Why Church Membership Matters For Christian Growth

“Church membership isn’t in my Bible search results.” That single observation opens a much bigger question: does Scripture actually expect Christians to belong to a local church, or is membership just a man-made tradition? We walk through Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 to show how the New Testament describes believers as members of one body in Christ, each with a real function, real need, and real connection to others. 

Dr. Timothy Mann builds the case with clear internal biblical evidence: local church gatherings addressed in New Testament letters, church discipline that requires defined belonging, church leadership that watches over souls, and church accountability that includes guarding the gospel, sending missionaries, collecting offerings, and caring for widows. If those practices are normal Christianity, then “attendance-only” faith falls short of the pattern Scripture assumes. 

We also challenge the modern idea of membership as perks and personal preference. The Bible’s picture is deeper: when you are truly converted, the Holy Spirit baptizes you into the body of Christ, and God places you where He pleases. That reframes how we choose a church, how we use our spiritual gifts, and how we live out the “one another” commands that make solitary religion impossible. 

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Transcript

Series Setup And Scripture Reading

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to Foundations of Truth, the teaching ministry of firm Foundations Ministry. Our mission is to help people build their lives on the truth of Scripture. Today, Dr. Timothy Mann continues his series, The Essentials of Being a Christian, with a message on what it means to truly belong to the body of Christ. Here now is Dr. Timothy Mann.

Is Church Membership Biblical

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Today is the third message, and this series is all about essentials to a healthy Christian life. Absolute essentials to a healthy Christian life. If we're going to have that kind of Christian life, we have to be a genuine follower of Jesus. We have to be a true worshiper of the Father. And now today we're going to examine another topic. Turn in your Bibles to two New Testament books. One is going to be Romans, Romans 12, and then we're going to go to 1 Corinthians 12. Romans 12, verse 4. The Bible says, For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. Or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Now turn to first Corinthians twelve. We continue the same topic. First Corinthians twelve. Beginning in verse twelve. This passage is going to be a bit longer. We're going to go through the end of the chapter, all the way down through verse thirty-one. First Corinthians twelve, verse twelve. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slave or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit. For in fact, the body is not one member, but many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? Of course the rhetorical answer is no. Yes, it's part of the body, just because you're you're not the body as a whole, you're part of the body. And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body, is it therefore not of the body? Well, of course it is. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again the head to the foot, I have no need of you. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty. But our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, and if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has set these in the church. First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, are all workers of miracles? Do all have the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts, and yet I show you a more excellent way. And we'll stop here. This is God's word. I tried this this past week, and it was interesting. Do a quick search of the word membership on your Bible app, and you're likely to get a message along these lines of no results found. Interesting. Maybe this is one of the reasons many Christians think, or at least some Christians think, that church membership has little to do with following Christ. And churches, I have to say, contribute to this attitude when they become very laxadaisical in explaining or applying the biblical parameters for membership. Though the New Testament does not explicitly use the term membership, it does use the word member. We've read that already. Although it doesn't explicitly use the term membership, the concept is very much apparent, and the internal evidence in the Bible is clear. Some of the evidence, just a quick survey, internal evidence in God's word as it relates to membership, is this. First of all, church gatherings. That's what's a good piece of internal evidence. Church gatherings. Because throughout the New Testament, we see letters, the two that we read already this morning, Romans and 1 Corinthians, we see letters to specific local churches. In fact, the word church is referenced 114 times in the New Testament. Ninety of those 114 references in the New Testament are specifically references to gatherings geographically of local churches. What's interesting is the congregations on the receiving end of those letters were actually made up of individual members, individual believers. So there is precedent, then, for us to gather with a specific group of believers in the context of a local church. It's par for the course. It's par for the course for Christians to be a part of a local body of believers. It's expected and it's assumed. A second piece of internal evidence in the Bible is what we would call church discipline. I don't know that that's the greatest term in the world to use, but we'll use that term. Church discipline. In Matthew chapter 18, it's interesting. Jesus actually taught on how believers are to confront one another's sin or offense and to seek reconciliation with each other. We're actually instructed by Jesus to go first to the individual. Then if that doesn't work out, take two or three other believers with us the next time around. And then if that still doesn't work out, if the person still refuses to seek forgiveness and reconcile, then Jesus actually tells us to bring it to the church, is the term that he uses in Matthew 18, 15 through 20. So that process actually involves a local body of believers. In a similar way, the Apostle Paul speaks of excommunicating a believer from the church at Corinth, the letter that we just read out of. He talks about excommunicating a specific professing believer from the church at Corinth. What's interesting about that is this one cannot be removed from the church unless they are part of the church. Right? A third piece of internal evidence is this church leadership. Church leadership. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17, commands Christians to obey and to submit to their church leaders. Given that, specifically, Hebrews 13, 17, given that, those leaders are the ones who oversee their souls and will one day give an account to God for them. That command assumes then that one is a part of a local church. And here's the reality. I'm not going to give an account for Christians that live a thousand miles away. I'm not. I'm responsible for the individuals who submit to the leadership of this body. And then a final piece of evidence, internal evidence, that really points to the idea of membership is church accountability. What do I mean by that? Well, in Acts chapter 6, the church was responsible for choosing leaders. In Galatians chapter 1, the church was charged with ensuring that the gospel was preached. So in other words, if anyone began proclaiming a message other than the gospel, the church was expected to stop them. Acts chapter 13, verses 1 through 3 shows us that the church at Antioch, sending out Paul and Barnabas for the spread of the gospel. What's interesting is you continue to read through the New Testament, you see things like this, that letters of commendation were sent to other churches on behalf of people, commending them to come to your fellowship. They actually kept up with who and how many were being baptized. They kept a list of widows eligible for the help of the church. And what's interesting is the church in Antioch wasn't responsible for helping the widows of the church in Jerusalem. The church in Jerusalem was responsible for helping the widows in the church of Jerusalem. And there were certain qualifications to get to be on that list. It's interesting, you continue to read through the New Testament. Certain people are actually named and marked. They were named and to be marked as causing division in certain local churches. And they were named about who to avoid, who to stay away from. Offerings were collected in those local churches. Teaching and preaching elders made their living from the teaching and preaching of the gospel through the local church. Listen, there's just too much internal biblical evidence of commitment and involvement to suggest being a member of a local church. There's just too much there to say that it's not expected for a Christian. And I'll just tell you what else. It's just straight out a rebellious ignoring of the pattern of the scripture to say that church membership is not biblical. Here's the essential. Now being a member is an odd thing nowadays. I have to tell you, you can be a member of anything. I'm a member of Sam's Club. I'm a member of Triple A. I'm a member of Panera Bread. I'm a member of Petco. I'm a member of PF Chang's. I'm a member of Walgreens. I mean, I've got memberships all over the place. All over town. But that kind of membership is all about perks and rewards for you. If you keep using or buying products from them. How many of you all have memberships like that? Oh yeah. You got you got memberships. I know you do. That's all about you. That's all about perks and rewards for you if you keep patronizing that place, buying their products. But the Bible's picture of being a member of a body is quite different. It's quite different.

Membership Is Not About Perks

You Belong To God By The Spirit

SPEAKER_00 12:39

You're listening to Foundations of Truth, the radio and podcast ministry of Firm Foundations Ministries. Before we return to today's message, let me ask you something. What does it really look like to be a member of the body of Christ? Not just attending, but belonging, serving, and functioning as God intended. Dr. Timothy Mann will answer that question in just a moment. But first, a quick reminder Foundations of Truth is listener supported. If this ministry is helping you grow in your faith and understanding of God's word, would you consider supporting Firm Foundations Ministries? Your partnership helps us continue sharing biblical truth with others. You can give today at firm-foundations.org. Now let's return to today's message.

You Belong To Other Believers

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If I'm a genuine follower of Jesus, I'm a worshiper of the Father, those things are essential, but it's also essential if I'm going to have a healthy Christian life, it's essential for me to be a connected member of a body. Belonging to a body. And as a member, what does this look like? Well, let's look at 1 Corinthians 12. First of all, as a member, you number one belong to God. Number one, you belong to God. Chapter 12, verse 18 of 1 Corinthians says, but now God has set the members, each of them, in the body just as he pleased. So first of all, in the Bible, when we have experienced genuine conversion, what does that mean? What is genuine conversion? Well, it's becoming a Christian. It's that time in your life where you determine that you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, that the Holy Spirit of God has opened your eyes to the truth, that you're a sinner apart from Jesus Christ, that you're lost apart from Jesus Christ, that you will not go to heaven apart from Jesus Christ. He's opened your eyes to this truth, and you've seen what Christ has done for you on the cross. How he took your sin and your penalty and your punishment, and he paid that debt for you. And he was raised from the dead on the third day to give eternal life to all who would trust in him. And you for yourself say, Yes, that's what I want. I want Jesus as my Savior. I want to follow Christ. I'm turning from my sin. I'm turning to Jesus and I'm living for Jesus Christ. You become a Christian. And when you become a Christian, you are joined to the family of God at large. Part of the family of God then at large. Invitation of Jesus is to belong to Him forever. And that's what verse 13 is about. It says, For by one Spirit, capital S, that's the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead of the Trinity. For by one Spirit we were all baptized. Remember that word baptized simply means immersed. It means to plunge under. And so you're immersed by the Spirit into the body. This is a spiritual thing. You become one with the body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slave or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit. The Holy Spirit of God immerses you, spiritually speaking, into the body of Christ. There's union with Christ. And also, by the way, sometimes we can get down this road on what we call spirit baptism. And some folks think, well, that's a separate issue, and that's only for certain people. No, the Bible says right here that every Christian, every member, every follower of Jesus is all baptized by one Spirit into one body. Now, the filling of the Holy Spirit is a separate issue. You can be baptized by the Spirit into the body and be indwelt of the Spirit and not live your life being filled with the Spirit. That's a separate issue. I don't have time to get into that today. But that's not what this is talking about. This is a spiritual immersion into the body of Christ, a union and identifying with the body of Christ. We become a child of God in God's family, the family of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and all those other brothers and sisters. And now we can call God Abba, Daddy, Father. We dwell in the love of God, which is this love that's eternally expressed between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So becoming a Christian is being placed into Christ. And once joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit, then we're automatically members of the people of God at large. Right? The body of Christ at large. Believers of all ages at large. Now, formalizing that membership in terms of belonging to a specific local congregation is important for Christian growth. But, listen to me, it is meaningless unless we have joined Christ by the power and work of the Holy Spirit. You gotta be saved first. Does you no good to go join a church unless you're really a part of the family of God. Unless you're born again. But here's the thing: if you decide for Christ, you've already decided for membership in the church. You can't have Jesus without his people. Not biblically speaking. You can't have Jesus without his people. Why? Because he's married to his bride. He's married to his bride. You get me, you get Patty. We're a package deal. You get Patty, you get me. We're a package deal. Same with Jesus. But much better. You get Jesus, you also get his bride. He's married to his bride. Even if that bride, as the English poet Sweinberg once sneered, is leprous. You still get his bride. He creates you. Now look, here's what happens. He, God, creates you if you're saved, right? He creates you as a member, and he places you in his body. Now let me ask you a question. Can you physically see this morning the universal church? With your eyeballs this morning. This is not a trick question. And it's not rhetorical. You can talk back to me. Can you right now this morning see the universal church? No. But look around. You can see a specific visible local church. Ladies and gentlemen, you are the expression of the universal church. This visible local member. And God places you in his body, which is expressed by a local body, and he says he does it as it pleases him. God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he pleased. Just as he pleased. Boy, that might change our approach. Might change how we find a church if our approach was not just what do I like, but God, where do you want to place me? Where do you want me to be? Not do they have the list of services that I can sign up for and get my perks and rewards, but where do you want me to be, Lord? I feel a little bit like preaching now. Where do you want me to be? Where do you want to use me? Where can I be a part of the work that you've made me for? See, the reality is when you're thinking about belonging to the importance of being a connected member of a local body, the first thing that we need to remember is this I belong to God, and that means he can put me wherever he wants me. He made me that member. And he'll put me where he wants me. Not where I want to be. Secondly, what we see in this passage is if I'm going to be a connected member of a body, I not only belong to God, I belong to other members. I belong to other members. Did you see verses 20 and 21? 20 and 21. But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. I really like verse 14 too. It says, for in fact, the body is not one member, but many. That would revolutionize just some thinking right there about how we approach church as well. That my life is not about the one member, but the body. Verse 20 and 21. But now, indeed, there are many members, yet one body. And I cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. We belong to other members. It's impossible. Look. Again, like I said, we could actually do several messages on many of these topics. I was so tempted to kind of go through all the togethers in the New Testament. What do you mean? Well, there's a whole lot of togethers in the letters. In the New Testament. In other words, it's impossible to experience all the togethers in the Bible without having specific people to whom you are joined. Together. It's interesting, the Apostle Paul, he actually crafted new words by joining the Greek word sin, S-Y-N, not S-I-N, S-Y-N, together with. And he would do that with nouns and verbs to communicate that it's impossible to be alone in Christ. We are members together, the Bible says. We're joined together. We're heirs together. We're embodied together. We're growing together. We're being built and held together. That's the lingo of the New Testament. And then on top of that, in addition to all the togethers, there's also all the one anothers in the New Testament. All the one anothers. Here's some. We belong to one another. We're to carry one another's burdens. We're to forgive one another. We're to love one another. We're to speak to one another. We're to greet one another. We're to speak the truth to one another. And a lot of others. Alright, so listen to me. The individual Christian. The individual Christian in the Western sense of an isolated person does not exist in the Bible. The individual Christian does not exist in the scripture. Join God? And you've joined God's family. John Wesley, the great preacher in the 1700s, who was a part of the first great awakening. He and George Whitfield and others. He was having a conversation with a young man who was who Wesley called a serious young man. And Wesley said to this young man, he said, Sir, do you wish to serve God and go to heaven? And of course he said, Yes. He said, then Wesley said to him, Remember that you cannot serve him alone. You must therefore find companions or make them. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion. That's good pastoring right there. That's what he said. And in reality, this is a great benefit because the local church is a place, it's a body to belong, to serve, and to grow and to know God together. And listen, we belong together not because of our appearance. We belong together not because of our expertise or our usefulness or our ethnicity or our social background or where we came from in the country. We don't belong together because of any of those things. We belong together because of whose we are, an identity that's formed through being and becoming a follower of Jesus rather than all of those other things. We belong together because we have a common Lord and Savior. And we serve together. I'm better because I know you. I'm better because I've served together with some of you. There's nothing like the church on earth. And there's no plan B. This is God's plan.

Why Solitary Faith Breaks Down

SPEAKER_00 25:28

You've been listening to Foundations of Truth, the radio and podcast ministry of Firm Foundations Ministries with Dr. Timothy Mann. Today we've seen that Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation. We're called to be part of something greater: the body of Christ. Where each member is needed, each gift matters, and each life is connected. For more resources, visit firm foundations.org.