Page 83 - Pastoral Ministries -Student Textbook

Study Section 12: Church Membership

12.1 Connect

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

Obviously, the church does not want unbelievers assuming leadership roles nor teaching in various
Bible study classes. The unbeliever does not have the mind of Christ and cannot understand spiritual truths.
These truths are spiritually revealed by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. So, churches today often require
those people who wish to serve to “join the church” and enter into “membership” status. But is this a Biblical
practice? Let’s find out….

12.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to explain the purpose of Church membership.

2. the student should be able to explain the doctrines of salvation, the Lord’s Supper, and Baptism and
why they are so important in the life of a local church.

12.3 Church Membership

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.

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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