Formal Church Membership: Is It Scriptural?
Bro David Petersen
Introduction
Today there is a cultural bias in America against traditional church structure. There is also a propaganda campaign to support that cultural bias. Sometimes people will say "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual." Usually they say this to dis-associate themselves from what they call "organized religion." "Organized religion" gets a bad rap these days. Sometimes when I share the Lord with people, they will respond by saying something like "Oh! Are you involved with organized religion?" That response is code language which can be interpreted something like "Oh! Are you involved with organized crime?" To them "organized religion" is something that needs to be busted up under Rico Statutes. These words are usually spoken with an expression of shock and horror that would be on a similar level with "Oh, Are you involved with child pornography?" At this point the person is convinced that I am in dire need of an intervention to free me from the affliction of organized religion.
Ironically, although I am committed to the local church, I am not thrilled with the general state of “organized religion” in the United States today. It has many problems which have earned it the bad reputation that it has with the world. What I am concerned about is the true nature of a scriptural, New Testament (NT) church as Jesus originally designed it to be.
As New Testament Christians, we consider the Bible to be our only authoritative source regarding spiritual matters. In the vernacular of Christian-ese, we say that the scriptures are our only rule of faith and practice.
So is the notion of formal church membership biblical? Should there be such a thing as a church membership role? Or is a church really a loosely-knit community of believers with no defined membership?
And what about church authority? Should a church body have any say as to who is part of that body? Should it hold any authority over its membership? We rely on the scriptural authority of the New Testament for answers to these questions.
Early Church Membership Roles
In the Book of Acts Chapter 1, we see that the early New Testament church is assembled in an upper room in Jerusalem. Note that in verse 15 there is a reference to “the number of names.” According to verse 15, there are about 120 people on the church role: “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) (Acts 1:15).
This church role of names implies that there is a formal membership. The phrase “number of names” refers to a written list. Many thousands of people were saved during the Lord’s personal ministry on earth. Yet here we see a group referred to as “the disciples” being numbered at about 120. What happened to the rest of those who were saved during those 3 1/2 years while the Lord walked the earth? Why aren’t they in the upper room? Not everyone who is saved is a member of a local church. And not everyone who was saved during the Lord’s personal ministry was a member of the first church in Jerusalem.
Being saved does not automatically make one part of a church. Church membership comes through the discipleship of salvation and scriptural baptism “into Christ” as the apostle Paul said in Galatians 3:27. That first local church in Jerusalem had a formal membership role of about 120 persons. These were all “disciples” who had gone all the way with their kingdom service through salvation and scriptural baptism into the body of Christ located at Jerusalem.
Acts 2:41
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
On the day of Pentecost shortly after the upper room experience, Peter preached the gospel message in public and “about three thousand souls were added” to the already existing church role of about 120 persons. The idea that they “were added” implies a known, identifiable membership. You cannot “add” to something that is not well defined.
Acts 2:46-47
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Again, in verse 47 of Acts chapter 2, the word “added” implies a known, finite membership. Those who were saved were added to the existing membership. The list of members grew as people were saved. Baptism is not mentioned here because the verse is generalizing those who were added as being “saved.” Verse 47 is not attempting to provide a complete list of requirements for church membership.
Much of the terminology about congregations in the Book of Acts fits only with the concept of formal church membership. Phrases such as “the whole congregation” (6:5), “the church in Jerusalem” (8:1), “the disciples” in Jerusalem (9:26), “in every church” (14:23), “the whole church” (15:17), and “the elders of the church” in Ephesus (20:17), all suggest recognizable church memberships with well-defined boundaries (also see 1 Corinthians 5:4, 14:23, and Hebrews 10:25).
There were other lists within the local churches in the New Testament. For example, the church at Ephesus had a list of widows who were eligible for support from the church.
1 Timothy 5:9-11
9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,
10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list.
The widows had to meet certain qualifications to be on the list. This shows that the church was intimately familiar with the lives of these widows who faithfully served the church with “all kinds of good deeds” such as washing the feet of the saints. The widows on this list represented a subset of the entire formal membership. You certainly couldn’t have a list of widows in the church without knowing everyone who is in the church.
Church Acceptance Of New Members
In the New Testament, not just any sporadic visitor could consider themselves to be part of a local church. There were qualifications for membership. As we saw in Acts 2:41 salvation and baptism were prerequisite. In addition the following verses show that acceptance by the body was also necessary for church membership.
In Acts Chapter 10, the apostle Peter preached the gospel to the household of a Roman Centurion named Cornelius. As Peter spoke the gentile hearers were saved and magnified God.
Acts 10:44-48
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
In verse 47 above Peter asked the brothers that had come with him from the church in Jerusalem if they approved of baptizing these new believers. This is strong scriptural evidence for the idea that current church membership approves the addition of new members to the local body.
After his own conversion, the apostle Paul even underwent an acceptance process by the church at Jerusalem.
Galatians 2:9
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
We need to know why we do what we do in our service to the Lord. We have a practice of extending the right hand of fellowship to individuals on certain occasions. For example if someone comes forward and announces that they have been saved, we will extend to them the right hand of Christian fellowship. If someone is baptized, we will give them the right hand of church fellowship and accept them into the church.
Extending the right hand of fellowship is scriptural. It is a New Testament practice that was done by early churches. The apostles used it to indicate their approval of other church members and to pledge their cooperation.
Also, when a believer moved to another city, his church often wrote a letter of commendation to his new church which is another form of church acceptance of new, (transferred in this case) members (Acts 18:27; Rom. 16:1; Col. 4:10; cf. 2 Cor. 3:1-2).
The Authority Of Church Elders
The consistent pattern throughout the New Testament is that elders are to shepherd each local body of believers. The specific duties given to these elders presuppose a clearly defined group of church members who are under their care. Among other things, these godly men are responsible to shepherd the flock (1 Pet. 5:2), to labor diligently among them (1 Thess. 5:12), to have charge over them (1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17), and to keep watch over their souls (Heb. 13:17).
Hebrews 13:17
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Scripture teaches that the elders will give an account to God for the individuals under their care (Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:3). Those responsibilities require that there be a distinguishable, mutually understood membership in the local church. Elders can shepherd the people and give an account to God for their spiritual well-being only if they know who they are; they can provide oversight only if they know those for whom they are responsible; and they can fulfill their duty to shepherd the flock only if they know who is part of the flock and who is not.
The elders of a church are not responsible for the spiritual well-being of every individual who visits the church or who attends sporadically. Rather, they are primarily responsible to shepherd those who have submitted themselves to the care and the authority of the elders, and this is done through church membership. Conversely, Scripture teaches that believers are to submit to their elders. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders, and submit to them.” The question for each believer is, “Who are your leaders?” The one who has refused to join a local church and entrust himself to the care and the authority of the elders has no leaders. For that person, obedience to Hebrews 13:17 is impossible. To put it simply, this verse implies that every believer knows to whom he must submit, which, in turn, assumes clearly defined church membership.
The Exercise of Church Discipline
In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus outlines the way the church is to seek the restoration of a believer who has fallen into sin—a four-step process commonly known as church discipline. First, when a brother sins, he is to be confronted privately by a single individual (v. 15). If he refuses to repent, that individual is to take one or two other believers along to confront him again (v. 16). If the sinning brother refuses to listen to the two or three, they are then to tell it to the church (v. 17). If there is still no repentance, the final step is to put the person out of the assembly (v. 17; cf. 1 Cor. 5:1-13). The exercise of church discipline according to Matthew 18 and other passages (1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; Titus 3:10-11) presupposes that a church knows who their members are. For example, Bradley Road Missionary Baptist Church has neither the responsibility nor the authority to discipline a member of the church in Lakewood, Colorado.
1 Corinthians 5:1-5
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
In 1 Corinthians 5 the church is to discipline the fornicating member by withdrawing fellowship from him. This shows that the local church not only approves the addition of new members as shown above in Acts 10, but it also determines who shall remain a member based on their behavior.
So far we have made a scriptural case for 3 main points related to formal church membership:
- There was a formal membership role in the early church which grew as people were added to it (Acts 1, 2).
- The church approved the addition of new members (Acts 10, Galations 2).
- The church exercised authority over its members and disciplined them (Matthew 18, Hebrews 13, 1 Corinthians 5).
Fitly Joined And Compacted
Ephesians 4:16
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:16 supports the idea of a church compact or covenant. That is the literal meaning of the word “compact” in verse 16. Social documents such as the Mayflower Compact” come from the same Greek origin. The word means to purposely unite in association. Fitly joined ... compacted “sunarmologoumenon” (NT:4883) ... sumbibazomenon (NT:4822). The present participle denotes present, continuous progress. The two participles represent respectively the ideas of "harmony or adaptation" and "compactness or solidity." It is the church members who are tightly knit together in this purposeful association.
The Meaning of Ekklesia
The English word "church" in the New Testament comes from the Greek word Ekklesia." Ekklesia is composed of the preposition "ek," meaning "out" and "kaleo," "to call." Thus the word ekklesia means a called out assembly, a local body of people. The primary use of the word among the Greeks was to refer to political assemblies that were called out to conduct local affairs of government (e.g., a city council). Jesus used this word to refer to his own called-out assembly of saved, baptized believers. But his assembly had a spiritual rather than a political purpose.
The very idea of Ekklesia implies some type of organized assembly (i.e., a formal church membership). To 1st century Greeks the idea of an ekklesia that did not have a well-defined membership would be nonsense. It would have made about as much sense as a city council with a loosely-defined membership would make today. Who was called out to conduct affairs of local government? Was it anyone who was a citizen? Certainly not: only the privileged were part of the political assembly. The political ekklesia had a defined membership just as the Lord’s spiritual ekklesia did.
The Fellowship Of The Body
1 Corinthians 10:16
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
The word “communion” in verse 16 comes from the Greek word “koinonia.” The word is sometimes translated fellowship or partners in the NT. The root “koino” means “common” and that which results from holding something in common, that is, a contribution. Thus koinonia refers to “a communion, fellowship or sharing in common.”
This is not a casual, once-a-week fellowship, but is rather a contractual partnership. The same root word is used in Luke 5:10 to describe the business partnership between Simon Peter and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon.” Here the word indicates a formal, structured business partnership. It is a “having in common”. It is contrasted with the looser type of association referred to in Luke 5:7 where it says that they “motioned to their partners” which were in another ship. Here in verse 7 the word is not koinonos, but rather “metochos.” Metochos indicates a sharing or participating in a casual type of association. The metochos relationship is not as deep as the koinonia. So fellowship is literally “some fellows in a ship.” As members of a local church we are in the same boat together, not in separate boats.
If Paul wanted to describe the relationship between church members as a more casual association he could have used the word “metochos” in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. But instead he used the stronger word “koinonos” which indicates a more formal partnership. Just as it was back in the first century business partnerships today are structured by formal partnership agreements. Partners have a precise knowledge of who is in the partnership, what their responsibility is to the partnership and what reward they can expect from it. The partnership agreement may be written or verbal, but all these essential elements will be present in the minds of the partners. Similarly members of a NT church are partners in the Lord’s business.
As we see in Acts chapters 1, 2, 8 and 10 the model in the New Testament is that new converts were baptized and joined to a local church as soon as they were saved, The idea of a “lone ranger” Christian who was not joined to a local assembly was foreign. Saved people who remain outside of local assemblies are simply not addressed in the New Testament. Baptism and church membership were the logical next-steps immediately after salvation. There is no example of any individual in the NT who got saved and then held out on baptism or church membership citing scriptural grounds for individual service over the common.
Acts 2:41-44
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
They were baptized the same day they believed and immediately began to participate in the fellowship. I’m not saying that everyone should be baptized and join the church on the same day they believe. However there is no need for a long waiting period.
They had all things common with each other in their service to the Lord. This is not saying that the early church was communistic, but rather that they worked together toward a common purpose. The early NT church was more like a crack team of commandos who trained and worked together to prepare for a mission rather than a hippie commune. This is the true nature of the fellowship. The koinonia is not a casual relationship. It is very different from our modern notion of “fellowship.” Today people usually think of fellowship as sitting around visiting, maybe over lunch. In the NT fellowship means taking care of business: the Lord’s businesss.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common.
Any saved persons who chose to live purely as individuals outside the church are not recognized in the NT. They were not factors in the kingdom work of Christ. The Christian life was normally lived in the koinonia and within the context of the ekklesia.
Rugged Individualism
Where then did this idea of individual service apart from any formal church membership come from? I submit for your consideration that this is a modern phenomenon borne out of American “rugged individualism” and the strong focus on the rights of the individual in American society. It is an attitude of “me-ism” instead of “Him-ism.” It is to place the authority of the individual over the authority of the church and probably indicates a problem with authority in general. This individualism can be a hindrance to a clear understanding of the true meaning of church. Churches are characterized in the NT as recognizable, local assemblies covenanted together in fellowship. An individual’s relationship to the body should be more about what they can contribute to that body than what they can get out of it.
We do not believe that you need to be a member of a local church to be saved, nor that we have the only true church. We do believe however that the Christian life was designed to be lived in the fellowship of a local church; and that local churches are composed of saved, baptized believers, covenanted together to carry out the Lord’s kingdom work.
The right attitude for all believers is to highly esteem being part of the “koinonia.” It is a great privilege to serve the Lord as a member of his body for which he shed his precious blood. To despise the local assembly is to despise his body. True disciples will gladly submit their own wills to his body in order to “hold all things common.” It is a great opportunity to make a contribution to the Lord’s organized kingdom work.