The Reason for Church Membership

The practice of churches maintaining a membership role is not as common as it once was. Though there are probably a number of reasons for this, we would suggest three as particularly relevant: 1) A reaction to denominationalism, where churches are pressured to boost membership numbers; 2) a continuing decline in biblical ecclesiology in Evangelical churches; and 3) a rising influence of Platonism which views the church solely as a “spiritual” body, de-emphasizing earthly organization as a result. Though each of these merit a thorough response, our intention here is simply to provide a general overview of our church’s reason for membership.

Membership, as practiced by TEC, has nothing to do with “numbers” or sending impressive reports to a denominational headquarters. It comes from an understanding of what the New Testament teaches regarding the relationship between “elders” and “saints” (church leaders and parishioners). Sadly, this understanding has been lost in recent decades.

Here is a short sampling of passages that address the nature of this relationship.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13  Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

Hebrews 13:17  Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

1 Peter 5:2-3  Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

1 Timothy 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Titus 1:9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Acts 20:28  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Notice that both the elders and the people have obligations to each other.

Church leaders are to “work hard” in their management of the congregation. They are called upon not only to teach but also to admonish, which implies accountability. They are to direct the affairs of the church and protect her people from false doctrine. They are given the charge to shepherd and oversee the flock. Their diligence in all of this will be something for which they will answer when they stand before God. Therefore, they need to know who is under their care—for whom they are responsible. The practice of membership provides this.

Likewise, the people are to “respect” the elders, “submit” to them, and “not be a burden.” They are instructed to “hold them in the highest regard in love” and even “obey them.” For a Christian to fulfill such mandates, he needs to be under the authority of an eldership. And, given the magnitude of choices today in any given community, he must decide which eldership.

Basically, the practice of membership establishes a clear identification and defines the actual congregation who is under the care of the elders.  Membership is also a means by which a parishioner grants permission to the church leaders to exercise oversight over his/her life. This accountability is something that cannot be assumed; it needs to be clearly agreed upon.

Today, with our consumer mentality where people jump from one church to the next, the pastor and the elders need to know whom it is they are actually pastoring and eldering.  Who is part of our church body, and who is not?  For whom, exactly, are we responsible? The early church wasn’t faced with those problems. Christians did not have 40 different churches of 40 different denominations at Ephesus or Corinth or Thessalonica from which to choose. Membership has now become necessary to properly identify to which eldership the believer is relating.

Though the analogy cannot be pushed too far, membership is similar to a marriage pledge. If a couple simply lives together with no formal commitment, then they are left to assume and speculate each other’s standing. Yet, this is how many Christians approach their church involvement. The growing trend today is the less defined, the better. This lack of commitment and unwillingness to clearly identify with a local church is a large part of the reason we are in the state we are in. Even as unmarried couples try to play house, so too, many Christians try to play church. There is no accountability. No true discipleship. No clear understanding of each person’s roles and responsibilities. As a result, many of the New Testament mandates are either ignored or minimized.

TEC welcomes visitors and potential members to participate in all our services and events. We encourage such folks to take their time—six months to a year—to see if they would like to join the church, which we hope they will. During this time, they are encouraged to learn about our congregation by interacting with the pastor, elders, and church members. If, after ample opportunity to consider our church, there is no interest in joining, then we will kindly ask the person to consider another congregation. This is because of our conviction that every believer needs to be rightly related to a local church body, whether it be ours or another.

A membership handbook, which outlines our various policies and procedures, along with our constitution and by-laws, is available online.

Next: Statements of Faith