I grew up in a church that required membership before I participated in communion. To become a member I was required to have a foundational understanding of the plan of salvation. I also had to make a profession of faith in front of the church.
I now attend a church that does not require membership for communion. (Appropriately named open communion.) However, my present church requires membership before I can vote in special meetings. Recently, our congregation made a move to another facility. Before the deal was finalized the church members came together, and then voted on whether to move. The majority voted to move; therefore, the church moved. People who were not members of the church had no vote.
For the past 10 years I have been skeptical about the concept of church membership. This skepticism is based on the fact that there is no biblical model for membership. I assume this is American culture affecting church practices. After all, we are members at the local YMCA, we are members of the country club, and we are members at a golfing range. The theory is: when we invest our money and time into the church we should be granted privileges, like membership.
I became a member of my current church about a year ago. I decided that membership was not evil. It is a practice that helps churches organize. Churches can determine commitment levels, predict financial costs, and estimate tithe checks. Membership has a practical aspect.
However, there is a practice that I oppose. Some churches require a member to be heterosexual. There are various churches that deny membership to homosexuals. I believe that homosexuality is a sin. Nonetheless, denying membership because someone is struggling with homosexuality is not biblical! Membership is not a requirement for salvation. Membership is not a biblical command. Therefore, segregating people from membership based on morality is not sound.
How many churches have members who are divorced for reasons other than marital unfaithfulness? How many members struggle with pornography when they get on the Internet? How many members cheated on their taxes this year? Why is homosexuality considered in membership, and these other sins have no bearing? It is because homosexuality is the current taboo. Churches think they are tolerating the sin if they allow a homosexual to become a member. But, what does membership have to do with morality. I would suggest nothing!
Mainly, I dislike using membership (a cultural, organization tool) to dictate morality and demoralize people. A church can have a standard. A church can take a stand on social issues like abortion and homosexual marriage. But, using membership to hold people to that standard is absurd and not supported by scripture.
3 comments:
AH very controversial! Lets go one more shall we? The model of the church "voting" on anything is equally unbiblical. The new testament is very clearly "Elder rule" in the governing of the church. When there was no Apostolic authority available the decisions were made by the elders of the church and there was no argument. Hmmmmmmmmm
Tamara,
I feel it is biblical to support claims about the practice of Christianity with the Bible so that we will not mislead our hearers and readers.
Important questions have been provoked in me by your writing: Why membership biblically is right or wrong? Is the heterosexual requirement for church membership biblical? Is it biblical to allow a homosexual person to be a member of a local church and thereby be qualified to be a church leader or to open the door of a local church to all sinners (homosexual and heterosexual) for salvation?
I may have misunderstood your concern about church membership. But I still remain in darkness about your view about church membership given that you did not refer to any scripture to support your view. In response to the questions about, the following passages from the Bible may be useful to Christians:
A member of a church assembly is an individual who accepts and practice what the local church believes in (which must be the Bible), that accepts the command of Christ to preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), and that may be in a leading role in a church assembly. Should so-called Christians going here and there, seeing all church assemblies as assemblies of Christ just jump upon any church assembly at will to be a leader? Chaos, distrust, and confusion are inevitable under such leadership and in such circumstances. Is not different from sexual affairs with multiple partners leading to sexually transmitted diseases since not all church assemblies accept the same thing? Each Christian (follower of Christ) in a local church following Christ needs to stay in that church for nurturing in terms of biblical advise about spiritual, childhood, financial, educational (elementary, middle, high school, college), marital, job and other matters. From my experience in Northern Hemisphere, without a close relationship that can lead to trust, people will not open up to one another.
This was the case with Saul that became Paul, as in Acts 9:26-28, “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples (members): but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple (member). But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.”
“Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas and Simeon…and Saul…Sent out by the Holy Spirit, Saul and Barnabas…” (Acts 13:1-4). They were members. No sinners were members among them.
Whenever Paul had an issue, he came back to the leadership of his assembly in Jerusalem (Acts 15:4-21) even though there were assemblies out there (Galatians 1:6-10).
In light of the foregoing, a member of a local church is one that accepts the beliefs of his/her local church. For a local church to accept a newcomer as a member, a period of interaction is needed to see if the newcomer and the local church share the same view about sin, salvation, sanctification, holiness, death, hell, heaven, and so on. An unrepentant sinner is not a follower of Christ, but should be allowed in church to hear the gospel for salvation. How will unbelievers hear and believe the gospel except they are told. Generally speaking in biblical terms, all church assemblies worldwide should accept the whole Bible (the doctrines/teachings/commands/precepts of Jesus Christ. Some “Christians”, not followers of Christ, now live in freedom to satisfy sinful nature. In the face of this, the Bible says, “For you have been called to live in freedom – not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.”
While homosexuality is a sin (Romans 1:26-27), people that believe in and practice heterosexuality and have not turned away from their sins in church assemblies worldwide are not followers of Christ and should not become members of a church assembly. Yet, church assemblies worldwide are required of the Lord to open their doors and hearts of love to all sinners. They should allow them to come to church and hear the Gospel for salvation through Jesus Christ. The love of Christ should be unconditionally shown to them when they are in need financially, materially, and so on.. “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” (2 Timothy 4:17). If they will not repent they are multitudes, according to the Bible. Some of those multitudes have found their ways to church leadership and have changed the Bible due to the fundamental deviations they have introduced as seen in Timothy 1:6-8, “From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
No wonder prosperity messages erroneously based on Malachi 3:10-12 go on growing to pull the crowd in contraction to the nature of our duty toward our Lord Jesus Christ, as in Luke 17:10.
The lot of those multitudes is as follows, Luke 13:26-28, ”Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”
First, true followers of Christ must submit themselves to the authority of Jesus Christ and His Word (the Bible) – Joshua 1:7-8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”, Revelation 22:19, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Kunle Oyerinde
Kunle-
One reason I did not use scripture is simply because our current concept of membership is not found in scripture. Please don't take offense to this. I want to understand why the church uses membership. If there is a biblical example I am willing to reconsider. I still don't see an argument for membership even with the scripture you used. I don't think the word disciple and member are interchangeable. I think there is little evidence that membership is commanded in the word.
Also Romans chapter one (you quoted this) needs to be read with Romans chapter 2.
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?.
I think you and I have a basic misunderstanding of the word "sinner." I think you believe that true Christians do not sin. I disagree on that point. I think we are flawed, and will continue to sin. We may desire not to sin, but our fallen nature prevents us from living sinless. Some of us are homosexuals, some of us are liars, some of us are drinkers, and some of us are full of pride. Here is a scripture about showing partiality and judging a man's sin.
James 2:1-13
1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
When we consider homosexuality as taboo, and yet allow gossips into our church we are showing favoritism. What is the law we should follow...love your neighbor as yourself.
I will continue to study this concept in scripture. I need to study for class now. :)
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