Belonging Matters: Understanding the Biblical Call to Church Membership

By Nathaniel Huebert, Christ Community Fellowship – Sarver, PA

I’m writing this not just as a pastor but as a Christian who loves God’s Word and the church. Recently, as my church has been journeying through the book of Ephesians together, I’ve been reminded of how deeply God designed Christians to have a personal relationship with Him and be committed to a church family He has placed us in.

Why do I say this? In Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” When Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of God,” Jesus clarifies that this foundational faith statement is what He will build His church upon. Faith in Jesus as the Son of God brings us into His family—the universal church that stretches across all time and all places to encompass all who trust in Jesus. But the context of the church isn’t just universal. Ephesians 1 shows us that God has had a plan from the very beginning to create a people for Himself—a holy, blameless family adopted through Jesus.

By faith, we are saved and brought into this family, universally and locally. Paul refers not only to the universal church but also to the specific congregation in Ephesus when he praises their faith in Jesus and their love for all the saints (Ephesians 1:15). This pattern is repeated throughout Scripture—a call to belong not just to Christ but to the Church universally and to a local body of believers.

In the early church, believers had to learn to work through their differences and love each other because there wasn’t another church down the road to run to when things got tough. Scripture shows that early Christians had to learn how to be one people, united in Christ despite their differences and sinful hangups (Ephesians 2:14). They had to grow together, worship together, and bear with one another’s faults and burdens (Colossians 3:12-14; Romans 12:16-18). They had to be committed to being a part of one another’s lives in the good and difficult times.

Why Does Church Membership Matter Today?

In our modern context, we have a different challenge—the abundance of churches to choose from has led to what some call “church hopping,” where people move from one congregation to another whenever something doesn’t suit them. The pandemic revealed this issue broadly and boldly, as many believers changed churches over disagreements about masks, closures, or other issues. This “great shift” showed us how easily we can treat church as a consumer choice rather than a faith commitment. This is a problem because our choices as Christians do not align with what Scripture has called us to be.

Thus, I say church membership matters because it is a public declaration of our commitment to Christ and His people in a local context. By joining a local church, we say, “I belong here. I trust Jesus and am committed to this body of believers.” It is about choosing to stay, serve, and grow together, even when it is difficult. The early church didn’t have the luxury of leaving when things got tough—they had to learn to bear with one another, forgive, and build each other up. And that is what Christ still calls us to do today.

What Does Church Membership Look Like Practically?

Church membership involves several key commitments:

1. Commitment to Christ and His People: By faith in Jesus, we are brought into His family. Membership is a way to affirm that commitment—to Christ and His church visibly.
2. Christian Development and Equipping for Ministry (Discipleship): Church membership means being part of a community where we are intentionally developed and equipped for ministry. Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us that Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip His people for works of service, to build up the body of Christ until we all reach unity in the faith and maturity in Christ. Discipleship is not optional—it is a core part of the church’s purpose in helping every believer grow in faith and effectiveness in serving in the body of Christ.
3. Accountability Under Spiritual Leadership: Membership places us under the care of spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:17). Elders, and pastors are given to the church to shepherd, guide, and equip us for the benefit and vitality of Christ’s people
4. Participation in Church Life and Ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are not individual acts but communal practices. We partake in them together as a church family, remembering Christ’s sacrifice and celebrating our unity in Him through His death and resurrection.
5. Encouragement and Bearing Burdens Together: Church membership means committing to encourage and support one another (Galatians 6:2). It means being there for one another in times of need and celebrating together in times of joy. This includes when we, as people, are the ones in need and when we have something to celebrate.
6. Mutual Accountability and Discipline: Loving accountability is part of the Christian life. Let’s face it: Christ saves us, but we still have sin problems. Membership means allowing others to speak into our lives, help us grow, and correct us when we stray from Christ (Matthew 18:15-17).
7. Unity, Mission, and Leadership: The church is called to be on mission together, taking the gospel to the world (Matthew 28:18-20). Membership is a commitment to participate in the ongoing ministry outside the body of Christ. Yet, it’s also a call to join in the ongoing ministry inside the body, using our gifts to benefit the body’s working internally and externally (Ephesians 4:16). This also includes raising leaders—elders, and deacons—who can help guide the church.

A Call to Commitment

I know that “membership” is not a word explicitly used in the Bible, but the concept of belonging and committing to a local body of believers is everywhere in Scripture. Church membership is a practical way of affirming our faith in Jesus—not just in saving us, but in trusting the community He gives us. It is about placing ourselves under spiritual care and committing to the work of the gospel in a local context.

Church membership is not about having your name on a list but about declaring, “I belong here, and I am committed to Christ and to you, my brothers and sisters.” Let’s be the church Christ has called us to be—together.

Disclaimer:
I recognize that many reading this may have experienced genuine “church hurt”—pain caused by people within the church, including leaders. If that is you, please know that I acknowledge your hurt, and I am not dismissing or ignoring it. The wounds inflicted were caused by broken, sinful people, and processing such deep pain is an entirely separate matter that deserves to be seen and addressed with care, prayer, and wise counsel.

Additionally, there are circumstances when breaking fellowship with a church is warranted. Moving out of the area is an obvious example, but other cases are more complex. Sometimes a church environment may be too harmful to remain in, or a congregation may have abandoned core biblical truths and refused to repent, making continued membership incompatible with faithful discipleship. Recognizing these realities is crucial.

My goal in this article was to highlight Scripture’s mandate for believers to be deeply committed to a local church. The point is that any decision to leave a church should be made neither casually nor based solely on personal preference, but with prayerful consideration, scriptural fidelity, and counsel. The intent is not to minimize the legitimacy of leaving when absolutely necessary, but to affirm how significant, meaningful, and enduring our commitment to Christ’s body should be.