Author: Tim Challies

I believe in church membership. I believe in membership as a practical matter that allows a church to function well. But even more so, I believe in membership as a biblical matter that allows a church to faithfully follow the Scriptures. I suppose we ought to define our term. While acknowledging that membership can vary from church to church and context to context, the essential core is some kind of a formal agreement between the institution of a local church and the people who make up that church—an agreement that these individuals belong to that church in a way others do not. Hence, you are free to visit Grace Fellowship Church and participate in its worship services, but we will regard you a little differently than we regard the members. For example, you will not be able to conduct the business of the church and neither will you be permitted to participate in all of the church’s ministries. Some privileges and responsibilities are the exclusive domain of the members—those who are formally affiliated with the church. With that in mind, let me offer some reasons why I believe church membership is a crucial practice for a healthy church. Church membership makes sense of a Christian’s obligation to other Christians. The New Testament is replete with instructions on how Christians are to relate to other believers. Yet many of these commands can either only be carried out or can best be carried out in local contexts. You may be able to bear my burdens from a…See AlsoSoftware for Church LeadershipWhy Church Membership MattersDoes Church Membership Really Matter?