A Post On Church Membership I Agree With

There are a lot of posts on church membership, most making a very shaky argument based on pragmatism in favor of formal church membership, including new member classes and signed church covenants. Here is a great post on church membership by Eric carpenter that I agree with because it deals with the only church membership that matters: A Pilgrim's Progress: Why I'm an Advocate for Church Membership. Here are the key paragraphs:

When we push man-made traditions out of the way and let scripture speak, we see that church membership is simply another way of saying salvation. After all, at the moment a person repents of sin and turns to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior he also becomes a member of Christ's church. He is instantly a member.

The apostle Paul sent most of his letters to churches. In these letters Paul equates "the church" with "the saved." He suggests no other categories or subsets. He never says anything about smaller groups of Christians who are "in covenant" with one another.

When we turn to Christ, we enter the New Covenant with all its privileges, promises, and responsibilities. As Christ's possession, we enter the ekklesia. We are part of this broad, wonderful community with Jesus as unquestioned Head.

Because of all this, I'd like to see everyone in the world become a church member. Let's share the gospel liberally in the hope that many more will stream into life in Christ and become part of His church.

When Christians tell me they are "joining a new church" I assume that means they are leaving Christianity!

There is only one church. It appears in lots of different places at lots of different times. I am a member of the same church as Eric Carpenter in Georgia and John Piper in Minnesota, the same church as Moise Vaval in Haiti today and the apostle Paul nearly two thousand years ago. We have a church covenant, it is the New Covenant established by God and sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ. Like Eric I am eager to see all people everywhere join my church and become members. The only church membership that matters is being a member of the blood bought Bride of Christ and none of us has the right to divide that church. None of us.