Page 69 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

Study Section 9: The Membership of the Church

9.1 Connect.

Here are some good questions: “Did the people who were getting saved in the early church
JOIN the church at Jerusalem? Did they have to write out their testimony of faith and give
their name and address to a clerk? Did they have to commit to giving to the church? What
other requirements did the early church have? Could they join the church but have not yet
been baptized? Did they have to be baptized by immersion or would sprinkling work?” And
just because the early church did it, are we to do it today?

The details of all these questions perhaps are not found in the book of Acts which traces the beginning
of the 1 century church. But what can we find out about some of these questions? Let’s begin our
st
study today to see if any of these questions about church membership can be answered….

9.2 Objectives:

1. The student should be able discuss church membership whether it is a new requirement or
was it a practiced of the early church.

2. The student should be able explain the requirements to become a member of the church.

3. The student should be able site the New Testament scriptures on church officers and their
qualifications.

4. The student should be able explain the qualifications for staff and other church positions are besides
the pastor and deacons.

5. The student should be able explain the role of women in ministry.

9.3 The Membership of the Church

The questions often asked are, “Is church membership taught in the Bible?” “Should our
church have a membership role?” “Should our church requirement membership to be
involved in various ministries such as teaching?” These are good questions, and we will look
into what the Bible says.

By definition, the church is composed of the body of believers who have been called out
from the world, and who are under the dominion and authority of Jesus Christ. And in Matthew 18:15-
20 Jesus, when introducing the concept of the church to his disciples in Caesarea Philippi, said that the
church would be composed of those who acknowledged (believed) that Jesus Christ was the Messiah,
the Son of the Living God. It was upon this confession that Christ would build his church.

It is clear that for a person to become a part of the church, that person must have experienced salvation
through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. He must be a born-again believer! When

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