Questions On Church Membership

What is Membership?

Membership is an important part of the life of the church and of the individual (Rom. 12:4-5). Church unity seems to be an incredible concern for Paul, as he continually taught to “endeavor to keep the unity” of the Church and to function as “members” of the same body...with Jesus as the head. In our day, Church membership is just as vital to the spiritual development of believers, the care of the community, and the further progress of the gospel. It does seem that in Denver culture the idea of Church membership is met with a putrid reluctance. This may be because of the irrelevant function that membership has had over many years. It may, however, have to do with the resistance of individuals to be seen as “being a part of” a church. Whether a given church is worthy of someone’s membership is debatable, but the neglecting or refusal to become united (and therefore a member) to any church is forbidden in Scripture (Heb. 10:25).

Why Membership?

The reason we have membership is to practically complete High View’s mission of “training missionaries with the gospel.” By uniting in membership, we now practically function as one body for the progress of the gospel in the city. The benefits of membership are numerous, not only to the individual member, but also to the church in general and the community as well.

By submitting to Jesus as head of His body called the, “Church,” we enter into a family of God’s children that function as His agent of life change with everyone we come in contact. The member is a part of this body (like an arm or leg) that is to function as God’s means for change in this world. This change is the renewal of all things (Rev. 21:5), and is accomplished by those who unite themselves as members of His body (John 15:4).

Can I be an obedient Christian without being a member of a local church?

No. Repeatedly throughout the New Testament you hear Paul urge believers to be united. Jesus speaks of the church continuing the progress of the gospel. He urges believers to be united to him corporately for the “body” to function. Forsaking the gathering of believers is forbidden and is therefore disobedient.

The issue with this question is the term “member.” Many people think of their blockbuster membership or something like that when thinking about this term. Biblical membership is much different. Biblical membership involves submission to spiritual authority, accountability, service, giving, and community. In our day “church hopping” is very easy. If someone doesn’t like something, they simply go down the street to another church. The problem with this is that pastoring and shepherding a believer become virtually impossible. Why? Believers rarely know a pastor well enough to receive spiritual discipline. Pastors don’t know if they have permission to give such teaching. And all the while, church becomes full of arrogant Christians who cannot be corrected, and the gospel is stifled because the unattractive life of believers, witnessed by the culture, are with out any real help from a loving, strong spiritual authority. Membership assists in this regard by allowing a pastor permission to correct believers.


How to become a Member?

Click the following link for information on how to become a member of High View Church. http://www.highviewchurch.com/city/membership.

We have a New Members Class coming up - July 19th (lunch provided). RSVP by clicking HERE.