the church from every person who desires to be in those positions of leadership. It seems clear that the later of the two is the better way to go... it's less intrusive and domineering, more respectful of the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of individuals, and at the same time asking these leaders to uphold the standard the church should uphold as it represents Jesus. A membership agreement or covenant is exactly that – only applying to the entire church. It's a mutual agreement, between everyone who calls the church “home,” to do their best in the power of the Spirit to live out the lifestyle of a Christian, and remain accountable to each other as one of the means by which they are equipped to do so. In this way, the church as a whole is in agreement that they will work together to represent Jesus well. For this reason, those who desire to be in these “up front” positions at Community Church are required to be members of Community Church first. This way, the appointed leaders of the church (the Elders) are able to know that those individuals have agreed to live a life that represents the church, and ultimately Jesus, well. The Community Church Membership Process In prayerfully considering the best way to address this very important need, the Elders of Community Church have developed a process that we believe helps us to go about this process of receiving members with wisdom and discernment. Here's what we do: •

Membership Application – Your first step toward being considered for membership in the Community Church family is to complete a membership application. This lets us know the basics of who you and your family are, and a brief summary of your relationship with Jesus. It also clearly defines the beliefs and policies of the Community Church family, and gives you the opportunity to affirm your agreement with those things.

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Attend our Membership Class – Next, we ask you to attend our Membership Class. In this class, we will introduce you to the history, beliefs, and practices of the Community Church family, as well as inform you about our ministries, opportunities for service, and associations with other churches. This class also gives you the opportunity to get to know our Pastor better, since he teaches the class. © 2011 – Community Church of Leadville, Colorado  www.ccleadville.org  ccleadville@gmail.com

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Meet with the Elder Team for a membership interview – This may sound intimidating, but rest assured that is the last thing we want it to be! This is nothing more than a “getting to know” you conversation. The Elders will want to hear about how you came to faith in Jesus, and how you've seen Him working in your life since. They will ask you to explain some about your understanding of the gospel message that brings us to faith in Christ, as well as answer any questions you may have. They will also walk through the issues of church discipline and congregational voting to make sure you understand those practices and benefit from them as much as possible.

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Elder Team determines your eligibility for membership – After your membership interview, the Elder team will discuss your responses amongst themselves and come to a decision about whether to recommend you for membership in the Community Church family. Please know, their main concern is that you understand the gospel message and have truly placed your faith in Jesus. If, for any reason, they are uncertain about this in your case, they will bring it up during your interview and seek to lead you to a deeper understanding of faith in Jesus.

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The Elder Team recommends you to the church family – Once the Elder Team has determined that you qualify for membership in the Community Church family, you will be asked to be in attendance at a morning worship service where you will be presented as a candidate for membership. The congregation will be given a few weeks to prayerfully consider your application for membership, and to speak with one of the Elders if they have any concerns. Should any concerns arise, the Elders will address them with the concerned individual in light of their conversations with you. Upon completion of this time of consideration, you will be asked to be in attendance at another morning worship service, where you will be affirmed and received into membership in the Community Church family.

No doubt, the process we've chosen is not perfect – but it is our best attempt to faithfully practice church membership in a way that allows us to better maintain a membership of “believers only,” and at the same time identify who falls under the authority and care of our local church family and who does not. We ask that you prayerfully consider what Jesus is calling you to do regarding membership in His church. Whether at Community Church or another local assembly that preaches the word of God faithfully, we implore you to identify yourself with a local church soon, for your own sake, and for the sake of Jesus!