Why Join a Church?
Today, I want to talk to you about what it means to be a member of a church, and what it means to be a member of this church in particular.
Many of you are members of this church. Others of you may wonder, “Why would I want to join a church?” “How does a person join a church?” “If I join, what will be expected of me?” and, as our world has taught us to ask, “What’s in it for me?”
When we talk about the church, there are two meanings. We are gathered here today in one specific, local church—Queen Anne Baptist Church. This is a church, but it is only one of many, many churches around the world. There is also the Church with a capital “C.” This is the Church which consists of all of the people who believe in Jesus. The Church with a capital “C” is also referred to in scripture as the body of Christ.
When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, he or she automatically becomes a member of the Church—capital “C”—or the body of Christ. So if you have accepted Jesus—if you have invited him to come into your life, to forgive your sins, you are already a member of the Church with a capital “C.”
Why then do you need to become a member of one specific local church? Is being a member of a church necessary in order for a person to be a Christian?
No, you can be a Christian without belonging to a local church. Your salvation is not dependent on church membership. However, it is clear that the biblical assumption is that Christians will be actively involved in the church.
The church is the family of God. Just as children are born into a family where they are loved and nurtured in order to grow up healthy, Christians need to be part of God’s family, the church, in order to become healthy Christians.
The church serves many purposes, but it boils down to two major purposes. The church is to be a place where Christians are nurtured in their faith, and it is to be a witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
If you truly believe that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, you will want to be a part of a local church.
Romans 12: 4-8 says
4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Church membership goes way back to the early church. Today, with different denominations and even differences within denominations, it can be puzzling exactly what church membership entails.
In this church, as in most Christian churches, in order to be a member, you must believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you must be baptized. If you accept Jesus as your Savior—you have confessed your sin and you want to live as a Christian, then the Bible says you are saved. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave these instructions to his disciples, which we sometimes call The Great Commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
That’s why the church requires its members to be baptized. If you believe in Jesus but you have not been baptized, we invite you to be baptized as soon as possible.
Different churches have different ways of bringing in new members. In this church it’s very simple. You come forward in a worship service to signify your desire to become a member. Today, when we sing the hymn at the end of the sermon, I will invite anyone who wishes to become a member to simply come forward while we are singing. Many Baptist pastors give a verbal invitation every Sunday. I don’t always give an invitation, but I want you to know that there is always an open invitation, whether or not it is spoken. And that invitation is also for anyone who wishes to come forward for prayer—either to receive Jesus or to ask for prayer for anything.
If you come forward and say you would like to join this church, I will ask you just two things: Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? and Have you been baptized? If you have not been baptized, I will make arrangements with you for your baptism.
Then, the members of the church will have a short business meeting, at which time they will vote to accept you as a member. Generally on the next Sunday, or sometimes on the next Communion Sunday, we will introduce you to the congregation and extend to you the right hand of fellowship, and you will be an official member.
If you join this church, what will be expected of you? I think the first thing I as your pastor expect is that you simply show up. I don’t mean you have to be here every time the church doors are open, but I think it’s reasonable to expect that members will attend church regularly. This is for your benefit, but also for the benefit of our mutual encouragement. Hebrews 10:24-25 puts it this way:
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
We need one another.
When you join the church, my hope is that you will look for ways you can serve in the church. As the scripture I read earlier from Romans 12 says, “God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” Ideally, we all can find a way to serve, doing something we love to do and we’re at least sort of good at. In reality, particularly in a small church, you may be asked to do something once in a while that’s really not your gift—like cleaning up after a dinner! But for the most part, I really believe that you should volunteer where you really want to serve. Joining the church does not mean you will automatically be asked to do something, but I encourage you to pray about ways you might like to be involved, and let me or one of our church leaders know.
The other subject people ask about is money. In my opinion, one important reason to join the church is that you will then be able to vote in our business meetings. We don’t have a lot of meetings. But we do vote, once a year, to adopt our church budget. Assuming you give money to your church, I should think you would want to have a vote as to how your church spends its money. Members have a voice and a vote.
Perhaps you are wondering what is expected when it comes to giving. First, let me say that what you give is between you and God. I, your pastor, do not know what anyone in the congregation gives. I will tell you what I believe.
I believe in tithing, which means giving a portion of your income regularly to your church. Everyone has different financial circumstances, and that is why I say that your giving is strictly between you and God. I will tell you that for my husband and me, tithing means giving a minimum of ten percent of our income. I once heard a pastor say, “Give ten percent, save ten percent, and spend the rest with joy and thanksgiving.” I still think that is very good advice.
Some of you are not financially able to give anywhere near ten percent of your income. God knows your situation and he understands. I have always loved the story in Luke 21 when Jesus was in the temple. It says,
1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
I believe God saw her generous heart and that he blessed her and she did not go without.
But some of us have been financially blessed, and God calls us to give accordingly. I take very seriously these words Jesus spoke in Luke 12:48. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
So, what’s in it for you? I’ve talked mostly about what is required of you. But the blessings of church membership are many. You will have a whole new, sometimes ornery, family to call your own and learn to get along with. You know, the church is made up of saved sinners who are still sometimes sinners. We’re not all perfect. We have our quirks and our shortcomings. Someone has said, however, that if you should find the perfect church, don’t join it, because you will ruin it!
None of us is perfect, but as we come together as members of a church, we seek to grow in our love for God and in our love for one another. When you join the church, you become one of this particular gathering of believers, and together we covenant to grow together in our faith in Jesus Christ. We covenant together to reach out to our community with the good news of Jesus.
Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34) That’s really what it’s all about. We come together in Jesus’ name to worship him, not just as individuals, but as his body, the church. And we begin by learning to love one another.
Prayer:
Lord God, I thank you for the church –all those people who have put their faith in you. What a wonderful family we have as the children of God. Thank you, Lord, for this church. Lord, may we truly learn to love each other, and to love you, as you have first loved us. Thank you for the blessing of being part of your church. Amen
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