If I had never joined a Church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all! And the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect Church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.1
Charles H. Spurgeon
Is the church the dearest place on earth to you? If it’s not, it should be. A healthy, thriving church will be indescribably dear to its members, and a church in a season of disunity or unhealth should be so dear to its members that they will do everything they can to bring it back to biblical health. In a similar way to our physical bodies, our spiritual body feels the effects of pain, trauma, and sickness. We are knit together to bring strength and healing when needed, all under the guidance and direction of God and His Word.
When I was a kid, I watched people walk the aisle every Sunday to “join the church,” but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I truly understood how significant that decision was. I’ve heard people say that leaving one church and joining another was a very difficult, often painful decision, and I now understand what that means. Church membership is intended to edify and strengthen the body of believers. When you covenant and join together, it means something. There are expectations on both sides—what the church does for its members as well as what the members do for the church body. Some people associate the word member with Costco or Sam’s Club, a gym, or a golf course, but those couldn’t be more different from church membership.
Reading your Bible, listening to sermon podcasts, and praying aren’t enough on their own. The lake or the beach can wait, your child’s sport schedule shouldn’t be more important, and loading your schedule so busy that you’re too tired to show up on Sunday isn’t anyone’s fault but your own. My flesh wants to apologize for that last sentence, but my heart won’t let me because God’s Word tells us to live in community with one another and to prioritize the gathering of believers (Acts 2:42-47). If you’re a parent and not prioritizing church, you’re showing your kids (through your actions) that it’s not a priority to you.
When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he spent significant time talking about the importance of the church as the body. He wrote, “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). Many pastors come and go, but the body typically stays. There’s a reason why Paul wrote to the churches—he often wrote to the people, not just their leaders/pastors/elders.
Church membership can be hard when things are unhealthy. We are human, and sin creeps in and can wreak havoc among a body of believers. Much like a cancer that wants to grow and spread, sometimes the best thing to do is cut yourself off before it affects you, but only after seeking wisdom and discernment from Scripture. We are called to live at peace with one another, and this includes within a church body. Prayerfully consider where God has you, and go where He leads, or stay when He says to stay.
I love technology—the speed, the convenience, the awareness, but has it changed the way you do church? Years ago, I regularly listened to sermon podcasts from a church out of state. I realized over time that I was comparing my pastor (where I was a part of the body) to a pastor whose church I wasn’t even a part of. Now that so many churches stream their services, it’s easy to participate from afar, but is it keeping you from being an active part of your own church body? My church doesn’t stream our services, and at first, I thought it was so odd. On the occasion that I’ve done too much and am tired, our kids are cranky, or it’s just been a rough Sunday morning, I can choose to stay home, but I can’t watch my own church. There have been a handful of times that it’s caused me to rally and show up so that I don’t miss out.
On the other hand, there are people whose health, work schedules, or other things keep them from participating in person on Sundays, and I believe that we have to give grace and help them be as connected as they can be. When I’ve had loved ones in the hospital, I’ve been so grateful for those who work and give their all to help, even on a Sunday.
As a church member, you should do everything you can to show up and engage. There’s truly nothing like it! When there’s a need, fill it, even if it’s out of your primary gifting or comfort zone. Your prayer should be asking how you can serve the church, not how the church can serve you.
If you aren’t a church member, I just have one question: Why not? What are you waiting for? You are wired to be connected to other believers, and it’s not enough to just sit in a chair or a pew every Sunday (or just watch online simply out of convenience). As a believer, God calls you to be an active part of a church body, not merely one who takes and doesn’t give back.
If you are a church member, I have a question for you as well: Are you functioning as a healthy part of the body? (See 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4.) Are you serving, leading, and using your gifts for the edification of your church family?
Church membership is our way of saying we’re in this together. There is no such thing as a perfect church, especially once you join it. Don’t miss the incredible blessing of being a part of a church family, and do everything you can do to bring health and life to the body. I pray that it’s the dearest place on earth to you.
Supporting Articles:
“5 Biblical Arguments for Church Membership”
“Is Church Membership Biblical?”
“Yes, the Bible Does Teach Church Membership”
ABOUT MARY MARGARET WEST
Mary Margaret West has been leading in women’s and girls ministry for the last eighteen years and is the author of Made Worthy (releasing October 2024) and Show Her the Way: Your Guide to Discipling Teen Girls. She is a contributor to the Lifeway Women and Lifeway Girls blogs, the Lifeway Women’s Bible, and author of several Lifeway Student Devotionals. Mary Margaret holds a Master of Arts in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She has served on staff at churches in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, and as an event coordinator and girls ministry specialist at Lifeway. Her passion is to equip women to dive deeply into God’s Word and live out their calling by way of consulting, speaking at events and conferences, and serving as a Lifeway Women trainer. Mary Margaret loves serving her local church as women’s ministry director, having brunch with friends, and freelance writing. She and her husband Jonathan live in Winter Garden, Florida with their sons, Sam and Harris.
