Why must I be committed to my local church in membership?

Are you put off by the title of this post? Does the word 'must' bother you? Must you be baptized? Must you not cheat on your wife? Must you tell the truth? Must you not get drunk? There are many clear musts in life and church commitment/membership is one of them. Yet the current Christian generation is, quite possibly, the only generation in the 2000 year history of the church that believes that you can be committed to Christ and not be connected to His Body. Our generation is claiming faithfulness and obedience to Jesus yet is increasingly distanced from their local church. How many people have you met over the years who have told you, unequivocally, that they are believers but have no church affiliation? Many of the young people that I meet tell me that they are Christians and when asked about what church they attend usually respond that they are looking for a church or in between churches or haven't found the right church. Sometimes this is legitimate but many times it is symptomatic of our generations inability to commit to anything, besides what we get paid to do. The thinking seems to be that commitment to the local church is for old people. 'I'm young, now is the time for me to spread my wings, bounce from church to church, sleep in on Sunday's if I've had a long weekend, travel as much as possible on weekends, consume as many different Bible studies as I can, committed to none.' We assume that at some point we'll just snap out of our perpetual adolescence and be committed. Maybe when we get married, maybe when we have kids, maybe, maybe maybe... Is that not the way our generation thinks? All the while we've missed the point of the Body of Christ. The point is not my happiness, my fulfillment, or even my spiritual growth. The point is the glory of God. I choose my church and commit to it in membership because it is the place that I corporately glorify God with other believers. It is the place where Christ is best represented in me and to my community. The church of Jesus Christ is looking to destroy the individuality that we find so much pride it. The church is not looking to make you a clone or destroy your unique personality but it is an autonomy, control, destroying organism. Which is why if you are a control person, you probably don't have much time/energy for the church.

When the church forsakes the study of ecclesiology (the doctrines of the church) our thoughts and our study becomes increasingly individualized and self focused. When we forsake the uniqueness of the Body of Christ we have become individuals trying to be good. When we are individuals trying to be good...we're not Christians. Christians are individuals who have been called/chosen/elected by Christ into a unique gathering of people known as the Church. This unique gathering emphasizes a commitment to baptism, communion, the preached Word of God, prayer, fellowship, and repentance (Acts 2). These things are the evidences that someone is a member of Christ's Body (1 Cor 12). "Membership in a church is the church's corporate testimony to the individual member's salvation."(Mark Dever, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church)
Part 2 will talk about why, if you're a Christian, you must be committed to your local congregation in membership.

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