Membership Required

By Al Felder

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

Some questions reveal where people truly stand. One of those questions is this: Is church membership required? Scripture answers with clarity: yes.

There is no biblical category for a saved person who is disconnected from Christ’s body. If a person is in Christ, they are in His church. If a person is in His church, that person is meant to live and serve as a functioning member of a faithful local congregation.

This is not man-made religion. This is God’s design.

The church in two senses

The word translated “church” comes from ekklesia, meaning “the called out.” In Scripture, it is used in two ways:

1. Universal sense — the total body of the saved in Christ.

2. Local sense — a congregation of believers in a specific place.

Both matter. Universally, Christ has one spiritual body. Locally, that body is expressed in congregations where disciples worship, grow, serve, and hold one another accountable.

How one becomes part of the church

When the gospel was first preached in its fullness, people asked what they must do. The answer included repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Then Scripture says the Lord added the saved.

That means entrance into Christ’s church is not by voting, family heritage, or signing a social card. It is by obeying the gospel, and God does the adding.

So the question is not, “Do I feel like joining?”The deeper question is, “Have I obeyed the gospel and submitted to Christ?”

The local congregation is not optional

Once saved, disciples are not meant to drift in isolation. In the New Testament, believers were organized into congregations. They assembled, worshiped, gave, prayed, studied, served, and worked together in a shared life of faith.

A local congregation includes real responsibilities:

• Regular assembly for worship and encouragement

• Shared treasury for the work God assigned

• Mutual edification through doctrine, fellowship, and service

• Leadership and oversight with an eye toward qualified eldership

• Submission to scriptural leadership for unity and order

This is not religious bureaucracy. It is a spiritual structure designed by God for protection and growth.

The body illustration: every member matters

Paul’s body imagery in 1 Corinthians 12 is powerful. The church is one body with many members. Every part matters. No member can say, “I don’t need the others,” and no member should live as though disconnected parts can remain healthy.

A body without coordinated function is not healthy—it is broken. The same is true spiritually. Christianity was never designed as a “me and God only” lifestyle. It is covenant life in a body.

The body might survive a damaged member for a time. But the member cut off from the body does not thrive. Disconnection leads to weakness, and weakness eventually leads to death.

Unity requires leadership and submission

Corinth demonstrates what happens when everyone “does their own thing.” Division spreads. Personal loyalties replace Christ-centered unity. Confusion multiplies.

Scripture calls for believers to speak the same thing, be joined in the same mind, and avoid schism. That requires mature leadership and members who respect and support scriptural decisions.

A congregation is only as unified as its leadership and followership. When leaders divide, members divide. When leaders shepherd faithfully, and members respond humbly, the congregation grows in peace.

What faithful membership provides

God did not command local congregational life to burden us, but to bless us. Through faithful membership, Christians receive:

• Doctrinal stability

• Spiritual encouragement

• Loving correction when needed

• Shared mission in evangelism and service

• Practical support in times of weakness

The early church continued steadfastly in doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. Their shared life made them one heart and one soul. That still happens when a congregation lives as God intended.

The danger of religious drifting

One major danger in modern Christianity is casual, roaming spirituality—attending here one week, somewhere else the next, never truly belonging, never fully accountable, never deeply involved.

That pattern produces spiritual instability. A person may hear sermons, but never become part of the work. They may appear active, yet remain detached from the mutual care that sustains faith over time.

Accountability is not legalism. It is protection. Commitment is not bondage. It is discipleship.

Personal conduct affects the whole church

Membership is not only attendance—it is influence.

Our daily conduct either helps or hinders the church’s witness. If we walk in wisdom, speak with grace, and live holy lives, we draw people toward Christ. If we live in open contradiction to the gospel, we bring reproach on the body and weaken evangelism.

The church is called to be a light. Each member contributes to that light—or dims it.

Conclusion: Yes, membership is required

So we return to the question:

Is a person required to be a member of the church? Yes.

God adds the saved to Christ’s body. God designed local congregational life for worship, growth, service, discipline, and mission. God expects every disciple not merely to be present but to function as a productive member.

You cannot belong to Christ and reject His body. You cannot love the Head and despise what He purchased with His own blood.

Membership is required—and faithful membership is part of faithful Christianity.

Practicing what is taught

• Settle the question in your heart: stop treating membership as optional when God treats it as essential.

• Plant yourself in a faithful congregation: be known, accountable, and involved.

• Serve as a functioning member: don’t just attend—work, encourage, give, and build.

• Pursue unity: support scriptural leadership and reject divisive spirit.

• Guard your witness: let your conduct strengthen, not hinder, the gospel.

  
  

Reflection questions

1. Do I treat church membership as essential or as a personal preference?

2. Am I truly functioning in a faithful local congregation, or merely visiting religious spaces?

3. In what ways am I contributing to unity, growth, and service in the body?

4. Is my life helping the church’s witness, or quietly harming it?

5. What immediate change do I need to make to become a stronger, more faithful member?