Membresía de la Iglesia
In an age where individualism and disengagement abound, it should come as no surprise that church membership is such a low priority for so many believers.
Sadly, it is not uncommon for Christians to move from church to church, never submitting to the care of the elders or committing to a group of fellow believers.
Neglecting or refusing to formally join a church reflects a misunderstanding of the believer’s responsibility to the body of Christ, as envisioned in the Bible. This prevents them from achieving the many blessings and opportunities that come with this commitment. It is essential for every Christian to understand what church membership is and why it is important.
hat is church membership?
When a person is saved, they become a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). By being united to Christ and the other members of the body in this way, they are qualified to be a member of that body.
Becoming a member of a church is a formal commitment to a defined local body of believers who have joined together for specific purposes.
These purposes include receiving instruction from God’s Word (1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2), serving and building up one another by the proper use of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-31; 1 Pet. 4:10-11), participating in its ordinances (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42), and proclaiming the gospel to the lost (Matt. 28:18-20). Also, when a person becomes a member of a church, he or she submits to the care and authority of the biblically qualified elders God has placed in that assembly.
The Biblical Basis for Church Membership
In an age where individualism and disengagement abound, it should come as no surprise that church membership is such a low priority for so many believers.
Sadly, it is not uncommon for Christians to move from church to church, never submitting to the care of the elders or committing to a group of fellow believers.
Neglecting or refusing to formally join a church reflects a misunderstanding of the believer’s responsibility to the body of Christ, as envisioned in the Bible. This prevents them from achieving the many blessings and opportunities that come with this commitment. It is essential for every Christian to understand what church membership is and why it is important.
The example of membership in the early Church
In the early church, coming to Christ meant coming to church. The idea of experiencing salvation without belonging to a local church is foreign to the New Testament.
When people repented and believed in Christ, they were baptized and added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14;16:5). More than simply living out a personal commitment to Christ, this meant formally joining with other believers in a local church and devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer as it teaches (Acts 2:42).
The New Testament letters were written to local churches and some to their leaders. The New Testament letters demonstrate that the Lord assumed believers would be committed to a local assembly.
There is also evidence in the New Testament that just as there was a list of widows eligible for financial support (1 Timothy 5:9), there may also have been a list of members that increased as people were saved (cf. Acts 2:41, 47;5:14;16:5).
Furthermore, when a believer moved to another city, his church would often write a letter of recommendation to his new church (Acts 18:27; Romans 16:1; Colossians 4:10; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:1-2).
The government of the Church
Throughout the New Testament, we see a plurality of elders overseeing each local body of believers. The specific responsibilities assigned to these elders presuppose a clearly defined group of church members under their care.
Among other things, these godly men are responsible to shepherd God’s people (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2), to work diligently among them (1 Thessalonians 5:12), to be in charge of them (1 Thessalonians 5:12; 1 Timothy 5:17), and to watch over their souls (Hebrews 13:17). Scripture teachers that elders will give an account to God for those entrusted to their care (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:3).
These responsibilities require an identified membership in the local church. Elders can shepard the people and be accountable to God for their spiritual well-being only if they know who they are; they can supervise only if they know those responsible ; and they can fulfill their duty to shepherd the flock only if they know who is part of it and who is not.
The elders of a church are not responsible for the spiritual well-being of every person who visits or attends sporadically. Rather, their primary responsibility is to shepherd those who have submitted to the care and authority of the elders, and this is done through the church membership.
On the contrary, the Scriptures teach that believers should submit to their elders. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them.”
The question for every believer is, “Who are their leaders?” Anyone who refuses to join a local church and entrust themselves to the care and authority of the elders has no leaders. For such a person, obedience to Hebrews 13:17 is impossible. This verse implies that every believer knows to whom they must submit, which, in turn, presupposes clearly defined church membership.
Ecclesiastical discipline
Church discipline is the process by which a church corrects the sinful behavior of its members, with the goal of
Restoration of the Sinner: Guiding the sinning member toward repentance and reconciliation with God and the community of faith.
Protection of the Church: Preserve the doctrinal and moral integrity and purity of the congregation, preventing sin from spreading among its members.
Maintaining the honor of Christ: Maintaining the testimony and reputation of the church as Christ’s representative in the world.
It is essential that this process be carried out with love, humility, and a genuine desire for restoration, reflecting God’s redemptive character. Church discipline does not seek to punish, but rather to correct and guide the believer toward a life in accordance with biblical principles.
If the person does not repent, it will end up excluding a professing Christian from church membership.
These two types of discipline are distinguished by calling the first corrective discipline and the second formative discipline.
Formative:
The New Testament speaks about formative discipline in countless passages about pursuing holiness and building one another up in the faith, such as Ephesians 4:11-32 and Philippians 2:1-18.
In fact, we can consider the New Testament epistles as examples of formative discipline, since the apostles wrote to the churches to help them form what they believe and how to live.
Preaching, teaching, prayer, corporate worship, accountability relationships, and godly oversight by pastors and elders are all forms of discipline.
Corrective:
The New Testament commands and represents corrective discipline in passages such as 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 and 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-15.
The elders of Mission Hope have neither the responsibility nor the authority to discipline a member of a neighboring church. Sadly the widespread lack of understanding of church membership has forced our elders to discipline not only formal members but also those who regularly attend Mission Hope. However, the biblical teaching on church discipline presupposes membership.
The exhortation to mutual edification
Scripture exhorts all believers to build up other members of the local church (Heb. 10:24-25) and to exercise their spiritual gifts (Rom.12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-7; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). Mutual edification can only take place within the context of the corporate body Christ. Church membership is simply the formal way of making that commitment.
What can we conclude?
Living out a commitment to a local church involves many responsibilities: being an example of a godly lifestyle in the community, exercising spiritual gifts in diligent service, contributing financially to the work of the ministry, giving and receiving exhortation with gentleness and love, and participating faithfully in corporate worship.
Only when every believer is faithful to this kind of commitment can the church live up to its calling as Christ’s representative here on earth. Simply put, membership matters.
Do you want to be a member of the Mission Hope Ministry?
“Being a member doesn’t give you privileges. Being a member is a privilege.”
-We believe that membership is necessary to determine who belongs to a congregation, who should serve with their gifts, and who pastors should care for in a particular way.
-Church membership is a principle we see in the Word of God.
-Believers must establish a relationship of belonging and submission to one another, and this can only be achieved through membership.
To be a member of the Mission Hope Ministry, you must meet these requirements:
- Profess a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
- Having been baptized by immersion.
- Have taken the Pre-membership course to learn about the doctrine and practice of our church.
- Attend consistently for the past six months.
- A personal interview with the Pastors of the church.
- Sign the membership agreement.
For any questions regarding church membership, you can contact the pastors.
EN 
ES_ES