Covenant & the Church
I get the sense that most people have never been taught the reasoning behind church membership. To try to shed a little light on the subject here are 9 reasons why covenant church membership in a local church is important, right, and good.
1. Covenant church membership is about universal church membership. Local church membership reflects membership in the universal church. When we become followers of Jesus, we become members of the universal church. The way we flesh out our membership in the universal church is by joining a local church. Membership in the local church is a picture of our membership in the universal church.
2. Covenant church membership is about protection. Membership protects us from becoming unequally yoked with unbelievers. Scripture warns of the dangers of entering into covenant relationships with nonbelievers. Covenanting with other believers in a local church is how we become equally yoked with other Christians, and keeps us safe from potential danger.
3. Covenant church membership is about being a loving faith family. The word "church" means "called-out." God has called people out of the world and called them into His family—to be sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. Believers belong to one another. One day we will live as God's family in heaven, but until then we are to live as a family in the local church. Jesus said that the world will know us as His disciples by our love for one another. We covenant to help believers; to carry one another's burdens; to rejoice and to weep with one another. It's vowing to be a blessing to one another. It's pledging to put each other's interests before our own.
4. Covenant church membership is about unity. It’s about putting WE ahead of ME. Our tendency is toward individualism and self-autonomy. Our natural bent is to live as islands unto ourselves. However, Scripture teaches that believers are living stones who are assembled together into the temple of God (the church). By covenanting together in a local church we display our unity and oneness as the body of Christ.
5. Covenant church membership is about submission to God. God appoints elders/pastors to lead, feed, and protect His people. Membership is about coming under the protection, blessing, provision, and authority that God has ordained for His churches.
6. Covenant church membership is about discipleship. It's solemnly swearing to take responsibility for each other's growth and spiritual health. It’s giving permission to fellow believers to hold us accountable. It’s an oath to teach, encourage, train, and admonish one another in the faith.
7. Covenant church membership is about church discipline. Unfortunately, there are times when churches have to exercise church discipline on a person. In those instances, the church has to vote on whether or not to break fellowship with an unrepentant believer. This issue is of extreme importance because it concerns the holiness of a church. Who gets to vote on such an extremely important matter? It has to be limited to believers, and the best way to help ensure that only believers are voting is by having covenant church membership.
8. Covenant church membership is about fighting consumerist mindset. One of the problems facing the church today is the looseness by which individual "Christians" attend specific churches. What drives attendance is consumerism. People go to a church so long as it scratches an itch but the moment that it doesn't, they go to another one. Individuals are particularly fickle these days. Fickle, consumer driven individuals are holding churches hostage. Covenant church membership helps churches because it provides a core of individuals who can be trusted to advance the mission and vision of the church. Membership is about displaying covenant loyalty, commitment, and dedication.
9. Covenant church membership is about the Great Commission. God is building the church through the local church. The local church is God's mission plan. The local church is to be a light in its community. Being light means being distinct. The local church must not blend into the world but be distinct from it. By being in covenant with one another, the local church makes herself distinct; and God uses that distinctiveness to draw the lost toward Himself. As believers, we are ambassadors of Christ and as ambassadors we are to work out of a local embassy—the local church. Membership is about covenanting together as a missional community.
I hope this is helpful.
In awe of Jesus,
Pastor Rick
1. Covenant church membership is about universal church membership. Local church membership reflects membership in the universal church. When we become followers of Jesus, we become members of the universal church. The way we flesh out our membership in the universal church is by joining a local church. Membership in the local church is a picture of our membership in the universal church.
2. Covenant church membership is about protection. Membership protects us from becoming unequally yoked with unbelievers. Scripture warns of the dangers of entering into covenant relationships with nonbelievers. Covenanting with other believers in a local church is how we become equally yoked with other Christians, and keeps us safe from potential danger.
3. Covenant church membership is about being a loving faith family. The word "church" means "called-out." God has called people out of the world and called them into His family—to be sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. Believers belong to one another. One day we will live as God's family in heaven, but until then we are to live as a family in the local church. Jesus said that the world will know us as His disciples by our love for one another. We covenant to help believers; to carry one another's burdens; to rejoice and to weep with one another. It's vowing to be a blessing to one another. It's pledging to put each other's interests before our own.
4. Covenant church membership is about unity. It’s about putting WE ahead of ME. Our tendency is toward individualism and self-autonomy. Our natural bent is to live as islands unto ourselves. However, Scripture teaches that believers are living stones who are assembled together into the temple of God (the church). By covenanting together in a local church we display our unity and oneness as the body of Christ.
5. Covenant church membership is about submission to God. God appoints elders/pastors to lead, feed, and protect His people. Membership is about coming under the protection, blessing, provision, and authority that God has ordained for His churches.
6. Covenant church membership is about discipleship. It's solemnly swearing to take responsibility for each other's growth and spiritual health. It’s giving permission to fellow believers to hold us accountable. It’s an oath to teach, encourage, train, and admonish one another in the faith.
7. Covenant church membership is about church discipline. Unfortunately, there are times when churches have to exercise church discipline on a person. In those instances, the church has to vote on whether or not to break fellowship with an unrepentant believer. This issue is of extreme importance because it concerns the holiness of a church. Who gets to vote on such an extremely important matter? It has to be limited to believers, and the best way to help ensure that only believers are voting is by having covenant church membership.
8. Covenant church membership is about fighting consumerist mindset. One of the problems facing the church today is the looseness by which individual "Christians" attend specific churches. What drives attendance is consumerism. People go to a church so long as it scratches an itch but the moment that it doesn't, they go to another one. Individuals are particularly fickle these days. Fickle, consumer driven individuals are holding churches hostage. Covenant church membership helps churches because it provides a core of individuals who can be trusted to advance the mission and vision of the church. Membership is about displaying covenant loyalty, commitment, and dedication.
9. Covenant church membership is about the Great Commission. God is building the church through the local church. The local church is God's mission plan. The local church is to be a light in its community. Being light means being distinct. The local church must not blend into the world but be distinct from it. By being in covenant with one another, the local church makes herself distinct; and God uses that distinctiveness to draw the lost toward Himself. As believers, we are ambassadors of Christ and as ambassadors we are to work out of a local embassy—the local church. Membership is about covenanting together as a missional community.
I hope this is helpful.
In awe of Jesus,
Pastor Rick
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