Jeremy L. Berg

By Mike Glenn from Scot McKnight’s Substack

Several years ago, those of us who paid attention to local church dynamics noticed a new trend in our congregations. People were no longer joining churches. They would attend. They would even give and serve in some capacity, but they wouldn’t join. When the pastor would talk to them about why they haven’t joined the church, they would give a variety of answers.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

For some, it was a family thing. They were raised in one denomination, and they didn’t want to disrespect their heritage. For others, it was a matter of timing. They knew they wouldn’t be in town for more than a few years, so they never bothered to join. They would come and participate and then, when they were transferred to a new job, they would leave without making the transition any more complicated than it had to be. Some didn’t want the obligation of membership. Others wanted to limit what the church could ask of them.

Whatever the reason given, here was the bottom line – nobody thought membership meant that much.

Including the churches themselves.

Think about it. What do you get when you “join” a church? Are there privileges to membership? Do you get a better seat in the sanctuary? Do you have exclusive access to the member’s lounge? For that matter, what are the obligations of membership? Do you have to attend a certain number of Sundays per year? Do you have to give a certain amount of money? Do you lose anything if you fall behind the level of “annual dues?” Honestly, the local Rotary Club has higher demands for their members than most churches do.

So, what’s the problem if you are a member of a church in “name only?” What happens if you’re not a member of this church in “good standing?” In most churches, the worst thing that happens is you won’t be able to serve on a committee.

Is that so bad?

The Bible doesn’t say anything about membership. We are reminded to engage in worship and study with our brothers and sisters. We are commanded to care for each other, but there’s nothing about membership. On that great day we stand before our God, I doubt He’ll be asking about our church affiliation. Honestly, if that’s what He asks about, I’ll be seriously relieved.

As a guy who spent most of his career inviting people to join a church, I’ve had to think a lot about this question. Yes, I’ve had to admit that there’s nothing in the Bible about membership in a local church. While that may be so, there’s a lot in the Bible about being part of a Biblical community. There’s a lot in the Bible about declaring your allegiance to the tribe.

Archaeologists and historians tell us one of the reasons human beings were able to survive the dangers of the prehistoric world was that we gathered in tribes. Human beings found each other and decided they had a better chance doing life together than alone. The group had a better chance in finding food, caring for their young and defending themselves against attack if they were part of a tribe.

While we may not live in prehistoric times, nothing much has changed. While our world may be different, it’s still dangerous. Most of us were stunned when we realized the damage we did to the spiritual, emotional and mental health of our members when we had to close our churches during the pandemic. During that time, addictions and suicides went up. Domestic violence increased. People needed their communities. They needed their tribe to deal with their lives.

Here is why I believe church membership is important. Our friends, our communities, need to know we’re there for them. We need to declare we’re part of this tribe and we’re willing to be part of what needs to be done to take care of the tribe. We need to be there for our people. And yes, we need our people to be there for us. Trust me, sooner or later, life gets us all. We’ll lose a job. We’ll get the diagnosis. Life will ambush us hard and fast. Without the tribe, we’d be swept over into the abyss of despair. Whether or not we like to admit it, we need each other.

All of us need to step up and sign our names on the dotted line. Sooner or later, we’ll need to show our colors. The world won’t let us slide. Not anymore. The world will demand we declare our allegiance. When that day comes, I want to point to my local church and say, “I’m with them and we’re all with Jesus.”

In our world, no one makes it without a tribe. For me, my tribe is my local church. It’s important to me that the world knows this. My tribe needs to know. I think that’s important to them. And for that reason, I think it’s important to Jesus.