Why Should I Join a Church?
Gathering people into one place for a particular purpose is not a revolutionary practice. We do this for sports competitions, concerts, town hall meetings, political rallies, and even protests. Similarly, the gathering of Christians in one place for learning, encouraging one another, and worshiping God is not that unusual. Many people of other religions gather to worship their gods in many different places and with many different traditions. So what’s so important about church membership? Why should someone take the additional step of actually joining a church? Isn’t attending and participating sufficient?
To join a church is to submit yourself to that church and its authority. This takes a commitment, and many are not willing to commit to one local body of Christ. They say, “Well, I'm a Christian, and that makes me a part of the ‘Big C’ Church (universal church), so I don't need to join a ‘little c’ church (local church).” It is true that Christians, followers of Christ, are all born again into the family of Christ (universal church). But this fact does not negate the need for each Christian to be a part of and join a local body of Christ. Let me give you just a few reasons:
1) It's biblical - God created the church and called pastors to lead local churches under the headship of Christ so that all believers can be discipled, cared for, and held accountable. Various biblical passages show that the people of God should belong to a local church. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 speaks to the gifts all believers have and how they are to use them in the church as members of one body. Matt 18:15-17 speaks to the issue of discipline for those in the church when they walk away from the faith. The early church had an understanding of those who were a part of the church and those who were not. They were either “in” the church or they were not. We should all submit ourselves the the local church and its leadership so that we can be a meaningful part of the body of Christ and all that the church is seeking to do.
2) Without help, we will stray from the truth - As much as we don't like to admit it, without some supervision, we would be in a mess. This is one reason the Lord calls us to the church - to help the people of God stay on track. The world offers many different philosophies, experiences, and even many religions that can pull us in and away from the truth. We need help to stay faithful to Christ and His teachings. We need the church, and the God-ordained leaders of the church, to help us walk away from sin and run towards truth and to Christ.
3) In joining a church, you make known your commitment to Jesus - It matters what church you go to because churches have different views that speak volumes as to their understanding of God's Word and His authority. So join a church that holds to the Word of God and to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It tells others who you are and who your God is. Is your God the same, yesterday, today, and forever, or is he a new god that has been conjured up by the minds of men? When you partner with a church, you’re proclaiming to God and to the world that you are a Christ-follower.
4) Being a part of the church gives you a place to use your spiritual gifts - At salvation, the Holy Spirit equips us with spiritual gifts. Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12 show us that each believer is given gifts from God (also see Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 14:12). We do not get all the gifts, just the ones the Lord desires for us to have, so we can use them to work together and build up the body of Christ. Serving in various ministries of the church provides opportunities to learn what your gift is and to grow in using it. Your spiritual gifts are to be used to build up the church and to help the church accomplish the great commission (Matt 28:18-20).
Joining a local church is indeed important for these reasons and many others. If you would like to speak with one of our pastors about taking this step, please contact us.