New Testament Concepts of the Christian Ekklesia – Should We Have Church Membership Rolls and Requirements

May I suggest that it is impossible not to have “church membership” in the abstract, if not in the concrete. My local congregation is going to be delimited by my own sense of who belongs to it, whether I have a formal list or not. If you ask me, “Is so and so a member of your congregation,” I will have a sense of whether they are or not. Having a formal list or roll only makes sense. The greater question is what the requirements, if any, should be for someone to be on that roll.

Should the requirements to be a member of a local congregation be any more stringent that the requirements to be a Christian, which makes one a member of the universal church? I don’t think so. What are those requirements? There is only one. I must believe in the true Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. I cannot believe in a false Christ, nor can I believe in myself as sufficient means for salvation. Shouldn’t I be baptized? Yes, I should, but that cannot be a requirement, as there might be extenuating circumstances that lead to one not being baptized (think of the thief on the cross). And baptism, in my theology, is not a requirement for salvation.

Could I therefore be a member of several congregations? Some practically are, but is it right? If we think of the various house churches within the one local church of Rome in Paul’s day, do we imagine that they never visited or participated with other house churches? And by so doing were they being “disloyal” to their own house church? But what if you were a member of Aquila’s and Priscilla’s house church in Rome and decided you liked Narcissus’ house church better for some reason? Maybe you didn’t like the fact that Priscilla had such a prominent role in leading that house church. By choosing to attend another house church you would be commenting on your displeasure with that house church. You would be saying that for whatever reason it didn’t minister to you. But is that what a church is for? Yes and no.

Of course a church is to minister to the believer, that is, the congregates of a local church are meeting together for the purpose of building one another up. But can you really not be built up by a congregation because you don’t like its leadership, or the effectiveness of the teachers, or they way they sing, or because you are at odds with another member? Much of that seems petty and an avoidance of the growth process you need to go through. What if your children are not getting ministered to? That is not a selfish move on your part. You could put up with poor singing or teaching, but not the failure of your kids to grow spiritually.

So what are the legitimate reasons for leaving the membership of your congregation? I see three:

1. My church is teaching heresy. Of course, your definition of heresy and mine might be different. For me, heresy is teaching inconsistent with who Jesus is and his provision of salvation (the Son of God made man who died in my place to rescue me from the penalty of my sin when I believe in him alone).
2. My gifts are needed in another congregation. I am needed for serving the body in another locale.
3. My kids aren’t being ministered to.

Of course, it would seem responsible to seek to change these situations in the congregation you are attending before you up and leave.