Is Local Church Membership Biblical?
This past Sunday at Multiply Church, we had the joy of welcoming and affirming new members. Before we did, I wanted us to slow down and feel the weight of what we were doing, because this was not just meaningful to us, it was deeply biblical.
What follows is an expanded version of what I taught, providing an even more thorough defense of the biblical reality of local church membership. In a world that views commitment as a liability and belonging as an afterthought, we need Scripture to reform our understanding of both commitment and belonging to a local church.
The question isn't whether local church membership is a beneficial practice, and it’s not necessarily whether it's biblical (even though I am about to show you how profoundly biblical it's!).
The real question is whether a Christian can faithfully practice biblical belonging without a genuine, identifiable commitment to a local church!
Local Church Membership Is Not a Modern Idea
In our culture today, committed, official local church membership is often treated as optional, man-made, or even unbiblical. You will hear people say, “Church membership isn’t in the Bible.” But Scripture calls the church the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25-27). We are a people who belong to Christ, and we belong to His body expressed both globally and locally (1 Cor. 12:12-27).
The New Testament gives no category for a Christian living in isolation. Instead, it shows believers who are known, counted, shepherded, encouraged, corrected, and sent together on mission to the glory of God in a specific local church (Acts 2:41-47; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:2).
While the Bible does not use the modern word "membership" as we use it today, it defines the reality everywhere. Christians are described as members of a body (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27), sheep of a flock (John 10:16; 1 Pet. 5:2), stones in a household (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:5), and members of a family (Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15). Those are definers of real commitment and relationship, not casual association.
Local church membership is not an extra step for especially committed Christians. it's the ordinary, biblical expression of following Jesus. To be joined to Christ is to be joined to His body in a real, local, and committed way (1 Cor. 12:13).
God Has Always Related to a Defined People
From the very beginning of Scripture, God relates to a defined people, not disconnected individuals. In the Old Testament, belonging mattered enough that God commanded Israel to be counted. “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel… head by head” (Num. 1:2). To be counted was to belong, and to belong meant living under God’s covenant care, authority, and shared responsibility.
That same pattern carries into the New Testament. To follow Jesus is to belong to Him, and Scripture is explicit that belonging to Christ means belonging to His body both locally and universally (1 Cor. 12:13).
The Bible Has No Vision of Solo Christianity
Paul writes, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). Just a few verses later, he says, “But as it's, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose… As it's, there are many parts, yet one body” (1 Cor. 12:18-20). Bodies have members. Members are identifiable. And members belong to one another. The Christian life is never imagined apart from embodied, communal belonging.
This is one of the quiet problems with the claim that church membership is unbiblical. The New Testament does not describe Christians as independent believers who occasionally attend religious gatherings. It describes them as members of a body who are connected to one another in a way that is real, accountable, and visible (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27).
The majority of the N.t. Is Written to Local Churches
The way the New Testament is written is one of the most compelling reasons for local church membership. Paul's letters are mostly addressed to actual local churches in real places. Not to vague Christians scattered across a region, but to embodied congregations with leaders, responsibilities, and a common life.
Paul addressed "all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints" (Rom. 1:7). He addressed "the church of God that is in Corinth" (1 Cor 1:2). He addressed "the churches of Galatia" (Gal. 1:2). He wrote, "to the saints in Ephesus" (Eph. 1:1). He addressed "all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons" (Phil. 1:1). He addressed "the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae" (Col 1:2). These are local churches, with real people, real leadership, real responsibilities, and real accountability.
The New Testament was not written for free-floating Christians. it's addressed to churches. That alone should make us reconsider how casually modern Christians approach local church membership!
The N.t. Describes and Models Local church membership
Peter instructs elders to "shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight" (1 Peter 5:2). A flock among you is specific and identifiable. The "sheep" are known!
According to Hebrews 13:17, members are to "obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account." That only makes sense if it's clear who belongs to whom. Leaders and followers, elders and members, are clearly defined!
Jesus Himself describes correction and restoration that culminates in “telling it to the church.” “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church” (Matt. 18:17). You can't tell something to the church, and you can't remove someone from fellowship, unless there is a clearly defined body to which someone belongs. Here is the full flow Jesus gives: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matt. 18:15-17).
Luke says, “The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). You can't be added to a number unless there is a number to be added to. Who makes up that number? The members of the local church!
And Paul describes the same kind of clarity earlier in Acts. “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). People were counted. People were added. People were identified with a real local body of believers!
The “One Anothers” Require Belonging to A Local Church
The New Testament is filled with commands that can't be lived out in spiritual anonymity.
“Love one another” (John 13:34). “Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” (Eph. 4:32). “Exhort one another every day” (Heb. 3:13). “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another” (James 5:16). “Encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess. 5:11). “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph. 5:21).
You can't obey those commands in a vague, occasional, disconnected relationship with a local church. You can't bear burdens for people you don't know. You can't be meaningfully exhorted without trust. You can't confess sin safely without relational commitment. You can't practice steadfast love if you can leave the moment it costs you something.
The “one anothers” of Scripture require a real people who stay, a community where life is shared deeply enough for forgiveness to be necessary and grace to be practiced. That kind of life does not happen through attendance alone. It is only the fruit of meaningful commitment to a Christ through a local body of believers!
A Heavenly Membership Roll and an Earthly Expression
Some will say, “The New Testament never gives us a membership roll.” But Scripture does give us something even more sobering and beautiful. It gives us a heavenly membership roll. Revelation speaks of “the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 13:8), and later says, “Nothing unclean will ever enter it… but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).
God does not redeem people into anonymity. He records, knows, and claims them as His own… as His people!
Local church membership is not the church's attempt to mimic corporate structures. It is the earthly, visible representation of a heavenly reality. God keeps a book. He knows His people's names. And His earthly people are meant to know and be known in authentic covenant communities.
Just as the word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible, though the truth is unmistakable, local church membership is not a human invention, but the visible expression of a biblical reality.
Jesus Gives Real Authority and Responsibility to His Church
Jesus entrusts real responsibility and authority to His church. He says, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19). Later, He applies that authority to the local church in discipline and restoration: “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:17-18).
That authority does not belong to individuals in isolation, and it does not belong to pastors acting alone. It belongs to the gathered local church, led and shepherded by elders (Matt. 16:18-19; Matt. 18:17-18; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:2).
That means church members are not passive observers. Members affirm leaders. Members guard the gospel. Members participate in care, correction, and restoration. Members share responsibility for the health, unity, and witness of the church.
Common Objections to Local Church Membership
I have heard many objections to local church membership, and most are shaped more by cultural assumptions than by the life in Christ the New Testament describes. Some will say, “Church membership isn’t in the Bible,” as if formal commitment somehow contradicts spiritual freedom. But Scripture consistently gives clarity when it comes to belonging to Christ and His body in a real, local, accountable, and visible way.
Some people fear that commitment will limit their freedom or expose them to disappointment. But biblically, commitment is not the enemy of faithfulness. The language of the New Testament is not consumeristic but covenantal. Believers are described as members of one body (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27), sheep of one flock (John 10:16), and members of God’s household (Eph. 2:19).
Some prefer to keep their options open, attending without officially belonging to the local church. Yet, the New Testament never imagines discipleship as something we consume anonymously, but as something we live out visibly and relationally together. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).
While the Bible does not prescribe one single structure or timeline for how churches formalize belonging, it consistently calls followers of Jesus to intentional, accountable life together. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another” (Heb. 10:24-25).
The question is not whether local church membership is biblical. The question is whether biblical belonging can exist without real, official commitment!
So What?
So what does all of this mean for you, right here and now?
It means local church membership is not an accessory to your faith but THE primary way your faith actually takes shape. You don't drift into maturity, faithfulness, or spiritual health on your own. God grows you in Christ through a real community by the Spirit where you are known, challenged, prayed for, corrected, encouraged, and sent.
It also means commitment is not the enemy of spiritual freedom. When you join a local church, you are not limiting your growth. You are stepping into a community where God intends to form you.
It means that if you are a follower of Jesus who is not meaningfully connected to a local church, something incredibly important is missing. God designed you to be formed in His church through a local congregation. Staying unattached may feel safer, but it also keeps you from the kind of transformation and life Jesus intends for you.
After all of the above, the question "Is local church membership biblical?" is no longer the issue. I believe the most important question you must ask yourself right now is whether you are willing to enter the shared life that Jesus invites His followers into through a local church. If belonging to Christ means belonging to His people, why would you hesitate to publicly and formally say “yes” to Him within a local body of believers?
A Moment to Slow Down and Be Honest
If all of this stirs something in you, that is not a problem to solve but an invitation to listen. Questions about belonging, commitment, and the church are rarely just theological. They are tangled up with past experiences, disappointments, fears, and hopes. Before you rush to defend or dismiss what you are feeling, take a moment to let the Spirit gently surface what is really going on in your heart. God does not shame us into obedience. He invites us into healing, trust, and obedience together. These questions are not here to trap you but to help you name what might be standing between you and the kind of belonging Jesus is offering. In parentheses, I have given what cultural challenges are present with all of these things.
What am I actually afraid of losing if I commit to a local church? My independence, my comfort, or my ability to walk away when things get hard? (false sens of autonomy, fear of commitment)
Where have I quietly turned the church into something I consume rather than a people I belong to? (Consumerism)
Am I following Jesus with His people, or have I built a private, self-directed version of Christianity that keeps me safely unchallenged? (individualism)
Who truly knows me in my faith right now? My struggles, my sin, my doubts, my story, my gifts? (avoidance of being known, disembodied spirituality)
Who am I actually responsible for and to in the body of Christ? Whose burdens am I bearing, whose life am I invested in, whose growth am I committed to? (consumerism, individualism)
If Scripture calls me to submit to spiritual leaders who watch over my soul, who is really watching over mine? Or am I “spiritually self-governed?” (autonomy, rejection of authority)
Have I confused spiritual freedom with keeping my distance? Has my desire to stay uncommitted quietly kept me from being deeply formed? (autonomy, fear of commitment)
Am I keeping the church at arm’s length because I do not trust institutions, even though Jesus chose to work through His church? (mistrust of institutions, institutional trauma)
If my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, why do I resist officially identifying as a member of a local church? (individualism, disembodied spirituality)
What would obedience look like right now in regard to the local church? (consumerism, autonomy, fear of commitment/commitment avoidance)
The Invitation Before You
After you’ve slowed down and listened to what is stirring in your heart, here is the invitation before you: put your “yes” on the table as an act of obedience to Jesus. Step into local church membership because this is how He has chosen to form and shepherd His people. Open your life to the ordinary means of grace God uses through His church to grow and sustain you. Commit yourself to the Lord and to His people in a real, local, and embodied way that brings glory to God and leads to disciples multiplied among your neighbors and the nations.
If you attend Multiply Church faithfully but are not a member, I would love to meet with you for coffee or lunch to discuss any of this!
