Why Church Membership?

 

 

We had an after church coffee meeting this week to explore this question.  We were helped by 1 Corinthians 12.27 which says: “We are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.” 

That image of church as a body speaks of Jesus’ commitment, care and closeness with us.  But it also shows us how we’re to relate to each other.  We’re joined together as a real living growing body, so each part is different but is needed.  Each part is supported and loved.  Each part is connected so we feel each other’s joys and pain. 

Our great longing is that we all have this experience of being part of a body at the Tab.  We believe that membership of the Tab helps this, rather then people treating church like a supermarket.  This diagram shows what’s involved when someone becomes a member:




Some people don’t like the idea of membership because they feel every Christian should be treated as part of a church.  I sympathise with this and think if you have perhaps 30 people in a small church that probably works fine. 

But we’re around 100.  So while will love and pray for anyone coming through the door, if a person is in and out of various churches from time to time, we simply can’t take spiritual responsibility for them, and of course they’re not asking for that! 

Long-term, the Bible’s vision is people settling and serving as members in particular local churches.  So if you’d like to think about doing that at the Tab please ask.