Member Ship

I must start this topic with definitions so my case for membership will be clearly defined and not based on my personal membership experiences. 

Unit – an individual thing or person regarded as single 

Tribe – a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader. 

Clan – A race; a family; a tribe.

Community – a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

Marriage – The act of uniting a man and woman for life; 

Covenant – Chosen relationship or partnership in which two parties make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. Oaths, signs, and ceremonies often accompany them. 

Member – a person, animal, or plant belonging to a particular group.

Membership – the fact of being a member of a group.

God created three institutional relationships that are the foundation of how we interact. Family, Church, and Government. The core of all three is a covenant. None of these institutions are optional for a man following Jesus. 

This is a matter of defining our words regarding membership. Rather than living up to the definition and changing the perception of the word membership, some choose different words to describe the same principle. Others attempt to stay undefined, insisting no name describes them. If we continue to insist on finding new terms to describe the same relationships, soon, we will have no words left to use. 

Membership is about commitment. Specifically, it is a commitment to an imperfect partner. We can search the world and never find the “perfect” wife, so why does an imperfect church seem to cause us to be surprised and refuse to be a part of it? You do not find the perfect marriage. It’s made. The same goes for the church. 

The church’s flaws and how they have hurt me are often the reasons for avoiding membership. It is far too easy for us to find ways that sin has tainted God’s covenantal relationships, but our response should never be to do away with or rename them. 

You have chosen a wife by answering a simple question. The same question needs answering when determining membership, who do you want to do life with? Refusing to be a covenant member is like putting on your wedding ring on Sunday morning and taking it off on your way to lunch. 

We balk at the idea of unmarried couples living together. Similar dangers exist for those cohabiting in the body. Easy escape, no accountability, and a lack of dependence on one another. Its kin to an easy breakup and separate bank accounts.

Marriage is an institution that God takes seriously and leaves little room for us to break the covenant. Only a few reasons for leaving a marriage can honor God. The marriage vows are not for the wedding day. The vows said are for sickness and health, rich and poor, and through peace and war.

The same principle applies to the church. My commitment to being a member is not for the few weeks after the church shopping ends. It is for ten years from now when my kids are teenagers. It is for 20 years from now when I think the new 25-year-old members are “ruining” the church. The commitment is for 30 years later when I am an empty nester and cannot stand the new music style. The commitment is to his church and his people, not my happiness or comfort. 

The church that God leads us to is often the one that presents the most challenges. Like in marriage, the best ones show us the worst about ourselves. The idea of attracting members is an example of why I often cringe at the term “church shopping.” The members are judged based on their ability to appeal to my tastes.

On the contrary, the church is a mirror in which we cannot hide from the things we loathe about ourselves—exposing the calluses that God will remove layer by layer, refining us each time to make us look more like Christ.

The silver lining here may get me in trouble. However, the risk may be worth the clarity. As my wife ages, things deteriorate, sag, and wrinkle. The church, through sanctification, moves in the opposite direction. Each day she looks more and more like the Bride of Christ. What better commitment could we make?