What Membership Means March 5, 2012
Last week I mentioned that our elders believe localchurch membership is an integral part of what it means to be a follower ofJesus Christ. But what exactly does it mean to be a church member? What’s thedifference between a formal member and a regular attender?
In a word, church membership is commitment. Some peoplewant the privileges of membership without any of its obligations—like coupleswho decide to live together without getting married. This arrangement is awell-known recipe for separation, because it lacks the one essential ingredientfor success: commitment. The biblically based commitments of a church memberare these:
1. To hold to andsupport our church’s doctrinal statement,
2. To “be” the churchwith these specific people, and
3. To follow ourelders as they follow Christ.
Of course, the primary way these commitments findexpression is in our heart and through our life. But we find it helpful to askour members to express their commitment in a formal and public way, somewhatlike the vows and signatures in a marriage ceremony. No bride would accept it ifher fiancé refused to take wedding vows or sign the marriage certificate, evenif he said: “My actions speak for me. Why do you need a piece of paper?”Similarly, we ask our members to do more than be committed in their heart. Weask them to make their commitment explicit through the simple membershipprocess we’ve outlined.
As the above list of commitments demonstrates,membership at Parker Hills is not an organizational affiliation. It’s apersonal responsibility involving us in each other’s lives! This is what makesa church distinct from a camp meeting, a Christian conference, or some otherrandom collection of believers. The members of a church are strongly committedto each other’s physical, spiritual, and relational prosperity.
Church membership exists for our spiritual survival!The worst thing that could happen to us is not disease, terrorist attack,bankruptcy, or public humiliation; rather, it’s being overtaken by sin! Thelocal church exists to ensure that doesn’t happen. Church membership providesspiritual protection by offering us the ordinances to strengthen our faith,putting us in committed relationships with other believers, holding usaccountable to persevere in the faith, and ultimately confirming our status inwhat Spurgeon called “the dearest place on earth.”