Church Membership: A Divine Covenant

by Mary Hill
Published September 7, 2005

I felt so angry with my pastor because of enforcement of rules for the nursery with no concern for the welfare of the keepers that I wanted to quit my church and never go back. I created a scene. I walked out and told the nursery supervisor to take me off the list of caregivers. I felt petty at the same time. My own needs outweighed the common good of the rest of the church. I repented. I returned to the next service, swallowing a lot of pride.

Others in my church recently left because of a disagreement with the pastor. It broke my heart that my friends left. Could they not see that the essence of the church is not just the pastor but that a church’s heart is its members?

I called my friend and told her I understood that sometimes the pastor could be insensitive. Sometimes he can step on toes. Sometimes he fails and makes wrong decisions. Pastors are human, and we may never receive an apology from them for perceived wrongs. Does that mean we pack our bags and leave? Our calling is to Christ and the church not to our pastor.

Church membership is like a marriage. We are the brides of Christ as a church member. We do not have the liberty to change churches at a drop of the hat.

One should view leaving a church as a spiritual divorce and should never be make such a decision lightly. We have liberty in God's grace. The goal of this column is not to put Christians in bondage but to drive home the importance of selecting a church with the same diligence and prayer as we used in the selection of our spouse.

Being a member of a church is a holy covenant with God and that church body. When we accept membership, we vow to pray for each other and to love each other. God's commandments on making vows are clear. Ecclesiaste 5: 1-5 speaks to the importance of keeping our vows before God. It is better we not make a vow to begin with then to make one and break it.

Different churches fill niches in the spiritual welfare of our community. We should seek a church that matches our own ideals of discipleship and service to God. By doing this we prevent becoming pew warmers and dead Christians who do nothing to promote and help in the cause of Christ.

What is the cause of Christ? His main cause is the preaching of the Gospel of salvation unto the entire world. (Matthew 28: 16-20) Remember God's will is that none should perish. (2 Peter 3:9)

Christ also has a cause of charity. Christ tells us to love one another and meet each other's needs, spiritual and physical. Some churches gravitate toward meeting spiritual needs while others toward the physical needs of the poor. Where do you feel called? When you think about where you want to go to church look for a church whose “corporate calling” best matches what you feel Christ has called you to do. This kind of decision also should include prayer and fasting.

Read the mission statement of each church that you visit. Look at the ministries in place. Do they match your calling? I also recommend not joining a church for a least a season. Once you make the decision to join be sure that it is God’s will for your life. Remember, vows are holy, and you should only make one after sincere searching for God’s will for your life.

You are a member of a church. When should you leave? I deal with this question in part two of this series.

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