Why Church Membership Matters

There is a mountain of confusion about church membership and what it means for many American Christians. Some don’t believe it’s helpful or necessary, while other churches have “membership” rolls that far exceed the actual people who are plugged into their church body. These churches have lists full of people who decided to be a “member” 10 years ago by way of ceremony only, never having actually belonged to a group of believers or fulfilled any sort of membership responsibilities. Of course, these experiences only fuel the idea that church membership is, at best, meaningless.

So why does church membership matter? There are many reasons, but we will focus on two: 1) It is biblically important, and 2) It is good for the church and for you.

 1) Membership is Biblically Important

Although there is not in depth detail on the specific topic of church membership in the New Testament, there is much evidence pointing to its importance and vitality.

For example, Hebrews 13:17 states:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

If there is no such thing as belonging to a specific local church body, then to which leaders are we to be responsible to? Do we submit to any random church leader in our city that may or may not be biblically faithful?

From the opposite side, Scripture gives clear instructions to elders to specifically care for, lead, and shepherd “the flock of God among you” (1 Pet 5.1-5). The metaphor is shepherding, which of course implies a shepherd overseeing and protecting a specific and defined group of sheep. If there were no such thing as defined church membership, to whom would elders be responsible to God for?

Lastly, the New Testament concept of church discipline laid out in Matthew 18 would have no functionality whatsoever without a definite account of who is and is not a member.

2) Membership is Good for the Church and for You

Beyond the biblical evidence for the importance of church membership, there are practical benefits galore. Choosing to commit to a specific church body allows the believer to treat church as a family with warts, struggles and all—as opposed to seeing the church as a pick-and-choose buffet that I will most certainly leave if things get too difficult. It allows for the long-term growth that can only come from being committed to the same group of people for an extended period of time—people that know your flaws, weaknesses, and struggles as much as you know theirs.

Church membership gives us the opportunity to belong to one another and practice the myriad of “one another” commands we see littered throughout the New Testament. Membership allows us the similar benefits of deep sanctification and belonging that marriage allows. It teaches us that commitment, even to an (of course) imperfect church is far better for our souls than treating church like a buffet line.

Practicals of Membership at Midtown

At Midtown we take membership seriously. We have at least 2 events each year (Family Meetings) specifically designed to encourage, train, and support our members. In addition, missionary members receive extra attention, care and oversight from our pastors through regular member check ups, as well as the added benefit of officially belonging to, committing to, and serving our church family as we all make disciples together.

So if you have people in your LifeGroup that are not yet members, encourage them to come to the next Midtown Class. You can find the next session on our Upcoming Events page. Let them know that officially plugging in to a local church body is not only good for the church—it’s good for them and their continued maturity.

How to Use Recovery as a Resource

We want Recovery to be a helpful resource for you as a LifeGroup Leader, to the extent that we have designed and tweaked the ministry to supplement and serve LifeGroups as much as possible.

The analogy that we use is that LifeGroups are like our highway. They are what we want everyone in—the way we do life and biblical community together. Recovery is like a rest stop—an intentional atmosphere to help by adding some intentional focus and support when certain issues feel unbeatable. However, when you are taking a road trip, the goal is not to pull off at the rest stop and stay there forever. In the same way, the goal of Recovery is to help get people in a healthier place so that they can transition back onto the highway of LifeGroups. This is why it is designed as a cycle that only lasts for a few months, happening twice a year.

Because of this philosophy, we desire to keep Recovery and LifeGroups strongly linked. Every week at Recovery we encourage people to get into LifeGroups if they are not already. We encourage them to be honest & transparent about what is going on with them in LifeGroup if they aren’t already. We encourage them to choose a sponsor (a Christian friend who will go through the personal inventories with them) from their LifeGroup to keep that connection strong.

In light of this, here are some ways you can use Recovery as a resource:

• Have conversations with your group about Recovery. Make sure your people know that it is available and that it is helpful. Ask if anyone is feeling led to go. If anyone has been in the past, ask them to share some of what Jesus taught them.
• Approach specific people you think would be greatly helped by it. If there is anyone you think would benefit from it, tell them!
• If anyone does choose to go, see if they’d like someone from LifeGroup to go with them. A lot of times people may want some support and accountability, and we welcome friends who are there to support someone. This also keeps the connection to LifeGroup strong.
• Consistently ask anyone who attends what they are learning, how Jesus is growing them, etc. Because Recovery is an environment specifically designed to open up deep areas of life, it is sometimes the case that people will be more honest and transparent about what they are struggling with at Recovery than they have been with LifeGroup. There is much power in being fully known and deeply loved by others in light of the gospel, and many are blessed by this experience. The challenge with this, of course, is that Recovery is not the highway. The relationships formed in Recovery are not designed to be permanent relationships like the relationships in LifeGroups are. We constantly encourage people at Recovery to make sure they are being as transparent with their LifeGroup as they are at Recovery, and to think of the experience like training wheels to continue to use in their permanent relationships with their LifeGroup. Many times people just don’t know the right time to open up and lay out their deepest fears and secrets, so asking them about it gives them opportunities to do so. Don’t think you are pestering them by doing this…you are serving them!
• If you ever feel like it would benefit your group to go through Recovery together, that is an option. You can come on Monday nights to Recovery and be a part of the big group for worship and teaching, and then break off into your own group to discuss when we separate into small groups. For help or questions about this, contact Brandon Clements.

We desire Recovery to come alongside and serve you guys well as you are leading on the front lines of making disciples in our city, so let us know if you have any questions about how this ministry can be a resource for you as a leader.