Membership Matters

Jan 28

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Membership has its privileges. Think about a gym membership for example. There’s so much that goes along with that membership. You have access to everything the gym has to offer. All you do is pay a little every month, and membership is yours! And then you never make it to the gym…at least that’s my experience.

Today we’re going to be discussing church membership and why it matters. There is far more to the argument than what is going to be discussed this morning, but today works as a continuation of an ongoing discussion we’ve been having on Sunday nights and on our First Word podcast. Today we’re going to see from one text why we believe membership matters.

Acts 20:28 – Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

In this text, the Apostle Paul is talking to the Ephesian elders. He had spent three years with them and loved them greatly. This is part of his last words to them, and they all knew it, and shortly afterward they sent him off with tears (29-38).

He doesn’t just care about these elders, but he is saying these words to them because he cares about the church in Ephesus. The people. So as we break down these words to the elders from the Apostle Paul, the purpose he is saying them is so that the people of the church at Ephesus would continue and thrive in Paul’s absence.

We are to pay careful attention to our life and doctrine.

At the beginning of Acts 20:28, Paul tells the elders to pay attention to themselves and to the flock. What we should pay attention to is our life and our doctrine. This starts first with the pastor himself, and it flows from there to the people.

I love how Johnathan Leeman states this in his book Church Membership.

“The local church is the authority on earth that Jesus has instituted to officially affirm and give shape to my Christian life and yours.”[1]

Church membership isn't about mere attendance; it's about accountability. Being a member of a local church means that we commit to a community of believers who hold us accountable for our beliefs and actions. It's within this community that we can grow in our understanding of Scripture, learn from one another, and ensure that we are living out our faith in a way that pleases God.

Church membership functions as guardrails for our faith and life.

I’m reminded of what Paul later wrote to a young pastor of the Ephesian church, Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:16 – Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

We are placed under the care of shepherd teachers.

In our text, we see Paul speaks of shepherding the flock of God. Membership matters because it places us under the care of shepherd teachers who guide, protect, and feed us spiritually. This aligns with the biblical model of pastoral leadership seen throughout the New Testament.

The word “care” in our text literally means to shepherd. Why do we need shepherding? The Bible talks a lot about this.[2] It is one of the most common analogies found within our Bible. Why do you think this is? To put it nicely, it’s because sheep need guidance to survive.

“Sheep are defenseless animals who truly have no means of protecting themselves. Add to that, they have poor sense of direction and need to be led constantly.
-Sheep are born with a constant need for a shepherd.
-Sheep walk into the mouth of predators.
-Sheep wander off a few hundred yards and are completely lost.
-Sheep will often walk in the opposite direction of food and water.
-Sheep are innate followers – easy to lead astray!
In [2005] a large herd of sheep were grazing on the side of a cliff in a meadow near a village in Turkey. The shepherds turned their attention away from the herd for a brief moment as they ate breakfast. To their horror, they watched one of their sheep jump off of the cliff to its death. Suddenly, before they could reach the flock and lead them to safety, 1,500 more followed. In total, 450 sheep died that afternoon. The only reason that all 1,500 didn’t die is because some landed on top of the large pile of sheep at the bottom of the cliff and it prevented instant death.
This is why Paul charges Timothy with the responsibility of “reproving” and “rebuking” the people in the local church (2 Tim 4:1-5). Sheep need to be corrected when they wander off into error and subject themselves to danger.”[3]

As members of the church, we are part of a flock…good or bad…and we are under the care of shepherds. They know us, pray for us, and offer guidance through God’s Word.

Hebrews 13:17 – Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

The Holy Spirit has called the leaders to the church.

Our membership isn't an accident; it's part of God's sovereign plan. The leaders of our local church are not chosen arbitrarily; they are called by God the Holy Spirit. Church leadership isn’t a matter of human appointment but divine calling. Leaders are set apart by the Holy Spirit to care for and love God’s church.

“Through his Spirit, God speaks to those persons he has called to serve as pastors and ministers of his Church. The great Reformer Martin Luther described this inward call as “God’s voice heard by faith.” Those whom God has called know this call by a sense of leading, purpose and growing commitment.”[4]

I vividly remember that calling as a sixteen year old boy and making it public on a bus ride back from a Promise Keepers conference with a lot of men from our church. There’s nothing else I could do with my life. God had called me.

Understanding the Holy Spirit's role in calling leaders reinforces the trust and unity within the church. It reminds us that our leaders are chosen and anointed by God Himself, which encourages us to submit to their leadership and support them in their God-given roles.

1 Timothy 4:14 – Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

The church’s pastors are accountable to God for the congregation.

Accountability is at the heart of church membership. Church members are accountable to one another and their elders, and elders are accountable to God for the church members.

If a pastor is given as a shepherd to care for the congregation, there’s a specificity to the people he is accountable for. He’s accountable for that sheep and that sheep and that sheep. Don Whitney said,

“A flock of sheep isn’t a random collection of ewes, rams, and lambs. Shepherds know their flocks. They know which sheep are theirs to care for and which are not. Sheep belong to specific flocks. This is also the way it should be for God’s spiritual sheep.”[5]

Pastors are accountable for the people, and they are accountable to God.

As members, knowing this encourages us to trust in their leadership, seek their guidance, and cooperate with them in fulfilling the mission of the church. It also adds to the necessity to pray for your leaders. It is a heavy burden to care for souls.

James 3:1 – Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Hebrews 13:17 – Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Jesus purchased the church with His blood.

Membership matters because it signifies that we are part of a redeemed community. Our inclusion in this community is a result of Christ's sacrifice, and it emphasizes the profound unity and purpose we share in Him.

Church membership is rooted in the theological reality of redemption. Our inclusion in the body of Christ is a direct result of Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross.

Our membership in the church is a reminder of the high cost of our redemption. It motivates us to cherish the unity of the body of Christ, love one another, and work together in fulfilling the Great Commission. We are part of a divine plan initiated by Christ's sacrifice, and our membership is a tangible expression of God's grace and love for us.