Dignify the Work of Membership

Editor’s note: This article is part of a forthcoming issue of Church Matters on polity.

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Elders are a gift to the church. This is why raising up more of them isn’t just a good idea; it’s an apostolic commission given to every pastor: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

Endeavoring to obey 2 Timothy 2:2, my church puts significant work into raising up elders. All our elders contribute to a year-long eldering internship for brothers who aspire to be lay elders. I facilitate a preaching and teaching class to help aspiring elders grow in their ability to publicly handle God’s Word. In every one of our weekly prayer meetings, we pray that God would “raise up elders for our church and the good of other churches, and that we would do this work faithfully for decades.”

I don’t regret any of the time and resources our church has spent investing in aspiring elders. But I do regret the many occasions I failed to explain why we invest in elders. I also regret when I have failed to put these ambitions in context. I’ve learned that if you invest time and resources and prayers into raising up more elders you can inadvertently create a vibe that suggests the work of membership is somehow “less than” the work of elders.

That’s a tragedy.

Elders are important, but the church, made up of its members, is far more important. Faithful elders are a critical ingredient for the health of the church and the success of its mission because they support and equip church members who are the essential ingredient for both health and mission. Yes, let’s raise up pastors. But let’s not forget to dignify the work of membership as the most important work in the life of the church.

Getting First Things First

Dignifying the work of membership as “the most important work” in the church’s life isn’t a sentiment designed to make people feel positive about their contribution. It’s simply an application of the Bible’s doctrine of the church.

A local church is its membership. It’s an assembly of saints who commit to gathering in Jesus’s name to oversee one another’s citizenship in the kingdom of God by reminding one another of the gospel and administering the ordinances. A church can exist without elders (single-elder churches don’t immediately evaporate when the senior pastor leaves) but elders cannot exist apart from a church. We see this even in the first century. Churches in Crete existed prior to having Titus come along and help them raise up elders (Titus 1:5; see also Acts 14:23).

It’s the members therefore who hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven. It’s members who oversee the membership and discipline of the church (Matt. 18:15–20). It’s members who are responsible to protect the purity of the church’s doctrine (Gal. 1:8). It’s members who are ultimately responsible for the church’s health. Members disciple one another, encourage one another, hold one another accountable, counsel one another, serve one another, forgive one another, do the work of evangelism, fund the ministry of the church, and so on. Members are the frontline of the work and mission of the church. The work of membership is the work of the church.

Elders exist to serve and strengthen that work. As Paul says in Ephesians, elders exist “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12). As I’ve noted elsewhere, pastors are the supply line of the church’s ministry; members are the front line. The work of elders isn’t an end in itself; it exists to ensure another work—the work of members—gets carried out faithfully. The church doesn’t exist for elders, elders exist for the church.

So, even as pastors labor to raise up more elders, we need to put the work of eldering in proper context: we need to dignify the work of membership, regularly reminding the congregation that member-work is most important.

Practical Ways to Dignify the Work of Membership

Below are some practical ways to do this. I’m sure there are others (if you think of any, email them to me!) but here are four.

First, Teach on Elder-Led Congregationalism . . . a Lot

As I said earlier, dignifying member-work isn’t about inspiring positive feelings; it’s an appropriate and necessary application of elder-led congregationalism. So make sure your people understand biblical polity. Use sermon applications, members meetings, prayer meetings, membership classes, and whatever other already-existing teaching opportunities to explain and apply elder-led congregationalism and the essential work that members do wielding the keys of the kingdom (for more on that point see the article I wrote with Caleb Greggsen “Congregationalism Doesn’t Stop at 8 p.m.”).

Second, Make the Significance of Member-Work a Regular Topic in Corporate Prayer

Whether during corporate worship or a congregational prayer meeting, use corporate prayer as an opportunity to dignify the work of membership. Here’s a sampling of things either I pray for in our weekly pastoral prayer or others pray for in our weekly prayer meeting:

• Pray that we would value the work of membership and that the whole church would care for the whole church.
• Pray that members would work hard at building a culture of discipling, evangelism, hospitality, and encouragement.
• Pray that members would value one another’s spiritual well-being just as much as they do their own.
• Pray that members would embrace their responsibility to guard the church’s membership and doctrine by promoting gospel doctrine and gospel living in their own lives and the lives of fellow members.
• Pray that members in their daily lives at work and home would do good, honor God, and commend the gospel (Eph. 5:15–17).^{11 .} Many of these items for prayer came from Mark Dever who models how to engage in member-ministry dignifying prayer in his church.

Third, in Sermon Application, Use the Lives of “Ordinary” Members to Illustrate Faithfulness

Appealing to extraordinary examples of faithfulness has its place. I’m sure thousands of Christians have learned what it looks like to trust God’s provision from the life of George Mueller. But your congregation might be similarly helped by observing how one of your homebound members has trusted God to provide for her medical expenses. Luther is a great example of courage in the face of opposition. But also is that brother in your church who takes risky steps for evangelism with family, friends, and neighbors. Spurgeon’s life has many wonderful examples of hospitality and generosity. But similar examples could be found in the life of that sister in your congregation who constantly seems to have people in her home despite the fact that she’s homeschooling four kids. In other words, connect the text you’re preaching to the members of your church who are models of faithfulness.

Fourth, Remind Your Congregation That It Takes the Whole Church to Care for the Whole Church

One pastor can’t provide all the care necessary for every member of the church to flourish. Neither can a team of elders. Neither can a team of elders and deacons. Neither can a team of elders and deacons and staff. It takes the whole church to care for the whole church. Remind the congregation that their discipling, evangelism, service, and giving are essential for the church to the church’s health and mission.

Elders are critical. We should all take seriously Paul’s command in 2 Timothy 2:2 and labor to multiply the number of elder-qualified men in our congregations. But remember to remind your church that elders aren’t an end in themselves. They exist to serve and support the most important work being done—the work of members. In your prayers and in your teaching, dignify that work.