Church Membership

Church Members Must Watch Their Elders’ Life & Doctrine

By Erik Raymond | 08.07.2018

In a healthy church, the relationship between elders and church members will be characterized by trust.

What the Church Can and Should Bring to the #MeToo Movement

By Whitney Woollard | 9Marks Journal: Church Life: Our True Political Witness | 04.17.2018

The world doesn’t have the tools to offer the kind of redemption the #MeToo movement calls for. But thankfully, the church does.

5 Ways Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle Cultivated Meaningful Membership

By Geoff Chang | 02.26.2018

The goal is for every church to be faithful—in doctrinal purity, in guarding the membership, in active gospel ministry. In this, Spurgeon and the Metropolitan Tabernacle remain a model for pastors and churches today.

Mailbag #71: A Pastor and Pre-Conversion Sins . . . Young Children, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper

By Jonathan Leeman | 02.09.2018

— To what degree should a man’s past life—perhaps even before his conversion—affect how we consider his qualification for ministry? — Should young children who have been baptized but left out of church membership be given the Lord’s Supper?

Book Review: 40 Questions about Membership & Discipline, by Jeremy Kimble

Review by Joshua Fang | 12.07.2017

If Western Christians think church membership and discipline are strange and alien ideas, then it’s totally new for churches in China.

Mailbag #68: Does a Church’s Maturity Affect Church Discipline Approach? . . . Should We Bring into Membership a Family Who Doesn’t Speak Our Language?

By Jonathan Leeman | 11.10.2017

— Should a congregation’s age, spiritual maturity, and experience of church discipline play into a “muddy” church discipline decision? — How should we maintain a robust membership process while taking into account a new family’s language barrier?

Episode 26: On Multi-Site Churches (with Matt Chandler)

By J. Leeman, M. Dever, M. Chandler | 11.07.2017

Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman interview Matt to talk about the reasons behind this transition.

Mailbag #67: What Should Members Vote On (And How) . . . Responding to Members’ Foolish Social Media Posts

By Jonathan Leeman | 11.03.2017

— What are considered “important matters” for members to vote on—and how do you practically carry out the voting process? — How should I respond to a church member’s foolish use of social media?

4 Reasons Churches Don’t Practice Church Discipline

By Jeremy Kimble | 11.02.2017

Despite what some people think, church discipline isn’t an unloving, invasive act, perpetrated by wicked people.

4 Myths that Keep College Students from Joining a Church

By Jim Davis | 10.19.2017

Do you want to faithfully follow Christ during your college years? Then join a church.

Mailbag #63: How to Love Wayward Children; Is Plural Eldership Required or Encouraged?

By Jonathan Leeman | 10.06.2017

— How should we treat our 18-year-old daughter’s relationship with her girlfriend? How do we love them without condoning their sin? — Should all churches have a plurality of elders, or are there some churches that simply cannot have a plurality of elders?