The Divine Blueprint: Christ’s Architectural Authority
The local church is not a social club for religious people, nor a spiritual hobby for the hyper-devout. It is the house that Christ builds (Eph. 2:19-22)—designed by the wisdom of God, constructed upon the cornerstone of Christ, and joined together by the power of the Spirit. Church membership, then, is not a man-made innovation or ecclesiastical add-on. It is God’s design. You don’t get to redesign God’s blueprint without standing in arrogant rebellion against the Architect.
Jesus is not assembling a crowd of religious freelancers. He is building a covenant community—a family, a body, a household, a temple (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Tim. 3:15). And if you think you can be a stone in Christ’s temple while rolling solo through spiritual life, you’ve severely misunderstood the construction project.
The Foundation: Built on Apostolic Authority
According to Ephesians 2:20, the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,” with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. That foundation is once-for-all. You don’t lay it again. Apostolic doctrine—now codified in the New Testament—is the very bedrock of the visible church. You cannot belong to Christ without belonging to the community that His Word forms, shapes, governs, and binds together (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 3:15).
Membership, therefore, is not a voluntary association of like-minded people—it is a binding allegiance to Christ’s household under the rule of His Word and under the care of His appointed undershepherds (Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Refusal to submit to this structure is not liberty. It’s ecclesiastical anarchy. It is lawlessness.
The Nature of Membership: Citizenship, Family, and Embodied Life
Church membership reflects the nature of salvation itself. It is corporate, not merely individual. This is what the Apostle Paul is driving home in Ephesians 1-3. Paul wants Christians to know, “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us…” (Eph. 1:18). This power was demonstrated in the physical resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of Jesus (Eph. 1:19-23). This power was demonstrated in the salvation of individuals by uniting them to Christ (Eph. 2:1-10). All for the purpose of displaying His power in the church (Eph. 2:11-22).
To be saved is to be transferred from darkness into the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13), to be adopted into a family (Rom. 8:15-17), to be members of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27), and to be made a living stone in a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:4-5). Scripture portrays Christians as fellow citizens, members of God’s household, and members of one another (Eph. 2:19; Rom. 12:5).
That’s revealed doctrine. Membership is not optional; it is the shape of life in Christ. What may sound lofty is actually firm ground under our feet. If you claim to be part of the invisible church but reject formal commitment to a visible one, you are saying, “You’re a brick in a building but in reality you’re lying in the dumpster; you’re part of a body but in reality you’re not attached to it; you’re a loving family member that hates your siblings, or a citizen who loves treasonous rebellion.”
The Function of Membership: Structure, Accountability, and Discipline
The Bible assumes church membership: that believers are publicly identified and formally enrolled in the visible church. How else could elders shepherd the flock entrusted to them (1 Pet. 5:2)? How else could the church remove the immoral man in 1 Corinthians 5? How could you obey Hebrews 13:17 to “Obey your leaders and submit to them,” if you have none?
Church membership is the God-ordained means by which:
- Elders know who they are accountable for (Heb. 13:17)
- The Lord’s Supper is guarded (1 Cor. 11:27-32)
- Corrective discipline is administered (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5:1-13)
- Christians commit to love one another sacrificially (Rom. 12:10, 13; Gal. 6:1–2)
- The world sees Christ’s body visibly displayed in unity (John 13:35)
Membership is the fence around Christ’s flock; discipline is the shepherd’s staff. Remove either, and the wolves rejoice. Discipline is a vital mark of a true church, and to forsake discipline is to open the gates to hell—and call it love (Matt. 18; 1 Cor. 5; Rev. 2-3). Churches that refuse to practice discipline are not loving or tolerant—they are disobedient and spiritually negligent, building their own kingdoms rather than Christ’s. Where discipline is absent, Christ’s authority is rejected, and Satan is enthroned.
The Beauty of Membership: A Temple of Glory
Membership in the local church is not a burden. It’s a beauty. It is the household where you are known, nourished, exhorted, protected, and conformed to the image of Christ. Through the ordinary means of grace, the church grows into a holy temple in the Lord (Eph. 2:21). It is God’s embassy on earth, His workshop of sanctification, His armory for equipping, His theater of glory. Ephesians 1:23 declares the church to be, “His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” This staggering truth is not theological poetry—it’s a glimpse into the mystery of Christ’s ongoing work. The God who fills all things fills Christ, and Christ in turn fills His body, the church (Col 1:18-20; 2:9-10). This is not static. It is active, living, and continuous.
According to Ephesians 4:10-16, Christ’s fullness is also the goal of Christian maturity—and it is not attained in isolation. It is a corporate pursuit. We strive toward holiness individually so that we might build up one another collectively. Christ fills His people with His Spirit, His churches with His gifts, and the world with His churches. This reality cultivates the desire for church membership.
There is no such thing in the New Testament as a free-floating Christian. The body of Christ is a visible, covenanted, assembled people. Church membership is not merely an institutional formality—it is an expression of love: Christ’s love for us and our love to Him. Christ’s love for His own is what motivates us to stop living for ourselves and live for Him (2 Cor. 5:13-14).
Every true believer wants to belong to Christ’s people. Scripture assumes this (Acts 2:41; 16:5). The early church tracked numbers, made lists with strict qualifications (1 Tim. 5:9-10), and sent letters of commendation for those transferring membership (Acts 18:27; Rom. 16:1-2). Acts 20:17 speaks of local elders shepherding specific people in a specific place. Church membership is not some upper-crust kind of additional spiritual pursuit for the elite; it is basic, biblical Christianity. It’s a formal, embodied commitment.
So let me ask plainly: How do you obey Hebrews 13:17 if you refuse to join a church? How do you “know those who labor among you” (1 Thess. 5:12-13) if you float from place to place? How do you stir others to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24-25), or use your gifts for the body (1 Pet. 4:10-11) if you won’t commit to that body? You don’t. Because these are covenantal commands for covenantal people.
To spurn church membership is to despise the place where heaven touches earth.
Do you want to see God’s power at work? Look not merely to the miraculous but to the mundane faithfulness of gathered saints submitting to Christ’s Word, rejoicing in the sacraments, admonishing one another in love, and walking in holiness together. That is where Christ shows the beauty of His majestic reign. That is where Christ’s filling is seen most clearly. That is where the glory dwells.
Come to the Banquet
Church membership is not about paperwork. It’s about people. It’s not about meetings. It’s about mutual love, growth, and joyful obedience to the Lordship of Christ. Stop hiding. Come out of your self-imposed exile and take your place among the people for whom Christ died. If you love the Head, you will not despise His Body. You cannot love Christ and loathe His bride. You cannot claim heaven while refusing the fellowship of those on the road there. The King commands His sheep to gather, to submit, to build, to belong. Christ is not asking. He is summoning. If you do not walk with His people, you do not walk with Him. So, repent of rogue spirituality. Renounce your religious autonomy. Come into covenant with Christ’s people. This is war—and AWOL soldiers don’t inherit the Kingdom.
Remember, local church membership is not a burden to bear—it is a banquet to feast at. It is the family table of the redeemed. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, it’s full of sinners. But Christ is there. And where He is, glory shines. The local church is not a man-made institution—it is the dwelling place of God by the Spirit. Refusing to join it is not a small oversight. It is a rejection of grace, a forfeiture of joy, and a sin against the Head. So, stop excusing what Christ calls “lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23). Tear down your pride. Lay aside your sinful fears. And come take your seat at the table of the King. The call is not only urgent. It is glorious: Come, join the house that Christ is building.
