New Journey Blog: November 2020

It’s Not That Kind of Membership

Recently I became an Amazon Prime member. They had a student rate offer, and with the number of books I buy for school, it made sense. There are many perks a Prime member receives that extend beyond the average Amazon customer; Prime video, Amazon music, free 2-day shipping, etc. Yet, the moment the cost outweighs the benefits—I will cancel my membership.

This is often how we think of membership in our culture. We think of service providers or clubs and all the perks membership provides. This is not a fruitful way to think about church membership, however. Church membership is less about the perks received and more about the commitment given. Its less like being the member of an exclusive club with all the benefits and more like being a band of soldiers in a common fight—advancing the Kingdom of God together.

A Membership Like Marriage

Another helpful analogy is marriage. After all, the church is Christ’s bride! Unlike a membership I can easily cancel at any time, the covenant I have made with my wife is until death. It is a weighty thing, less focused on perks and more focused on commitment.

Marriage and Church membership seem peculiar to a culture averse to commitment and addicted to self-benefit. According to a Pew Research study conducted last year, 69% of adults say that it is acceptable for an unmarried couple to live together even if they never plan on marrying. That percentage jumps to 78% among adults 18-29. From 2013-2017, 59% of adults ages 18 to 44 said they were or had at one point been in a cohabiting relationship. Worldly wisdom would say this makes good sense. After all, you don’t buy a car before test driving it, so why would you commit to live the rest of your life with a person without testing the waters first? If you can get all the perks without the weightiness of marriage, why bother?

For the Christian, everything we do has a greater purpose—to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This includes marriage. Marriage reflects spiritual realities. It reflects God’s nature as a relational God who created his image bearers for committed relationship. It reflects Christ’s character; a savior committed to his bride, the church. Beyond that, marriage provides the security of covenant commitment rather than the shaky foundation of an easy out when challenges arise. Statistics show that those who marry before living together are far more likely to have a relationship that lasts. The same Pew research study showed that married couples have a deeper level of trust, closeness and satisfaction within their relationship across the board. Most importantly, for those who desire intimate relationship, marriage is obedience to God.

Much of what compels someone to neglect marriage also compels them to neglect church membership. If one can receive the perks of church attendance without the weightiness of membership, why bother? What are the benefits; a deeper level of time commitment, financial giving, responsibility, and submission to the church body vs. showing up when it suits me and getting involved to a degree that matches my comfort level? Worldly wisdom easily points to option 2 as the most desirable. And yet, committing to a local church through membership parallels the blessings of marriage in a growth of trust, closeness and satisfaction in one’s relationship to the church body.

Concerning marriage, while culture would say leave as soon as the cost outweighs the benefits, Jesus only allows divorce in instances of marital unfaithfulness. Concerning a local church family, people often leave for many different reasons—the style of music and preaching, the length of the service, desired programs, leadership’s response to COVID-19, relational conflict, etc. A pastor friend shared with me that one long-time attender of his church quit because the light in the sanctuary was too dim! However, like spouses in a committed marriage, church members are committed to the local body. There are few healthy reasons a church member would ever consider leaving their church; a long distance move to a different community, a clear call from God to become a blessing to another church body, or because the church has begun practicing spiritual unfaithfulness—teaching that which is contrary to God’s word.

Church membership is not for the faint of heart. If you are married, you likely didn’t make such a weighty decision on a whim. You counted the cost, and then gave yourself to your spouse with great joy—the commitment intensifying the value of the relationship. While marriage increases commitment and commitment intensifies joy, so it is with church membership.

Why must I be baptized as a believer to become a member?

In order to become a member of New Journey Church, you must to be dunked under water as a crowd looks on. Pretty strange, I know. And yet, this is no hazing ritual. Why does New Journey church require believer’s baptism as a prerequisite for church membership? When we look to Scripture, we see baptism as the clear sign God established for his followers to communicate the reality of their covenant relationship with him; into the water, a sign of death with Christ, and out of the water, a sign of being washed clean and raised up to new life.

During the celebration of Pentecost in Acts 2, when a small group of followers in obedience to Jesus waited in Jerusalem for the gift he had promised them after his ascension, they prayed and the Holy Spirit descended upon them in tongues of fire. Immediately, they began to proclaim the gospel in different languages; languages they didn’t know! Those who had come to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost heard them speaking, and marveled at how this could be. Peter shared with them an impromptu sermon proclaiming Jesus. Many were convicted asking what they should do. Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (vs. 38). Later we are told,^“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (vs 41).

From the very beginning of the church, we see that baptism was the sign of membership within the body of believers. First, there is a receiving of the word—belief. This is followed by baptism, and that by being added to, or recognized, as members of Christ’s church. We require baptism as a prerequisite for local church membership because baptism is what God established as the sign of membership in the church universal. It is an act of obedience to God’s command.

Keeping with the analogy of marriage, a wedding ring is an outward sign that communicates the covenant a married couple has promised to each other. On my wedding day, my closest friends stood with me as I pledged my love and faithfulness to my new bride. I know they would confront me if I were ever unfaithful to Emily. The covenant promise of marriage made before God and man naturally provides accountability.

Likewise, God has given his church this outward sign of Baptism to communicate an inner reality. Baptism and church membership communicate the same things—a commitment to Christ and his church. Both invite accountability to Christ’s kingdom values.

What is the Benefit of Church Membership?

Accountability is perhaps the clearest benefit of church membership. By clearly communicating to your brothers and sisters in Christ through baptism and membership your desire to walk faithfully with God and his people, you are inviting accountably to walking that path.

Scripture presents it as a given that to belong to a fellowship of believers implies the necessity of confrontation if one begins to wander from obedience to God. We see an extreme example of this in 1 Corinthians 5 when a man had an adulterous relationship with his father’s wife (likely his step mother). Paul calls on the church (notice not just church leadership) to confront this man and if he does not repent, to “cast him to Satan”. This means being put out of the fellowship of believers and treating him like one still in need of salvation (because his behavior may indicate that in fact, he is).

The harsh language and response (cast him to Satan and remove him) that the local body of believers was called to demonstrate toward this man may rub us the wrong way in our inclusive and tolerant culture, but it is intended to have a restorative effect—to awaken him to the seriousness of his sin and stir his desire for right relationship with God and his church once again.

Embracing church membership is a recognition of how easily we each can be swayed to drink from the broken cisterns of muddy water the world seeks to quench their thirst. It’s a public profession of desire for a family; brothers and sisters who will point us back toward the Living Water. Its embracing discipleship, and giving discipleship. Its committing to seek God’s Kingdom together. It’s stirring one another’s affections towards God so that He may be glorified.

We believe in the priesthood of all believers. Another joy and responsibility of church membership is the weightiness of providing direction for the church through together listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and pressing into God’s word. Yes, one way we see this is through church members voting on important decisions for the body. Recognize though, this is not about getting our way, but seeking Christ’s way. Like the Lord of the Universe who washed the dust covered feet of his disciples, when considering direction for the local church, we do so with humility putting others before ourselves.

Are you ready for church membership? Remember, its not about the perks…but I guarantee the joy you will receive is greater than 2-day free shipping.