Biblical Church Membership
It’s not simply about meetings. Or a list. Or voting. It’s about being all Christ saved us to be! Through His life, death, & resurrection, Jesus Christ rescued & redeemed for himself a chosen, treasured people, those who believe and receive Him. And this people He called the Church (ekklaisia, “those called out to gather; a gathering with a specific membership”).
And while all believers in Christ throughout time and around the world belong to THE Church, the New Testament shows Christians gathering and belonging to different churches. We belong to THE global, invisible Church the moment we are saved and baptized by the Holy Spirit. But then in obedience to Christ, we belong specifically to a local, visible church, initiated by our believer’s baptism in water.
ONE GLOBAL CHURCH. MANY LOCAL CHURCHES. WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO BELONG TO & BE MEMBERS OF BOTH!
And we see this throughout the New Testament! Even Jesus himself called His disciples to assemble as local churches (Mt 18:17-20; 1 Cor 11:18; Heb 10:24-26; Rev. 1:4).
The New Testament and beyond paints this beautiful & glorious image of the Church that local churches then get to live out together! Each local church…
- lives as a visible embodiment of the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12; Rom 12; Eph 4:12-16)
- serves as an earthly outpost/embassy for the Kingdom of heaven (Eph 2:19; Phil 1:27, 3:20; 1 Pt. 1:1-2, 2:11-12)
- worships God as a tangible location of the Temple of the Spirit (1 Cor 3:16-17; Eph 2:21-22; Heb. 3:6; 1 Pt 2:5)
- cares for one another as one household in the extended Family of God (Eph 2:19; 1 Tm 5:1-2; 1 Pt 1:22)
And those belonging to the local church are called “members”. The “church” was originally used for specific members of the Greek city-state being gathered together. But we’re not merely a member of a political group or a social club; it’s so much better!
We are family members in a local church family (Eph 2:19) and body members or parts in a visible body of believers (1 Cor. 12)! We are citizens of heaven called to be members of a LITERAL gathering for the glory of Christ & His Kingdom!
SO WHETHER IT’S WITH FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OR ANOTHER CHURCH, JESUS CALLS US TO BELONG & COMMIT TO A LOCAL CHURCH!
LOCAL CHURCH = NEW COVENANT COMMUNITY
When Scripture speaks about God’s people belonging to Him and to each other, we see over & over the same theme: COVENANT!
A covenant is an agreement between two or more parties who make personal promises, binding them in a chosen relationship. We see this in the covenant of marriage: man & woman commits not only to vows but to a person. And God makes two become one, husband & wife faithfully bound & belonging to each other (Gen. 1:24; Mal 2:14-16 [ESV]; 1 Cor. 7:4). God designed marriage to be lived in covenant; the same for His Bride!
The Old Testament spoke of God’s OLD covenant with Israel; but through the blood of Christ, we have entered into a NEW & BETTER covenant with God and His new people (Hebrews, namely 10:19-25). So, believers live & gather not with casual carelessness, not under contact, but in covenant with one another, committed to deeply belonging to God & each other!
THE STARTING PLACE: LOVE & SUBMIT
The fellowship between believers is most centrally and consistently described with these two attitudes/actions:
LOVE (Jn 13:34, 15:12; Rom 12:10a; Eph 4:1-3, 16; Col 1:4; Heb 13:11; 2 Thes. 1:3; Pt 1:22; 1 Jn 1:7-11, 3:11-24, 4:7-21)
SUBMIT (Rom 12:10b; Eph 4:2, 5:21; Phil 1:27-2:5; 1 Peter 3:8; for church leaders: 1 Cor 16:16; 1 Thes. 5:12;Heb 13:17)
BOTH are perfectly displayed in the person and work of Christ (Jn 15:13; Rom 5:8; Phil 2:5-8); BOTH are essentials to the marriage covenant that also points to Christ and His Church (Eph 5:22ff); BOTH must be at the heart of our commitment to one another, the heart of our lives together.
THE FORMAL PROCESS FOR RECEIVING MEMBERS
That being said, the following is our formal process for receiving members.
For people who have newly put their faith in Jesus Christ:
public profession before the church. After meeting with a pastor (or deacon) to discuss their profession, they will be received as a member upon their baptism (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38-41).
For people transferring membership from a church of similar faith and order,
they will be received in accordance with the following steps:
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Candidate makes desire for membership known to the church body.
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A pastor (or deacon meets with the candidate at least once, aiming to (1) inform candidates on the biblical meaning and expectations of local church membership and (2) confirm their understanding of the qualifications and responsibilities of membership. Additional meetings and material shall be determined at the pastor(s)’s (or deacons’) discretion.
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Previous churches will be contacted concerning the candidate and their relationship with their previous church.
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The pastor (or deacon) shall present the candidate for membership at a members’ meeting, giving or withholding their recommendation. The pastor (or deacon) must give clear and appropriate reason for withholding recommendation. Then, the candidate will be voted upon by the church, requiring a two-thirds vote of the present and voting members.
For candidates coming from a church of a different denomination:
they will reaffirm their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If their previous baptism is not in accordance with the church’s beliefs, they will be received as members upon their baptism.