Why Should I Be a Member of a Local Church?

1. Biblical eldership requires a local flock of Christians.

The plan and pattern for leadership within the church is for elders of local congregations to shepherd the Christians associated with their local congregation. It is helpful to begin thinking through this idea in 1 Peter 5.1-5:

(1) So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: (2) shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; (3) not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (4) And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (5) Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (ESV)

We recognize first that in this passage, Peter is writing not to a local congregation, but to Christians at large (cf. 1. Pet. 1.1-2). In this section of the message to Christians everywhere Peter instructs them concerning the eldership in two stages. First, he exhorts the elders “among you” (i.e. among the church at large) to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you…not domineering over those in your charge”. In the universal sense, elders/shepherds within the body of Christ are expected to shepherd their fellow Christians in keeping with the will of the Chief Shepherd. Second, Peter admonishes younger Christians to “be subject to the elders” and exercise humility toward their brethren.

This begs a couple of important questions in terms of practical application: just who exactly will these elders be responsible for, and which elders are we Christians to be subject to? It is unreasonable to expect elders to be personally responsible for the spiritual welfare of Christians with which they have no association whatsoever, and it is equally so to attempt submission to the guidance of elders we’ve never met. Paul’s letter to Titus begins to provide some clarification on these questions:

“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you may put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” (Titus 1.5 ESV)

Paul’s instruction to Titus to appoint elderships in local congregations points squarely to the scope of the eldership’s responsibilities in terms of their flock. We can combine this with the fact that Paul not only advised Titus to appoint elders in every town, but he and Barnabas did that very thing in cities such as Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed.” (Acts 14.23). Furthermore, when Paul arrives in Ephesus in Acts 20.17 and “called the elders of the church”, elders from around the world weren’t the ones who showed up. The Ephesian elders came and spoke with Paul there.

Elders are called to be good shepherds of Christians within their local congregations. For this to be possible, Christians need to be associated with local congregations so that the elders within those congregations can perform their duties effectively and in keeping with the examples we have in scripture. Also, for Christians to be in submission to their elders (cf. Heb. 13.17) we must know who those elders are and have a relationship with them, both of which should be accomplished by association with a local congregation. In my opinion, this is the most important reason for what we sometimes call “placing membership”, or (to jettison an unclear term) associate oneself with a local congregation and submit to the eldership that is present there.

2. Biblical unity requires a local community of believers.

Secondly, in the same light as we revealed the necessity of local church membership in terms of the elders, the same can be done with Paul’s repeated references to unity among brethren. First, a familiar passage:

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.” (1 Cor. 1.10-11 ESV)

It is good to note before going further that there is a sense in which Christians across congregations are to be unified with one another, which we can see from Paul’s statements concerning teaching the same things in multiple congregations (e.g. 1 Cor. 7.17; 14.33-34; 16.1, etc.). However, the issue in Corinth wasn’t that they weren’t united with the brethren at large (however true that might be). The issue in Corinth in 1 Cor. 1 was the Corinthian brethren were not united with one another, instead splintering into smaller factions aligned with different leaders such as Paul, Cephas (Peter), or Apollos (1.12). We might add that Paul similarly condemned and warned against division within the Roman church (Rom. 16.17-18).

These admonitions against division among brethren in Corinth and Rome demonstrate that the Christians of these local congregations were expected to be unified. It stands to reason, then, that for a Christian to be unified with the brethren of a local congregation there must be an association, a bond, a relationship with the brethren of a specific location deeper than simply “this is where I worship”. A brother or sister in Christ cannot achieve the unity with their brethren that the New Testament teaches when they “church hop” or float from place to place.

When a Christian neglects to associate with a local congregation they refuse the connection between Christians that God has provided for our good. Read closely the following passage: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Eph. 4.15-16 ESV). God has equipped the body with connections, bonds, joints between brethren! One role those connections play in our spiritual lives is the sympathetic care for one another’s hardships and difficulties, as well as the restorative process following repentance from sins (Gal. 6.1-2; James 5.14-16, etc.)

3. Paul demonstrated association with local churches.

Finally, we can see the importance of local church association (or membership) from the example of Paul in the book of Acts. A few years after his conversion, the apostle Paul (then known as Saul of Tarsus) sought to “join the number” of the saints in Jerusalem, where he was met with (understandable) resistance:

“And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 9.26-28 ESV)

There’s a lot here, so let’s take it in stages. Saul of Tarsus, following his conversion, spent at least three years in Arabia near Damascus (Gal. 1.17). Prior to this, Saul had vigorously persecuted Christians, and built a reputation to that effect. When he attempted to “join the number” of the Jerusalem church, they understandably balked at his arrival. To the rescue comes Barnabas, who was able to vouch for Saul’s conversion to Christ and reassure the Jerusalem brethren that Saul wasn’t there to harm them. Following this comes in important phrase: “So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem…”.

The concept of “he went in and out among them” is an old one in scripture, and it often is tied to association and leadership. Joshua was appointed to be the next leader over Israel in Numbers 27.16-17: “Let the LORD…appoint a man over the congregation that shall go out before them and come in before them…”. David is said to have “went out and came in” before the people of Israel in 1 Sam. 18.14-16, as well as later being associated with the Achish and the Philistines in 1 Sam. 29.6. In all three of those cases, it was clear which group of people Joshua and David were associated with at that time. Later in Acts 9, Paul is sent away from Jerusalem (for his own safety) to Tarsus to continue the work of preaching there.

Later, in Acts 13, Saul is noted as being one of the prophets and teachers “in the church at Antioch” (v.1), and it is interesting what is said when he and Barnabas are instructed by the Holy Spirit to go abroad and preach: “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13.2 ESV, emphasis mine). Simply put, Saul was noted as being a part of the church in Antioch, and he was “set apart” or taken FROM that group to do the Lord’s work in spreading the gospel. For one to be “set apart” from a group one must be a member or a part of the group in question! It is important to note here at the conclusion of this first of Paul’s four “missionary journeys”, he returns to Antioch (Acts 14). In fact, all of Paul’s journeys either began or ended in Antioch or Jerusalem.

We say all that to say this: it is clear from Paul’s example that association with a local church was something deeper than “that’s where I worship”. There was a strong sense in which Paul felt obligated to be accountable to his brethren, either rin Antioch or in Jerusalem. (It’s important to note here that Paul is an apostle, and his exact situation in regard to both churches was a unique one. Nonetheless, association with specific churches is clear.)

Conclusion

So why should I be joined to a local congregation of the Lord’s people? To be led and cared for by elders, I need to be a part of their flock. To be united with my brethren, I need a group of brethren with which to be united. To imitate the example of the Christians of the 1st century (i.e. of the Bible), I need to associate myself as a member of my congregation and be accountable and helpful to them in the work God has given us.