Biblical Church Membership Joining The Church As A Member 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 Summary Version 2, Dec, 26, 2022 R.L. and T.J. Faber

Preface: This is written with the believer in mind who does not "forsake the assembly" but for conscience sake does not wish to "join" the "church" assembly or become a "member."

The purpose of this summary is to give an overview of our perspective on "church membership." We hope for peace with our Christian brothers and clarified Christian identity.

We don't mind living outside of the modern 501(c)(3) membership structure. We intentionally avoid what feels like a human addition to us, but care deeply about the biblical meaning of church. We understand biblical membership to be immediate, permanent and based on belief. The modern kind of membership is completely different being temporary, secondary, formal and separated. The modern kind of membership is temporary because it is only valid while you are attending a church and is lost when you leave. It is separated from other 501(c)(3) assemblies in town. The New Testament thought of a church at the city/town level like the Jerusalem church. This modern kind of membership includes a formal process with instruction, oaths, evaluation and ceremony.

According to the Bible, entrance into the Christian life is through "belief in Jesus Christ", in which one becomes a part of "the body of Christ." Believers are "in Christ", having died with Christ and are made righteous in Christ (2 Cor 5:21). Being part of the "one body" means being part of the church, a permanent membership that can never be lost. The New Testament shows Christians to be members of the "one body in Christ" and included in the church. The Jerusalem church is a good example. The only question is how long it takes for a local church to recognize a Christian. The early church could do this with incredible efficiency. In one case they added 3000 to the church in one day (Act 2:41).

We have 4 articles in response to the elder's 4 sermons. 1. "Biblical Church Membership" by Jamon S.R. Sorrells. 2. "Church Membership" Episode 033 by Michael Pearl. 3. "What does the bible say about church membership" by Matt Slick. 4. Our full version article (Please ask for this)

Elisabeth Elliot describes an older way of thinking that seems very biblical,

We have 9 arguments. The 1st is that the word "member" is used differently in the Bible. The top commentary on the Greek of 1 Corinthinans says: "the language of members must be disengaged from the modern meaning of members of a social group". The 2nd is that modern church membership can cause division. The 3rd is that some Christians misunderstand Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 and call other Christians "outsiders." The 4th is that Christians may have a conscience issue with taking oaths and vows in a membership ceremony. The 5th is that elder responsibily is different from what some assume. The Jerusalem church was not composed of separated assemblies and elders were appointed in every town (Titus 1:5). The 6th is that the formal process is not found in scripture. 7th is a concern with the repeated membership process. 8th is a concern with the 501(c)(3) government regulations. And finally, modern church membership teaching does not show love to some Christians even if they have conscience convictions about membership based on the Bible.

We defend biblical church membership as Christians being part of the body of Christ based on belief. We want to live at peace with other Christians but we also want the truth to be told (Rom 14:16). Our conscience is bound by scripture. We will stand before God.