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Chapter 5: The Membership of the Church

Connect.

Here is 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?”

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

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
churches set up the rules to become a member of their local body, this generally is the first and most
important criteria. If a person is not a believer, then spiritually he is not a member of the universal
church and, therefore, should not be a member of the local church.

2 Cor 6:14-15 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness
have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between
Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

Therefore, for the local church to require a clear testimony of faith before becoming a member of their
local church is certainly justified and in harmony with the Word of God.

Some local churches require that the person who wants to become a member must not only give a
testimony of faith in Christ, but must also be baptized. Is this required by the Bible?

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