Why Should I Become

an Active Member of a Church?

by Dr. Steven C. Riser

Introduction
“I believe in Christ, but I don’t see any reason to regularly attend worship or become a member of a local
church.”
This comment is frequently heard today among people who claim to be Christians. According
to a Gallop Poll, 80% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. However, a
significant percentage of these people seldom attend a local church and believe that participa-
tion in one is not important to their spiritual lives. They see their faith as a private matter and fail
to understand the fact that the Christian faith is intended by God to be lived in the context of a
Christian community—the church. They fail to realize that although the Christian faith is per-
sonal, it should never be private. We are to build on our essential personal devotional life by
regularly praying and worshiping with other Christians.
Evangelical Christians have properly emphasized that salvation is solely a matter of accept-
ing Christ as Savior and Lord. Yet, there has been a failure on the part of some professing
Christians to fully appreciate the important role of the local church in God’s sovereign, redemp-
tive plan. The Church is the community of God’s people called to know, love and serve Him. We
are called to live together in true community as a witness to the character and values of the
Kingdom of God. The Church is the agent of God’s mission on earth. The Gospel—the good
news of God’s love in Christ—calls us to someone, as well as something. That someone is
Jesus Christ and that something is His church. The Gospel calls us into communion with Christ
and into fellowship with God’s people—the Church.

Scriptural Support for Membership

While some suggest that the Scripture is silent regarding church membership, actually, it is
not. Christians were never intended to live a life of faith in isolation. When we embrace Christ as
Savior and Lord, we are brought into the family of God here on earth-the Church. When indi-
viduals come to faith in Christ they are immediately identified with the Church. Acts 2:47 says,
“The Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved.” This implies that there was
some way of counting or distinguishing members from non-members. Historically, baptism was
the initiatory practice that admitted professing believers into the visible church. Acts 2:41 says,
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day.”
While there is no specific command to “join the church” there is a command to “repent,”
“believe” and “be baptized.” There is also Christ’s clear command in the Great Commission to

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baptize new disciples—this is the means of connecting new disciples with the community of
faith—the body of Christ—the church. Most churches administer the sacrament of baptism in
conjunction with church membership. In 1 Corinthians 12:13a Paul says that, “For we were all
baptized by one Spirit into one body….” Both sacraments are intended for believers; neither
sacrament is intended for non-believers. The sacraments separate believers (members) from
unbelievers (non-members).
Salvation is always individual, but it is never individualistic—always personal, but never
private. The Apostle Paul says that all who have accepted Christ as their Savior are new cre-
ations in Christ and members of His Body. Some people will admit to being members of the
Church in a universal sense, but claim they see no particular need to unite with a local congre-
gation. Such a thought is entirely foreign to the New Testament. The early Christians were all
associated with local congregations of believers. The Churches in the cities to which Paul wrote
were made up of the Christians who lived there. The New Testament clearly shows that from the
very beginning, Christians have been related to worshiping congregations in specific locations.
Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but
let us encourage one another...”

Fellowship is Essential for Growth

One of the most important functions of the local Church is to grow in the faith. First
Thessalonians 5:11 says we are to, “Encourage one another and build one another up in the
faith.” We can’t do this unless we are vitally related to other Christians.
In Ephesians 4, Paul teaches that membership in a Church is the key to personal growth in
Christ. Each member contributes to the growth of every other member. We need one another if
we are to mature and develop in our Christian lives because the Christian faith cannot success-
fully be lived in isolation. It takes others to bring out the best in us.
When burning embers are separated from one another, they quickly die out: But when they
are close together, they warm one another and continue to burn brightly. So it is with Christians.
Apart from other Christians, we can easily lose our love for and usefulness to God; But in the
company of those of like mind, we continue to grow and become fruitful for Christ.

Ministry to Special Needs

When times of crises and stress arise which they inevitably do, a lone individual may have
few resources with which to cope. Within the Church, however, help is readily available. One’s
pastor can serve as a spiritual mentor. The Church can serve as a strong support group. Many
Churches offer specific help for specific problems such as divorce, grief, alcoholism, juvenile
delinquency and aging. A person holding himself aloof from his Church has cut himself off from
many of the rich resources God has provided for help.

The Nurture of Our Children

We also need the local congregation to aid in the raising of our children. Few parents today
find raising children, especially teenagers, an easy task. The Church can be our very best ally
as we seek to train our children to believe what is true and obey what is right. The Church’s
value system is par excellence because it comes from God Himself.
God can use the Church to aid in conscience development and character development so
that when a child leaves home, we won’t need to worry about whether or not they will get in
trouble. Proverbs tells us that if we “train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he

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will not depart from” the path. The Church is instrumental in assisting and encouraging parents
in the training of their children.
Someone has put it this way,
Be careful how you bend the twig for as the twig is bent so grows the tree.
As a child is trained, so grows the teenager and as the teenager is trained, so becomes the adult.

We Are Called to Work Together

It is also important for us to be active members of a local church so we can join with others in
performing the work of the Church. To be a Christian is not just to be rightly related to God
through faith in Christ. It is also to be linked with other believers in an effective ministry for
Christ.
As Christians, we belong to God; we have given our lives for His service. You are not your
own, you were bought with a price —the precious blood of Christ (1 Cor. 6:19-20) While we are
not saved by good works, we are saved for good works (Eph. 2:10). We have been called by
God’s grace to serve Him out of gratitude. We do this best when we serve together in and
through the Church.
The predominant metaphor for the Church in the New Testament is the Body of Christ of
which each individual Christian is a member. Just as a human body needs the various mem-
bers to work together and function harmoniously, so the Church needs the members of which it
is comprised to work together and function harmoniously as well.
When Christ said, “Follow Me,” He was inviting men and women and children to be His Dis-
ciples and members of His family—the Church. He was calling them to commit themselves
through faith, to Him and to His Body here on earth so they could be what He wants them to be.
An individual who is not an active member of a local Congregation is denying himself the full
blessing of Christ and the fellowship of His people. We need the local church if we are to realize
God’s plan and purpose for our lives as His people. The larger Church also needs us in order to
do Christ’s work in the world.
There are also some practical or pragmatic reasons for church membership which are im-
plied by Scripture. The authority of Elders within a congregation would not be possible unless
the church members voluntarily submitted to their authority. Members would not be chosen as
Elders unless they were committed in some way to the welfare of the local congregation. How
can one lead a group that one is not committed to in advance? Another important biblical prac-
tice has to do with church discipline. How can we expect members to submit to the discipline of
the church elders unless they have made some prior commitment to the respective local
church? A final practical consideration has to do with the faithful stewardship of financial re-
sources. How is it possible to responsibly function financially without being able to accurately
project a congregation’s anticipated income? We can only reasonably expect the members of a
congregation to financially support that congregation. Church membership is a practical neces-
sity to enable the smooth functioning of the local congregation in today’s society.

What Does Our Lack of Commitment Say About Our Attitude?

Many people reject church membership because they don’t want to do anything that interferes with their
autonomy. Many people are materialistic, hedonistic, self-centered, selfish and therefore do not want any
form of authority over them or any responsibility towards others. This selfish sinful attitude exhibits itself in
different ways. Some people who claim to be Christians never attend church at all and spend the Lord’s Day

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 like an atheist…Another group of people who profess Christ go to church sometimes, however, they like to
church-hop…They want to live anonymous in order to live autonomously. For them, church is a spectator
sport. They church hop to ease their consciences and do so to avoid a commitment to other professing
Christians. They contribute nothing to the local church…There is another group of people who do regularly
attend a local church yet who refuse to join and to participate heartily in mutual fellowship, aid, and
edification. This group also likes to retain autonomy in their lives. They do not want to be under the authority
of elders. They want to avoid the personal responsibility that church membership entails. Such people often
have a record of poor church attendance. People who ignore the corporate element of the church, who
dislike authority and corporate responsibility are missing church for sinful, self-centered reasons. God’s
Word strongly condemns all the unscriptural views regarding church members enumerated above.

Why Regularly Attend Worship?

We should regularly participate in corporate worship regardless of how we feel. Why?
1) All week, we struggle with the secular world—controlling, laboring and acquiring. In corpo-
rate worship, we focus on Christ who provides the proper motivation, direction and encourage-
ment we need to make our lives meaningful, peaceful and joyous.
2) All week, we struggle with stress, worry, anger, hurt, resentment, frustration and fear. In
corporate worship, we learn to express our emotions in ways that are pleasing to God. We learn
to forgive and ask forgiveness and deal effectively with negative experiences.
3) All week, we react to the world and deal with it reflexively. Sometimes, we deny and distort
it. In corporate worship, we are encouraged to be proactive rather than reactive, reflective
(meditate) rather than reflexive. We also discover healthy (biblical) principles for interpersonal
relationships.
4) All week long we are on the go!—over-committed. We need to slow down and rest. In
corporate worship, we come to rest our bodies, renew our minds and refresh our spirits. If we
don’t come apart, we will come apart.
5) All week long, we view the world through our own limited spectacles—our experiences and
responses. In corporate worship, we expand our vision by learning to view things more and
more from God’s perspective. We also learn to weep with those who weep and rejoice with
those who rejoice. Joys shared are multiplied. Sorrows shared are divided.
6) All week long, we relate to others based on our expected roles and impersonal anonymity.
In corporate worship, we are personal rather than impersonal. We are with a caring Christian
family whose mood and mind set are very similar to ours—who want to learn how to please God
more and more.
7) All week long, we are burdened with obligations and responsibilities. In corporate worship,
we are refreshed and energized as we restore our relationship with God.
8) All week long, we struggle with sin and guilt. In corporate worship, we learn how to gain
and maintain a clear conscience and to over-come the power of sin in our lives.
9) All week long, we struggle to survive. In corporate worship, we learn to live and make life
more meaningful for ourselves and others.

What is the Meaning of Church Membership?1

I come to Jesus Christ and to this Christian congregation, thanking God for His love and His
gracious invitation to enter into an abundant life through a personal relationship with His Son.

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 I come in clear recognition of the fact that I have fallen short of God’s best for my life and that
there is nothing I can do to earn or merit His approval apart from His mercy and grace.
I believe that God has made a provision in Christ for restoring fellowship with us. I believe
that Christ died in the sinner’s place and that His resurrection is a guarantee of victory over sin
and death.
In accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I commit and trust myself to a loving per-
sonal relationship with Him as He has revealed Himself in the scriptures.
I believe that all Christians have been called to be conformed to the character and conduct of
Jesus Christ. Therefore, I give myself to a life of Christian discipline and with God’s help, deter-
mine to use those means of growth which God has given to accomplish this purpose, namely,
the Bible (both read and preached), the Sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), prayer
and fellowship, worship, and ministry with the people of God.
I accept God the Father as my Father through Jesus Christ. I accept Jesus Christ as my
Savior and Lord.
I accept the Holy Spirit, God dwelling within me, as the one who enables me to live the Chris-
tian life.
I accept this congregation as God’s family and my Christian family.
I come, accepting the responsibility of being a part of this congregation as God’s gift to me
and to the community of people where He is at work redemptively. I do not come making de-
mands of it, but rather giving myself to its unity, its peace and purity. I covenant with God and
this congregation to encourage, to love, to bear the infirmities of, to pray for, to minister to, to be
reconciled with, to forgive, and to be forgiven by my Christian brothers here in accordance with
the Scripture, that the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace be maintained among us. I willingly
submit to the practice of the government, discipline, and doctrine (the Constitutional standards)
of the congregation and its officers consistent with the Word of God.
I come to give myself to the missionary purpose of the church. I accept the pattern that my
life and all I possess be given sacrificially to the Lord for this goal. I covenant with the Lord of
the Church that my life, my home, my daily occupation, and all that I have or influence shall be
His for a witness of my faith in order that this community and the world might be brought to a
saving knowledge of God in Jesus Christ, Whom to know rightly is life eternal.
I come acknowledging the fact that we, in this congregation, are but a single unit in the
Church universal, the Body of Christ, which exists in all places of the earth in all generations.
Thus we are not only members of a local congregation, but of the whole body of God’s people in
heaven and on earth. I come, so believing, and so covenanting, so help me God.

Note:
1
Based on the Evangelical Presbyterian Church vows of church membership.

2PCRiser0105 Why Should I Become an Active Member of a Church

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