Membership

To be or not to be… a member of a church

These days, what do you think of when you hear the word membership?

You may think of paying an annual fee so that you can be able to purchase goods from a website or at Costco.

There can be a certain status associated to a membership if that membership is a very tough one to acquire. But, what does membership mean when it pertains to a membership at a church?

Let’s be clear, being a member of a church does not make you any more or less spiritual.

You would have to search and do some interpretational gymnastics to find where membership is mentioned in the Bible.

The value of being a member at Northview comes when a person decides they desire to be committed to this local body of believers and they recognize that God’s ultimate way to do His work is through the church. (did you notice the bold letters?) One way of looking at membership is through the comparison of a dating relationship and a marriage. If you are dating a person, you have an attraction and some level of commitment. But, you are not all in. (excuse the poker terminology ) In marriage, you have examined what the other person believes, how they live it out and trust where they say they want to go. You spend quality time with them and then you decide to be fully committed to this person… for better or worse.

Now, there is no perfect illustration and I am not saying that there is never a good reason to leave a church after becoming a member. But, I think this picture of marriage does well to give us a picture of how membership today can be thought of. As in any relationship, church membership recognizes that I need others for my own spiritual growth, accountability and that my gifts will be used best in conjunction with the gifts of my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Now back to the top. To be or not to be a member?

Any more questions?