Should A Christian ‘Place Membership”?
by Douglas Hoff
When
Jesus promised he would build his church, he was speaking of the body of the
saved (Matthew 16:18). He did not specify any particular location;
rather, he had the universal church in mind. On the day of Pentecost the Lord added 3,000
souls to the church (Acts 2:47). They were members of Christ’s universal
church. In practical terms they also
were members of the newly formed
We
live in a very mobile society today. People
move around a lot. However, it was not much different in the first century. The Bible reveals that Aquila
and Priscilla left
Sadly,
some members of the church do nothing after they move. They do not seek out a faithful church with
which to worship. Sunday becomes a day
for family activities or to catch up on household chores. However, Monday morning finds them at work or
in school. Such action reveals misplaced
priorities (Matthew 6:33). It is not possible to be faithful to the Lord
while forsaking the assembly of the saints (Hebrews 10:24, 25).
Thankfully,
most Christians do seek out a church when they move. Some time and effort should be expended to
check out the church or churches which one might be interested in attending. Sadly, it is not always easy to find a
congregation of the Lord’s people that is sound in the faith. Does the preacher deliver good sermons that
are full of God’s word? If not, it’s
time to look elsewhere. If the pulpit is
sound, is the congregation active in the work of the Lord? If not, it may be time to consider other
options if they exist. Do the brethren
appear committed to doctrinal and moral purity? Though a preacher may be sound in the faith,
sometimes a majority of the membership may be going a different direction (cf.,
Revelation 3:1-5). It’s not surprising then that Christians take
some time visiting area congregations to find a good one.
What
makes a congregation good? That depends
upon what a person is looking for. Congregations
vary in size, average age, racial composition, location (rural, suburban and
inner city), etc. Some churches have
nice buildings and lots of programs. However,
the selection criteria of utmost importance ought to be whether the church is
sound in the faith (Titus 1:13).
Some
people are “floaters.” They never commit
to one congregation but are always looking for the perfect church. They may skip Sundays and alternate between
two or three congregations. With no
dedication to a particular congregation, how likely are they to be faithful to
the Lord? God says we can judge a person
by his actions (Matthew 7:18-20; cf.
John 7:24).
Once
a Christian finds a good congregation he ought to attend there exclusively. Does regular attendance automatically make a
Christian a member of that congregation? Not necessarily. Would he submit to rule of the elders? If he is not willing to make a commitment to a
local congregation, can he be counted on for the work of the church? Might he become a floater?
Faithful
Christians naturally desire to fellowship others of like precious faith (2 Peter 1:1). Though the Bible does not command placing
membership at a new church, we do have the example of Saul (later known as
Paul) wanting to be associated with the
Have
you been looking for a church with which to worship and work? If so, and you have decided Flat Rock is the
place for you, let us know you desire to be recognized as member here.
****************************************
You
have my permission to use this article in any non-commercial way (e.g.,
bulletins, web sites, e-mail). All I ask
is that you reproduce the article in its entirety including the original title
and author’s name.