Should believers join a local church?

There was a period when the matter of church membership was hardly ever questioned. If we were to go back a generation or two, almost every church across the U.S. maintained a roster of members. Numerous modern-day churches uphold the idea of membership but don’t place emphasis on it. Conversely, some opt to forgo formal membership, urging their congregants to participate actively without a structured procedure. We welcome and encourage every believer to look to the Scripture for themselves to determine the validity of our claim that God would desire for every believer to be a member of a local, New Testament church. 

As we study Scripture, the term “membership” doesn’t explicitly emerge. Yet, this isn’t a compelling argument against the notion, as the term “Trinity” is also absent from the Bible. Nonetheless, the concept exists.

At the core of membership lies the idea of being part of a covenant community. This is evident in various instances. Paul’s reference to the removal of an individual from the congregation of believers in 1 Corinthians 5 indicates a distinct category. Acts 6 portrays believers engaging in an election, signifying an “in/out” demarcation. Furthermore, 1 Timothy 5:3–16 offers explicit guidance on the treatment of widows within the church. This passage even discusses the compilation of a roster to enable leaders to care for these women effectively.

Although the writers of the New Testament never explicitly state, “You must become a member of your local church,” every epistle in the New Testament presupposes that believers play an active role in the assembly of a local church. 

Church membership is an assumed fact of life in the New Testament that the writers take for granted. You see it on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Passover and Jesus’ death:

• People were added to God’s family and the local fellowship (Acts 2:41).
• This group of people devoted themselves to learning doctrine and to fellowshipping with each other. In other words, there was a clear understanding about who was who (Acts 2:42).
• They shared goods and funds among each other; again, they know who they are (Acts 2:46).
• The Lord added people to their number (Acts 2:47), which is both a universal and local reference.

You see it in how the NT letters are addressed:

• “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints,” (Rom 1:7).
• “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours,” (1 Cor 1:2).
• “To the churches of Galatia,” (Gal 1:2).
• “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus,” (Eph 1:1).
• “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons,” (Phil 1:1).
• “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae,” (Col 1:2).
• “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Thess 1:1).
• “To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” (1 Pet 1:1).

At Vision Baptist Church, we invite believers who have been Scripturally baptized (by immersion) to join in the mission of the local church. Furthermore, we invite you into a covenant-member relationship where we commit to encouraging one another along the way.

It’s a covenant of commitment where you say:

• “I want to serve God with this congregation!”
• “I want to learn about God with this congregation!”
• “I want to learn how to better imitate Christ from the brothers and sisters in this congregation!”
• “I want to be held accountable by brothers and sisters in Christ in this congregation!”
• “I want to pray with and for the brothers and sisters in Christ in this congregation!”
• “I want to use my God-given talents and abilities to carry out the Great Commission with my brothers and sisters in Christ in this congregation!”
• “Lord, I want to serve you here, in and among these brothers and sisters in this particular place!”

Church membership is about:

• Mutual support
• Mutual accountability
• Service to the Lord in community
• A pledge of faithfulness to live your life to the Lord, in all its messy glory, in community with other brothers and sisters in Christ in a particular church, in a particular place

As you prayerfully consider joining our church, please take time to read our church covenant. We would love to answer any questions you may have!

Membership Covenant

Our Church Covenant

1. Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, angels and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

2. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this Church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the Church, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

3. We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to educate our children in the Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment, to avoid all tattling, backbiting and excessive anger; to seek God’s help in abstaining from all drugs, drink, and practices which bring unwarranted harm to the body or jeopardize our own or another’s faith.

4. We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

5. We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will, if possible, unite with a church of like faith where we can carry out the articles of this confession and the spirit of this covenant.

Nuestro Pacto de Iglesia

1. Habiendo sido guiados, según creemos, por el Espíritu de Dios, a recibir al Señor Jesucristo como nuestro Salvador, y, por la profesión de nuestra fe, habiendo sido bautizados en el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Santo Espíritu, ahora, en la presencia de Dios, los ángeles y esta asamblea, entramos muy solemne y gozosamente en pacto unos con otros como un solo cuerpo en Cristo.

2. Por lo tanto, nos comprometemos, con la ayuda del Espíritu Santo, a caminar juntos en el amor cristiano, a esforzarnos por el avance de esta Iglesia en conocimiento, santidad y consuelo; promover su prosperidad y espiritualidad; sostener su adoración, ordenanzas, disciplina y doctrinas; contribuir alegre y regularmente al sostenimiento del ministerio, los gastos de la Iglesia y la difusión del Evangelio en todas las naciones.

3. También nos comprometemos a mantener la devoción familiar y personal; educar a nuestros hijos en la fe cristiana; buscar la salvación de nuestros familiares y conocidos; caminar con cautela en el mundo; ser justos en nuestros tratos, fieles en nuestros compromisos y ejemplares en nuestro comportamiento, para evitar toda murmuración, calumnia e ira excesiva; buscar la ayuda de Dios para abstenernos de todas las drogas, bebidas y prácticas que causen daño injustificado al cuerpo o pongan en peligro nuestra propia fe o la de otros.

4. Además, nos comprometemos a cuidarnos unos a otros con amor fraternal; recordarnos unos a otros en oración; ayudarse unos a otros en enfermedades y angustias; cultivar la simpatía cristiana en los sentimientos y la cortesía en el hablar; ser lentos para ofendernos, pero siempre dispuestos a la reconciliación y conscientes de las reglas de nuestro Salvador para conseguirla sin demora.

5. Además, nos comprometemos a que cuando salgamos de este lugar, si es posible, nos uniremos a una iglesia de fe similar donde podamos llevar a cabo los artículos de esta confesión y el espíritu de este pacto.