In our ongoing exploration of church membership, we now turn our attention to the roots of this concept in the first-century Christian communities.
The early church, birthed in the cultural milieu of the Roman Empire, operated in a vastly different context than the institutionalized structures we know today. Let’s unearth the foundations of belonging in the early Christian assemblies.
Baptism did not save me, but it made me a church member!
Perhaps I should clarify. In my hometown church, membership is automatic when you get baptized. So I have been a member of a local church for over 26 years now because I was baptized in the fall of 1997.
Salvation made me a member of Christ’s body, the universal church. But baptism joined me with the local church in Mason City, IA.
On Sunday night a group of us were discussing the topic of church dropouts, and the question arose, “What is church membership?”
We did not come to any conclusions at the moment, especially since it was technically not the main topic of the hour. I mostly sat and listened without saying anything despite the fact that I have been thinking deeply and reading extensively about the topic for over a year.
Have you ever claimed the truth of this verse in your life?
“I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive” (Jeremiah 29:14).
On a dark and stormy night in 1938, millions of Americans huddled around their radios, listening to a broadcast that would forever change the way we think about truth and the power of storytelling.
The program was called “The War of the Worlds,” and it was a fictional drama about a Martian invasion of Earth.
What should I write about next? Are there issues that you are facing or that the church is facing today that need to be addressed? Take 15 seconds to let me know!
