AN INVITATION TO LOVING RELATIONSHIPS

We live in an age of the self and expressive individualism with a high view of self and a low view of the church. Often times a lack of awareness and commitment leads people to hop from one church to another without being rooted deeply in a local body of believers. Lack of commitment in any human relationships, including local church body, is unhealthy and not sustainable. Idolizing personal individual choices leads to lack of commitment and harms the culture of the church. But in an age that upholds honesty and authenticity, people are also looking for authentic community. Church membership is an invitation to covenant renewal, authentic community, care and accountability.

To be a member of a church is to make a promise to live according to the Word and to support the work of the congregation. In the Bible this is called a covenant. Every believer is part of the church when we think about it as an organism (the Spiritual Body of Christ), but only by a promise can someone be part of the church as an organization. A promise, or covenant, is the basis for all society according to the Bible: marriage, employment, citizenship and church membership are all relationships of accountability.

Membership in a church is not like membership in a social club or other organization. Most organization members are consumers — the organization exists to serve them. The church of Christ is a completely different community. Christ is King and everyone submits to His authority and to one another. The church is overseen and led by elders of the church. Therefore, membership means ministry and service, going from being a consumer to becoming a provider of God’s love and care to others. This is called an organized-organism, like a trellis that supports the vine growth, or structure that supports movement in the body. Just as a human body has many parts, every church member has a part to play in a local expression of the body.