Many who profess to be Christians in America aren't members of a local church cause they don't see a need to be ("who needs to be a part of a local church? I'm a part of the universal body of Christ...besides, that local church stuff is outdated and out of style"). Lots of people who are members may not be able to give good biblical reason for why they are a member of a local church ("its just what I'm supposed to do..."). Some think that being a member of a church automatically means your a Christian ("I've always been a Christian...I've gone to church ever since I can remember"). Some have been burned by the church so bad and have become disillusioned that they refuse to go back and be a part of one ("join the church? That bunch of hypocrites?! Not after what I experienced...its just me and Jesus now...no way I'm going to join a church ever again").
No matter what your experience has been, church membership is a serious topic. What does Scripture say about it? And is it possible for us to lay down our past experiences (or current experiences) and see if or why its important. Maybe you've been a faithful member for years, maybe you're on the fence about joining somewhere right now, or maybe you've vowed to never go back.
Here are some resources to help think through the issue:
- How important is church membership? --Part 1 by John Piper. (this is part of a coming 3 week series. I'll post the other two as they come).
- Also an article by Donald Whitney on Church Membership. This is very helpful and informative.
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