Evidences of the Goodness of Church Membership
You’ve likely been to churches where people would not think of church membership as a promise or covenant they’re entering. Maybe your grandparents are members of a First Baptist Church, but they haven’t attended the church, except for Easter and Christmas, or whenever there’s an important business meeting, for 20 years. Maybe your own parents show up to church most weeks, but they come in late and leave early. Maybe you attend a different church every week, but your membership is at your church back home. This type of casual church membership consumes, looking for what the church will give me or teach me, expecting it to meet my needs or keep me comfortable, and when it doesn’t, the church and I will be fine if I don’t show up. We’ve all seen churches that don’t feel like family, but this is not the type of church membership I’m referring to. My goal is to give you a glimpse into my experience as a church member where the church is family.
When God adopts you as His child, He unites you into an already existing family tree of believers with spiritual mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers, and as I’ve gotten older, spiritual children. Just like in a healthy earthly family, a spiritual family comes with responsibilities and benefits. The benefits are that we love each other, watch out for each other, and encourage each other. The responsibilities look like serving each other, forgiving each other, holding each other accountable, and teaching each other how to live distinctly Christian lives.
Like an earthly family, church membership makes it clear who I’m responsible for and who’s responsible for me. In my home, we constantly have families over for dinner. NGU students like Jaycee Stone, come regularly to hang out. The squeals of neighborhood kids echo in our home almost daily. We joke that our house has a revolving door. But my responsibility to my own family is much greater than the responsibility I have to my neighbor’s kid because, while we love him, he’s not in our family. My neighbor’s kid might enjoy the benefit of a meal with us from time to time, but I’m not doing his laundry or helping him with schoolwork like I do for my own kids. Similarly, membership in a local church focuses our efforts to love and care for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
I want to add one more word you might not normally associate with church membership but brings clarity to the kind of church membership I’m referring to: Meaningful. Meaningful church membership means I’m actively participating in the life of my church so that I know my church family and I’m known by them. They affirm that I’m part of the family because my faith and practice represent Christ. I bear the family resemblance. Church members make mutual promises to watch each other’s lives, to encourage and care for each other, and to warn each other if we begin to stray. Church members join the family’s mission to see Jesus known and worshipped to the ends of the earth.
I’ve been a member of five churches in my life and each fellowship of believers has shaped my discipleship and shown me the goodness of God’s wisdom in the church. My current church, Christ Fellowship Cherrydale, has distilled the church’s promises to one another into 7 Family Values that I’ll use as examples today. Our members agree to uphold these values in their own lives and call each other to live out these values. Our values reflect the type of church family we want to be. Each of these 7 values embodies the goodness of church membership in my life and I hope will encourage you to invest your life in your local church.
The first family value effects all the others because it orients me rightly to Jesus, who died to redeem a people for Himself.
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP CALLS ME TO PURSUE CHRIST
I’ve been in Sunday services pretty much every Sunday of my life — that’s 52ish sermons a year for 43 years, plus Bible studies, Sunday School, and other times of teaching in the church. The cumulative effect of the proclamation of God’s word builds my faith and my knowledge of the Scriptures. Faithful, expositional sermons that preach through entire books of the Bible have shaped my theology, teaching me to know God from His Word. Pastors, who meet biblical qualifications, preach these sermons and I see up close that their lives match what they preach.
Congregational singing with my church family each week teaches me to pursue Christ, whether I’m rejoicing or suffering. This Sunday, I sang, “You’re my solid rock and my salvation; my steadfast hope that won’t be shaken; my soul will wait for you.” I sang alongside a brother whose unbelieving wife has recently mentioned divorce, and near a young couple holding their newborn baby, and adjacent to a widow whose husband passed away 5 years ago. Their testimonies of God’s faithfulness through their singing call me to pursue Christ whether I’m rejoicing or suffering.
My weekly small group calls me to pursue Christ through daily repentance and faith as we confess sin to each other and remind each other that Jesus is faithful to forgive and cleanse. We encourage each other to keep our eyes on Jesus when we’re struggling or suffering, and we rejoice together when prayers are answered. My church family is part of the great cloud of witnesses calling me to pursue Christ and helping me run this race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1).
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP INVITES ME TO LIVE CONNECTED
Were you the type of teenager who drove home from school, dropped off your bookbag, headed to your room, and stayed there the rest of the night? If so, you and your family likely felt disconnected. Similarly, bouncing around to different churches means I miss the opportunity to meaningfully connect with other believers. Meaningful membership means I belong in my church family and my absence leaves a noticeable hole. When I join a church, I’m invited into a family with spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters who care for and watch over me. I’m invited to know and be known by them, to love and be loved by them. I also gain godly pastors who counsel, lead, protect, pray, and care for me.
This invitation to connect is consistently extended when I’m strong, with much to give, and when I’m needy with much to receive. I was needy two years ago on a Sunday morning—my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly and we got the call right before church. Our church family knew needs we didn’t even know we would have and met them that day and in the days to follow. I was able to give two weeks ago to a couple who had been living together, unmarried, expressed faith in Jesus, and wanted to be baptized and married. They were quickly surrounded with joyful love as we prepared for their baptism and wedding. Church members filled the baptismal, made the bouquet, prepared food, and made their wedding beautiful. We celebrated their obedience to Christ in baptism on Sunday and welcomed them into our church family during the service, then came back together that afternoon to celebrate their obedience to Christ with a joyful wedding. The fellowship of the Saints at my local church drips with the sweetness of connection that builds strong bonds of family love.
Sadly, living connected also means I’ve seen that fellowship broken by those I thought were brothers and sisters, but proved they weren’t by pursuing outward, serious, and unrepentant sin instead of pursuing Christ. In these cases, meaningful membership required the church to respond with discipline. The goodness of church membership was seen as the process revealed sin by shining the light of God’s truth. This process provided a warning for me that God takes sin seriously. God’s grace in church discipline reminds the one walking in sin that God keeps His promises and a time is coming when we will all stand before His judgment seat. I’ve seen this grace gift awaken a woman who had an affair to her need to repent and return to God and her husband. I’ve also known a man who was unrepentant after multiple pleadings for him to turn from his sin, and his removal from membership upheld the purity of the church, preserved the witness of the church before a watching world, and also protected and vindicated his vulnerable wife and children. As my church family lives connected, I’m encouraged to hold fast to Jesus and not be hardened by sin’s deception (Hebrews 3:13).
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE JOYFULLY
You may feel similarly, but as a Christian college student, I not only needed to learn more about God, but I also needed to learn about myself and who God made me to be. Paul tells us that each Christian is given gifts by the Holy Spirit to be used to build up the church, but it can be difficult to recognize your gifts. Raise your hand if you’ve ever taken a spiritual gifts test. These tests can give you a sense of your gifts, but the best way to know your gifts is to serve in your local church.
Serving in my church puts my strengths and weaknesses on display. My church recognizes and calls out the gifts, talents, and passions God has given me and provides opportunities to use them. Brothers and sisters encourage me and give constructive feedback so that I can grow.
My kids are here today and each of them have areas of giftedness that benefit our whole family. One child is very musical and plays piano beautifully. Another is super organized and keeps everyone on schedule. Another is really funny and loves to make up jokes that leave our sides hurting with laughter. With practice, their gifts develop and become more proficient for their benefit and the benefit of the family. Similarly, as I exercise my gifts with coaching from those who are invested in my growth, they grow stronger. The more I grow, the more capable and confident I become in wielding these gifts of the Spirit for the benefit of my church. Serving in my areas of passion and gifting become a joy. As the members of my church serve, the church builds itself up in love as each individual stewards with joy the gifts of God (Ephesians 4:16).
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP EQUIPS ME TO LOVE MY NEIGHBORS
Maybe you’ve been part of a church that excelled at teaching the Bible and knowing doctrine but the members drove home each week straight into their garage and couldn’t tell you the name of their neighbors. Love is not just a feeling; it’s shown in directed action. Meaningful membership models directing my eyes away from myself to loving others, whether that’s next door, the marginalized in our community, my coworkers, or those in my own home. Like the Good Samaritan, God has sovereignly placed needy people in my path so that I would show active love to them as the hands and feet of Jesus. And often, I’m the needy person who receives love and care from my church.
In October, when Hurricane Helene hit the upstate and western North Carolina, our church immediately came together to care for effected members. We cleared debris from roads and houses of church members and their neighbors, and we collected supplies to deliver to a sister church in Asheville, who distributed them to those in need.
Two of those we served are recent college grads and members of our church. Their home was destroyed by downed trees, but the Lord protected their lives as the ceiling over their bedroom crashed in during the early morning hours while they slept. Members from our church showed up that morning to take Huff to the hospital to treat a head wound. Other members quickly began helping the Campbells salvage what they could and packed what remained to store. Other members housed them while they found another place to live. When they did find a new place, Chely put together an Amazon wish list to furnish it and our church purchased everything they needed within a week.
The efforts of the church multiply what I can accomplish alone. The reach of the church extends much farther than my own and connects me to needs that we can meet, bringing love and light to dark places. The church helps me obey the greatest commandment: loving God and loving my neighbor (Matthew 22:37-38).
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP UNITES ME WITH SHARERS OF GOOD NEWS
The gospel is good news that starts with understanding that we live in a world broken by sin. All humans, starting with the first man, Adam, and trickling down to you today, sinned by pursuing our own desires over God, who is our highest good. But instead of leaving us to ourselves, God stepped in, came down to us, took on flesh, and conquered Satan, death, and the sin that enslaved. He did this by dying the death we deserved and rising from the grave. Now, He’s ruling with all power over darkness, sin, and death, and for those who believe, He gives the right to become His children. As His children, He makes us lights in this dark world to continue to spread His light inviting those who live next door to the ends of the earth into the family.
Testimonies abound in my church of faithful parents who shared Good News with their children and God gave them faith to believe. Many members tell stories of Sunday School teachers and youth leaders who introduced them to Jesus. We recently baptized the coworker of one of our members who shared Good News with him. These stories motivate me to boldly share the gospel because God is at work saving people from sin and death.
My church is a pipeline to share Good News with the nations as well. I went on my first overseas mission trip to Argentina my sophomore year with a group of NGU students. The Lord used that trip to ignite a passion for missions in my heart, but it’s proven not to be as fruitful as mission trips with my local church. Engaging in missions with my local church provides shared experiences that we carry back together. My local church provides pathways to serve with like-minded missionaries and churches, so I can confidently know our work supported healthy churches who will faithfully disciple people. We also support, visit, and serve former members who live overseas. Real faces and names of people we know, love, and care about allow us to stay engaged with how Good News is spreading throughout the world. The church family expands as we obey the great commission to share good news as we go into all the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGES ME TO GIVE GENEROUSLY
In the book Your Best Life Now the author wrote, “The first step to living at your full potential is to enlarge your vision. To live your best life now, you must start looking at life through eyes of faith, seeing yourself rising to new levels. See your business taking off… See your family prospering. See your dreams coming to pass. You must conceive it and believe it is possible if you ever hope to experience it.” This kind of thinking leads many to believe that they can manipulate God’s activity in their life by their faith, and that faith is often expressed through giving. But the outcome of this faith seems to be for the building of my kingdom, not God’s.
Don’t get me wrong, our church passes offering plates each Sunday and reminds our members how to give, but they’re quick to remind the congregation that the church doesn’t actually need your money. Jesus, the Chief Shepherd of the church, owns the cattle on a thousand hills and doesn’t need you to give anything to Him. But even though this is true, the church joins Him in a call to give. Why?
Paul tells Timothy that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. In God’s kindness, He gives me the opportunity to pry my hands from things that provide temporal satisfaction so that I learn to love what is eternal. Giving generously teaches me that what I have has been given from God to be used for His purposes, not for my own pleasure and self-gratification. It protects me from the love of money and trains me to be content with what God gives.
Giving generously allows me to partner in furthering the work of the Kingdom through missions and ministry. God could do all the work of building His kingdom on His own, but instead, He invites us to join Him in the work so that we are an integral part as we give our money and time, share our gifts, and give generously of ourselves. As a church member, I know my pastors provide a pathway to give to trusted partners who will use finances responsibly for maximum profit in the kingdom of God, not for their own gain. The church provides the opportunity to invest in what is eternal and my affections follow my investment (Matthew 6:19-21).
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP SPURS ME ON TO DO HARD THINGS
Just this year, our church has sent five families to Europe and Africa as missionaries. These families, who we dearly love, sold everything, packed up their kids, said goodbyes to family and our church, and moved away from what is comfortable and familiar. Just this year, a family in our church buried their 28-day-old son. I’ve already mentioned the couple who was baptized and married on the same day out of a desire to be obedient to Jesus. I could tell countless other stories of members who are doing hard things because they want the Kingdom of God to be visible on earth as it is in heaven.
The sacrifice of those missionary families, the fight to worship God and see His goodness in the face of sorrow, and the dogged pursuit of obedience no matter the cost, is lived out in front of my eyes each week in my church. This church family does hard things because Jesus is worth it all. He’s worth our sacrifices because He sacrificed for us. He’s worth our trust when we struggle through sorrow because He felt our pain in His life. He’s worth fighting sin and pursuing holiness because He fought the fight for us and won victory over sin.
Following Jesus can be costly, but the reward in this life and the next is great! If you’re a Christian, but not a member of a church, the hard thing I’m asking you to do today is find a healthy church where you can be a meaningful part of the family. If you’re a member of a church, I’m asking you to find one way that you can press into the life of the church to be more meaningfully connected to the family. If you’re not a Christian, I’m asking you to consider Jesus’s invitation to join His family and ask someone today how you can be adopted by the Father.
As my church family models doing hard things, they are living reminders to press forward to the prize that lies ahead because Jesus is worth my life. And He’s worth yours. He gave His life for the church, invest yours in a local church.