Membership

If the eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you" (1 Cor. 12:21) how much more can it not say this to a whole local body?

Articles

What Is Church Membership?

What is church membership? It’s a declaration of citizenship in Christ’s kingdom.

Church Membership Is an Office and a Job

Church membership is an office, too. It’s a job that comes with authority and responsibility.

Twelve Reasons Why Membership Matters

The Christian life in the New Testament is church life. Christians today should expect and desire the same.

Dignify the Work of Membership

Elders are important, but the church, made up of its members, is far more important.

How Church Membership is Misunderstood, Misapplied, and Abused

How Church Membership is Misunderstood, Misapplied, and Abused

Pastors committed to the importance of church membership need to be cautious. In our righteous zeal to address deficient views of the church, we may be tempted to an unrighteous zeal.

How Formal Membership Makes the Church a Family

If you want the church to feel like a family, commit to formal church membership.

Metaphors and Membership: How Biblical Metaphors for the Church Require Church Membership

If you’re looking for the words “thou shalt be a church member” in Scripture, you won’t find them. But if that troubles you, let me encourage you to think a little differently about how to arrive at biblical conclusions.

Youth and Church Membership—Or, Stop Baptizing Children into the Ether

A church should not baptize young people apart from church membership. To do so is unbiblical, unhelpful, and unloving.

Moving Attenders to Members

One thing we can assume about the Christian who regularly attends church but does not join is that his or her view of the Christian life is defective somewhere.

Creating Healthy Membership Practices

As a new pastor, there’s a type of triage required of you. Not a triage of what’s urgent (like the triage unit at your local emergency room), but a triage of what’s wise.

Separating Insiders and Outsiders

How should we evaluate different prescriptions for a successful church? How can we tell what’s good advice and what’s worthy of the so-called circular file?

Church Membership and the N.C.L.H.G.A.

Was church membership practiced by churches in the New Testament? Scripture gives us indications that the answer to this question is "yes."

Church Membership in a World Without NASCAR

Even with the Christian church’s spotty record, we ignore the past at our own peril.

Cleaning Up the Rolls (Part 1)

Bad records and outdated rolls trouble any faithful pastor’s existence. Yet before you sweep things clean, consider both why and how this should be done.

Cleaning Up the Rolls (Part 2): The Care List

Why go to all this trouble? Too many times, we had seen Satan exploit the newness or suddenness of a motion for discipline in our meetings.

Why Members Voting on Members Is Their Most Important Job

When church members vote on new members, they’re deciding on those with whom they’ll share the highest authority in the church.

Definite Atonement and Church Membership

What does definite atonement have to do with church membership?

Why American Courts Care About Church Membership—and Why You Should, Too

For Christians, the biblical case for church membership should always be first and foremost. But it’s good to know that complying with biblical best practices also has practical legal benefits.

Why You Will Join the Wrong Church

Personal relationships were never meant to serve as the foundation for our sense of church commitment.

Books

Membership & Discipline
Church Membership
How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus
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Membership & Discipline
Don’t Fire Your Church Members
The Case for Congregationalism
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Membership & Discipline
What Is a Healthy Church Member?
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Membership & Discipline
Why Should I Join a Church?
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Membership & Discipline
Going Public
Why Baptism Is Required for Church Membership
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