When Membership Becomes Too Meaningful

Jesus said he would build his church. Not only is this an ironclad promise, it is also at the heart of how God is going to accomplish his plans to receive ultimate glory. God will be most glorified through a redeemed people unified by his saving blood. The church is his bride and each local congregation is precious to him as such. If you want to be in fellowship with Christ, you have to be in the fellowship of the church. This is why we have been talking about meaningful membership. For the last couple years we have spoken to this at various times and in various ways. The reason is because there is currently a cultural momentum away from the church. People want Jesus without the church. Or they want a bit of church but commitment-free and no accountability. Or perhaps they want online churches, entertaining churches, and/or program-laden churches.

The de-emphasis of church and church membership is the biggest danger right now. But for all of our talk about meaningful membership, I want to make sure we don’t go too far the other way so that church becomes too meaningful. What does it mean for membership to be too meaningful? The following are various examples of a membership that goes beyond scriptural warrant.

1) Salvation only found in one church – whenever a church begins to state or to imply that only those in this church or denomination are saved, this is serious error. In fact, it is the stuff of cults. Membership is being made essential to salvation because only one group is being saved. While loving the church and being a part of a church is a key protection and assurance of continuing in the faith, that faith is not confined to any one group.

2) Excessive Authority– Membership has become too meaningful when that membership means church leaders dictate areas of life over which they have no biblical authority. While leadership should be esteemed and honored, they are not ultimate. While wisdom should be heeded, it is not compulsory. When leaders begin to assert who someone is to marry, how home life is conducted, or how money is spent, this kind of thing is beyond what God has given them in his word. This is not to say that some things cannot be prohibited. Leaders should rebuke engagement to an unbeliever, role reversal in the home and money spent on sinful activities. But in regards to the countless details of life, Romans 14:4 says “to his own master he stands or falls…” Liberty of conscience is a key biblical principle that must not be undermined but unwarranted authority.

3) When Members fear the congregation more than God – Membership has become too meaningful when people fear the disapproval of the congregation more than the disapproval of God. Sometimes churches develop wrong notions about the wrong things. Perhaps they don’t appreciate youth, or look down on the poor, or have undercurrents of division, or no interest in an outreach to a certain people or situation. The tendency in such situations is to want the approval of the church more than of God. Peer pressure is real. But membership has become too meaningful if it is undermining biblical convictions. Yet, the way forward is not to undermine leadership. Instead, you need to pray and work and advocate in every legitimate way for biblical righteousness even when it is not embraced by God’s people.

4) Spiritual Growth is completely dependent on other members – we need each other to grow. This is the organic nature of a body. Every part supplies what the other parts need. Yet, the head is the critical piece. Without the head everything dies. Every part of the body is to be working to keep us vitally connected to the head, from which life and direction come. Sometimes people can become so dependent upon other people that it is forgotten that Jesus is the point of it all. The highest and best communion is to be with him. We are certainly going to know him more and better as we are helped and instructed and spurred on by others, but it is still all by him, through him, and for him. Membership has become too meaningful when we are hoping in people, resting in people, and finding security in people. Your hope, rest, and security are to be found in Christ. No preacher, elder, small group, mentor, discipler, or youth pastor is to be your indispensable resource. The great mystery of the gospel is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27) You are complete in him (Col. 2:10). He is all you need, and you are to know that reality more and better with the help of other people.

5) You are unwilling to leave a church – meaningful membership should mean that leaving a church is a really big deal. Being committed to a body and having your life intertwined with other members should mean that leaving is excruciating. Yet, there are times when leaving is needful. Membership is too meaningful when you won’t leave even when the teaching has become unfaithful, or the leadership is not qualified, or sin is being tolerated or ignored in the church. There are also positive reasons to leave a church. Sometimes a person should leave because there is ministry they can do in another fellowship with a fruitfulness that can’t happen in the present church home. Membership is too meaningful when you won’t leave even when you should leave.

6) Closed Communion – I put this one last because this is not a completely bad thing. There is a lot of logic in a closed communion and I don’t begrudge churches that would do this. Closed communion means only those who are members of a particular church can participate in communion in said church. The logic is that the elders know who exactly is taking communion, the doctrinal beliefs they hold, the gospel testimony of new birth for each person, and the faithfulness of their walk with God. That kind of protection of the table highlights its importance, and that is right. Yet, there are still other faithful Christians who are in the world. They are not freelance anomalies, spiritually floating around on their own self-verification, and living unaccountable to anybody. No, there are Christians who are members in other churches, whose gospel testimony is known by a church, they serve in a church, they are accountable to a church, and they are living faithful as witnessed by a church. There is really no reason they shouldn’t take communion. We see this in the book of 3rd John, when John tells the church to accept those Christians who come to them from other churches. Therefore, membership is too meaningful when the only membership that counts is membership to your own church. 7)