Sometimes brethren question the idea of having to place
membership with a local church. New Christians sometimes wonder why, after they have
already been baptized into the body of Christ, they should "join" a church.
Perhaps the expression "place membership" is a
bit misleading to some who do not understand the way in which we are using it with
reference to the local church. When anyone obeys the gospel of Christ, he is a
member of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 12:5). The
denominational notion of "getting saved" independently of the church then later
joining the church is therefore contrary to the word of God.
The individual members of the Lord's body meet in local
groups to work and worship together (1 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:2; Phi 1:1; Rev. 1:4). There
is no organization in the church higher than the local congregation. Local churches
are to be overseen by qualified elders (Acts 14:23; 20:28; Titus 1:5ff) whose authority is
limited to the congregation of which they are members (1 Pet. 1:2). The brethren
under their oversight are obligated to submit to their faithful leadership (Heb. 13:17).
While every child of God is a member of the Lord's body by
virtue of the fact that he is a child of God; we worship and serve the Lord as a part of a
local group of brethren. When we speak of "placing membership" we simply
mean identifying with a particular congregation so that the elders and members there can
recognize us as a part of that church. When Saul went to Jerusalem, "he tried
to join the disciples" (Acts 9:26). He was already a disciple of Christ, a
member of the church of Christ, but he made it known that he wanted to
"associate" (NASV) with the disciples in that place. This is essentially
what we are doing when we place membership with a local church.
There is no such thing in the New Testament as a Christian
who drifts about independently of a local church. If we are to be in submission to
elders, and if the authority of elders does not extend beyond the local church, then it
follows that we need to be part of a local church. Brethren who want perpetually to
"visit around" from one congregation to another without "belonging" to
one particular church are not only hurting their own souls, but are crippling the work of
the local church which can only thrive when brethren can be depended on to be present for
worship, to take part in the work, and to contribute financially every first day of the
week.
Phoebe was said to be "a servant of the church which
is at Cenchrea" (Rom. 16:1). In a similar way, we should be known not only as
members of Christ's church in the universal sense, but also of a particular congregation.
Placing membership lets the other brethren in that church know that we are not just
visitors. It lets the elders know that we consider ourselves to be under their
oversight.
It is not necessary to "walk the aisle", but when
we move into an area or start worshipping and working with another congregation, we should
make it known in some expedient way that we want to be part of that congregation.
Tell the elders or someone who can pass the information on to the rest of the
congregation. If you are a member of the Lord's church but haven't placed membership
with a congregation, we urge you to make a commitment to worship and work with a
congregation and identify with that church for the good of your soul and the good of the
local church.
