Scripture tells us that the local church is necessary for our perseverance (Heb 3:12-15) and discipleship (Heb 10:24-25). It is the primary place where Christians serve and love one another, and worship God corporately (1 Cor 12-14). But many Christians do not see church membership as a priority. Let’s take a brief look at why countless Christians all over the world don’t become members of a local church despite the Bible’s clear teaching on the topic.
Ignorance
One common reason Christians don’t join the church is because of ignorance. Some believers just don’t understand what the Bible actually teaches about membership. This happens because the truth is often shrouded by formal and informal man-made religious traditions, conventions and human opinion. There are actually churches out there that categorically condemn any kind of formal commitment and accountability to the local church, calling it authoritarian, cultic, oppressive, controlling and countless other baseless labels. They dogmatically assert, “The word ‘membership’ is not in the Bible.” That is true, but it’s a shallow argument because the principles of membership are clearly taught and mandated in the Bible. The word “Trinity” is not in the Bible but we know that God is one essence with three Persons. The fundamental truths about the nature of God are clearly taught in the Bible.
The word “Jesus” is not in the Old Testament, so are we to assume Jesus did not exist in the Old Testament era? Of course not. Jesus is all over the Old Testament. Paul recognized Jesus as YHWH of the Old Testament when he penned the book of Romans. John the Apostle called Jesus God, who was the creator from the beginning of time (John 1:1-14), which is a clear allusion to the book of Genesis. The author of Hebrews declared that Jesus was the same yesterday, today and forever—meaning that Jesus is eternal and existed during the entire duration of the Old Testament era.
The human tendency through the ages when it comes to religion is to deviate from God’s standard and what He actually says in His Word, and then supplant God’s truth on any given issue with man-made teachings, regulations and customs. The teaching on church membership has not escaped this perennial vice. If this has been true with you then you can be comforted by Jesus’ words when He said, “know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Doing things God’s way—the way of truth—is always liberating and attendant with His blessings in your life. The basic principles of membership in a local church are taught in the Bible.
Church Background
A second reason people don’t join the church may be due to their religious background. There are plenty of churches and denominations out there that formally teach that church membership is not taught in the Bible. I have met many Christians of this persuasion. I have had some wonderful Christian people attend and affiliate with our church who were saved or served for years at such churches that taught there is no such thing as required membership.
They like to say, “God’s Church is everywhere, all over the world—He knows who His sheep are. He doesn’t need a membership list.” That sounds quite spiritual, but it simply is naive and not true, as we have already seen what the Bible says on this issue. But often times it is very difficult for people to shake the habits and predispositions they were raised with. It then becomes a matter of trying to re-inform or reprogram their conscience with biblical truth so they can overcome the roadblocks and hurdles of past thinking patterns.
Bad Previous Experiences
A third reason Christians don’t join a local church is because they may have had bad previous experiences. Maybe they were at a church that misused the membership process to manipulate the people. Or maybe they were members at a church where they got burned by the pastor or the church leadership. That happens all too commonly, and that is wrong and it grieves Christ. There are actually a lot of bad and dysfunctional churches out there. Such pastors and leadership will have to give an account to God for their misuse of power (James 3:1). But someone else’s sinful behavior does not negate what God commands and expects in other contexts. God still expects Christians to be committed, accountable, faithful, involved regular attenders of the local church despite any previous malfeasance on the part of another church.
A Lack of Commitment
A fourth reason people don’t join the church is because they simply do not want to commit. That’s how many people are these days—they don’t seem to want to commit to anything, be it the church, marriage, relationships, appointments, a job, whatever. They want to reserve the right to do their own thing at any time on a whim.
It’s not uncommon for many Christians to have hit-and-miss church attendance for the sole purpose of maintaining their busy leisure schedule, their highfalutin entertainment plans or their extensive travel calendar. “If I join the church,” they fear, “then I can’t do my own thing.” Well…they are right. Being a part of Christ and His Church is not all about doing our own thing or doing what we want—it’s all about doing His thing and what He wants (Matt 6:33).
Just Passing Through
A fifth reason people don’t join the church pertains to sojourning. Occasionally we will have people attend our church who are in the area temporarily. They might be college students who will graduate and move on in a year or more. They can be military personnel stationed in our area for six months. They may be serving a short-term internship for their job for a quarter of the year. They are sometimes a newly married couple that anticipates moving across country in the next few months. So sometimes these folks think, “Well, we don’t need to become members—membership is for long-term people.” When we hear that reasoning we try to explain why it is not so. We believe God wants His people to be accountable to the local church wherever they are no matter how long they might be in a certain location. As a result we have had plenty of people join the church knowing they would be moving on soon. But it was to their benefit, for we purposely took care of them, prayed for them and helped them when it was time for the transition. They felt blessed as a result.
Fear of Accountability
A sixth reason Christians don’t want to join the church is because they don’t want to become accountable to anyone. As we noted earlier, sinners don’t want accountability. They prefer to hide in the bushes (Gen 3:8). Some people don’t want to be told what to do—they don’t want to answer to anyone…at least not at church! This kind of independent spirit is pervasive in our culture, for after all—this is America—the place where rugged individualism is a virtue, where personal autonomy is prized, and where people are indoctrinated to have it their way; love yourself; do your own thing; look out for number one.
Becoming a church member means being willing to submit oneself and subject oneself to local church authority. But authority is despised in our culture. We are told not to trust authority. Popular bumper stickers and T-shirts enjoin us to “QUESTION AUTHORITY!” Submission, respect and honor for authority are despised, not esteemed. But God’s Word is clear on this issue: “whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves” (Rom 13:2).
Many people don’t want to become accountable for how they use their time, treasures and talents. To do so is to become vulnerable or even exposed. This kind of living goes against the grain of secular society. It takes supernatural trust and faith to live that way—faith that only God can provide. But the Bible says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb 11:6).
A few times, we have had someone begin the membership process at our church, and right in the middle of the process they get cold feet and decide to run for the hills, without warning or explanation to us. These people we never see or hear from again. In each case, it became apparent that those folks left due to the prospects of being held accountable, and for them that was a fearful scenario.
So if such a reluctant spirit characterizes you and has kept you from joining a local church, then pray and ask God to soften your heart with His Word and His Holy Spirit. Ask Him to give you the right attitude. If you pray with sincerity, you’ll find that in time God will indeed answer that prayer and He will change you. He’ll do it because it is His perfect will (1 John 5:14).
Too Burdensome
A seventh reason people don’t join a church is that the process seems too intimidating at times. Becoming a member at some churches requires jumping through countless hoops, passing theological litmus tests, enduring twelve-week membership classes with inordinate homework assignments, and a host of other frightening and laborious requirements. With such rigorous prerequisites it’s understandable why some people loathe the infamous membership process.
But it does not have to be that way. Sometimes, simply asking a few questions of the church leadership can alleviate unfounded fears. In most instances church leaders will graciously walk you through the process step by step, even accommodating special needs or requests you might have to help you through the process. If there is formality to the process, that’s OK too. Being formal, thorough and systematic is not unspiritual. God wants the church to do all things with excellence and sober-mindedness (1 Cor 10:31).
Personal Differences
Another reason Christians might not formally join the church is because they may have a difference with the local church they are currently attending. This is a frequent occurrence. Some might resist formal membership if they disagree with the statement of faith, or maybe they don’t agree with some item in the church constitution or philosophy of the church.
In such instances, a believer may need to ask why there are differences. One should consider if the disagreements are major doctrinal issues or secondary issues of preference. Tangential issues of preference should not preclude one from joining a Bible-teaching church. On the other hand, if the differences are over core doctrinal issues, then there is a problem. In any case, you may have to choose one of three options.
Option one is to realize that you are at the wrong church…if they are teaching something basic that is not biblical—heretical views on major doctrines, for instance. If a church denied Jesus’ full deity, His virgin birth, the inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, salvation by grace through faith alone, and the like, then it would be best to find another church that taught the truth on basic issues. Don’t compromise core biblical convictions. Also, don’t try to reform any local church by thinking you can single-handedly overturn a local church’s entire leadership, constitution, and history. That would just be plain divisive…and futile.
Option two is to consider the possibility that you might be wrong in what you believe about a particular key doctrine. This means you need to maintain a humble and teachable spirit. Ask what God might be trying to teach you in that situation. Maybe He is trying to teach you that you have bad theology in a particular area. That happens on occasion…to everyone. No one but the Trinity and the Bible has a corner on the truth.
Option three pertains to when someone has a secondary disagreement with the church, but not a major doctrinal dispute. There might be a difference regarding style, philosophy, methodology of ministry, or the personality of a pastor. Maybe a given church has good theology, but the music played and sung is not the style or brand of choice, or the lighting is too modern or archaic, or the attire is too stuffy or casual, etc. In such instances, if the church is an advocate to the basics of preaching, discipling, praying and serving in a godly manner then the mature thing to do would be to set aside your personal preferences and join the church in a committed manner.
The church might not even be doing a great job in any of these areas, but if there is at least a biblical conviction to pursue those things, then consider joining that church. Make that church a better and more biblical church by serving it with all your heart. Quit looking for the perfect church! It’s not out there. When you serve in a local church, you are not there serving humans, you are there to serve God and Christ. “Whatever you do, do you work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance” (Col 3:23-24). That is the essence of being Christ-like. The Bible says we should “regard one another as more important than” ourselves (Phil 2:3). Be different and set a rare trend by asking yourself not what your church can do for you, but rather what can you do for your church?
The Fear of Man
A final common reason for not joining the church is the fear of man. We planted our church in 2006 and since that time we have had a surprising number of believers shy away from committing to membership due to the “fear of man.” What is the “fear of man”? It is being more concerned with what people in your life think about an issue than caring about what God and the Bible say regarding that same issue (Prov 29:25). In other words, it is when you put human opinion over God’s opinion. Or, it’s when you succumb to the peer pressure of people in your life and you are afraid of how they will think of you or treat you if you make a decision that offends them or hurts their feelings…even if their desires conflict with what the Bible teaches.
I have seen independent college graduates resist membership for the sole reason that they were afraid of what their mommy might think, whether that parent had a different religion or simply belonged to a different Christian denomination than our church. We have had people begin the membership process only to jump ship in the middle of the process due to fear of what their relatives might think about their new commitment to our local church. We have had parents come to our church who were blessed and wanted to join, but decided not to, only because their elementary or teenage children would miss their friends at the previous church. So the parents made an important spiritual decision based on the fear they had of their immature offspring.
There are legitimate reasons not to join a church, but the fear of man is not one of them. Jesus commanded His followers not to fear man, but only to fear God (Matt 10:28). He got more specific when He warned, He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt 10:37).
This article was adapted from Cliff’s book, Protecting the Flock: The Priority of Church Membership. You may read a free PDF of the book here. You may purchase a physical copy here.
