For a biblical presentation of church membership, click here.
The True Church
When a person believes the gospel—entrusting to Christ their life and death—they become part of the church. The church is the gospel made visible. The church consists of “the called-out ones” (this is the meaning of the Greek word ecclesia which is translated “church”). The members of a church are also called saints, meaning holy or set apart to the Lord. The church is Christ’s body, all its members connected together in Christ.
In one sense all believers are part of the church universal. The universal church consists of all those who are in Christ from all places and all times. However, the New Testament almost exclusively uses the term church to refer to local fellowships of Christians. These local fellowships consist of Christians covenanting together to follow Christ, are organized at a certain location, led by elders, and served by deacons.
Today, having many local churches in a city, what does it mean to be a member of one local church? What ought to be the requirement to be part of the church? Do all members need to agree on secondary issues? [1] Must they all be baptized by the same mode? Are deviations allowed on some issues? In other words, what are the boundaries of the church?
In the Baptist tradition many churches have a statement of faith covering primary and secondary issues in which all members must agree and all members must be baptized as a believer by immersion. It must be conceded that these requirements for membership go beyond the marks of a true believer. For instance, most Baptists would concede that those in Presbyterian churches, for example, are brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet while a Presbyterian might be recognized as a brother in Christ, he would not be extended the right hand of fellowship as a member of the local church—and in most cases he would not even be welcome at the Lord’s Table. This practice is called closed or close communion.
In my mind, barring a brother from the Lord’s table when the Lord would welcome him is shocking and a black mark on disciples of Christ who ought to be known for their love for one another. Who are we to reject whom the Lord welcomes? This is why we’ve practiced open communion where all genuine disciples of Christ are welcome, regardless of what they might believe about baptism or other secondary issues.
As we are in the process of updating our bylaws, we are updating our membership process to follow how we practice the Lord’s Supper. That is, whether for the Lord’s Table or membership, the qualification will be that one is a true disciple of Jesus Christ. We must recognize that disciples are marked inwardly by repentance and faith rather than outwardly by doctrinal knowledge or external rituals. It is not that doctrinal knowledge and externals are unimportant, but we do not want to lay down a stumbling block over secondary issues.
How Does This Work?
Consider again the requirement of being included in the universal church—repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. This repentance and faith will express itself in submission to Christ’s word and teaching. It will express itself in love and holiness. It will also express itself in unity and love for the brethren. In other words, true believers are followers of Christ who are not divisive, but rather teachable, loving, and growing in holiness. In fact, Scripture gives warnings about those who are divisive (Titus 3:9-11), unholy (1 Cor 5:1–5), or unloving (1 Cor 13:1–3). If such people do not repent, they ought to be excluded from the church.
Should not the same principles apply to the local church? A church should welcome those who repent and believe in Christ. If they bear the fruit of repentance and faith, meaning they are not divisive but teachable, loving, and growing in holiness, should they not be welcome in the local church?
In sum, any true disciple of Christ who is willing to be part of our church (agreeing to covenant together, submitting to one another and the ministry of the elders) is welcome.
It is true that each local church has convictions regarding secondary issues (like baptism), but if a person is willing to submit to the elders (as Hebrews 13:17 commands us to do) and not cause division by seeking to undermine their teaching, that brother or sister should be welcome to covenant together with that local family of faith.
Questions
What about disagreements over church teaching like baptism, election, or eschatology? Won’t this cause division?
Members of the church would be expected to respect the teaching of the church. As a church, our teaching statement is clear and our convictions on secondary issues are known. While the church doesn’t require all to share the same convictions, all are expected to maintain the unity and not undermine the elder’s ministry in the church. This is not a call to shut down questions or conversations, but to respect the responsibility entrusted by God to the overseers of the church.
If there is a willingness to listen to the elders and sit under their teaching and not to contradict or be a source of division at these points, then why could we not fellowship together for the cause of Christ? Remember, no one will ever find a church where they agree on every point. [2]
For example, if a Baptist in a small town attends a Presbyterian church because it preaches the gospel and the local Baptist church does not, he would be expected not to undermine the elders teaching on baptism but rather agree to disagree on that issue, celebrating their unity in Christ and the gospel.
Is baptism not important?
Yes, baptism is important. It’s commanded by our Lord and every Christian ought to be baptized. However, we all know that genuine brothers and sisters are not in agreement on the mode or recipients of baptism. The elders of our church and our constitution agree that baptism is for believers and is to be practiced by immersion. Yet if someone does not agree but still wants to be part of our church, finding agreement on many other points such that we can covenant together for the sake of Christ and his gospel, then we believe we can stand side by side for the sake of the gospel and the supremacy of Jesus Christ our Lord. Our practices and convictions as a church would remain the same, but we would welcome our brother or sister in the Lord.
What about historical precedent and tradition?
This matter was discussed among the first Baptists. I would commend John Bunyan’s book The Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord and his follow-up work Differences in Judgment about Water Baptism, No Bar to Communion where he articulates in further detail what I’ve summarized above. His heart for the gospel and desire for unity among the brethren is clear and his arguments compelling.
Conclusion
The inward marks of repentance and faith must be emphasized above outward signs and rituals. No true believer seeking fellowship among brethren should be barred from the table or the fellowship due to different convictions regarding outward signs. May the Lord’s Table and our church demonstrate to the world our unity in Christ and love for one another, for his glory, and our good.
—Tim Stephens
[1] By secondary issues I refer to doctrines that are important but not necessary for salvation. For instance, those believing in infant baptism are not excluded from the saving grace of Christ. This makes baptism a secondary issue. First order issues are issues that pertain to salvation and to err in these matters is to be outside of Christ. For instance, the deity of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, and justification by faith are first order issues since to deny them is to deny God and his salvation.
[2] The elders must take seriously the responsibility to maintain unity (Eph 4:3). Any member who disagrees with the teaching of the church or its practices should bring their concern to the elders and respect the unity of the church. If an individual or family is unwilling to submit to the church’s teaching in areas where they disagree, they should peacefully find another fellowship in which they can worship with a clear conscience.