Is It Important for Me to Become a Member of My Local Church?

The following is an edited transcript of the audio.

Why be a church member? Why not just be able to go and participate?

I think the answer is that you should be a church member. But that's not even a clear word-what does "member" mean?

What I mean by "member" is somebody who, whether by a signature or a word of commitment or promise, says, "I'm committed to a people, a people who hear the word of God preached, a people who perform the ordinances that Jesus gave to his church (baptism and the Lord's Supper), and a people who commit to the 'one another' commandments (love each other, exhort each other, admonish each other, hold each other accountable)."

Those commitments are what membership is. And I think something is wrong if you resist putting your name on the line for that. Read more