Our word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia and is defined as “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.” Unlike its common use today, the church refers to the people of God, not a building or a denomination.

We can find the word church used in two senses in scripture: 1) the universal sense and 2) the local sense. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build My church.” Herein, he was clearly referring to the church, His body (Colossians 1:18), in a universal sense. That is, He was referring to all of the called out for all time. We can note a similar occurrence in Acts 2:47. There is only one universal church, and none other (Ephesians 4:4), and the Lord alone controls her membership (Acts 2:47; Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 1:6).

In the second sense, we see references to local churches. In Romans 16:16, we read, “the churches of Christ salute you.” In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul addresses his letter “to the church of God which is at Corinth.” There are many of these local assemblies and this is as it should be. Wherever God’s people are, they should be assembling (Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 4:11-16).

With this necessary groundwork laid, we can consider the question of church membership. As already indicated, the Lord directly controls the roll of the church when considered in the universal sense. Only He can add to or take away from that roll (Acts 2:47; Revelation 21:27).

However, in the local sense, fellowship (or church membership) is determined at a local level. We can see this from the example of Saul (the apostle Paul) in Acts 9:26. We know from the context and previous passages that Saul was known for his great persecution of the church. Yet, after the Lord called Saul into the kingdom, he repented, was baptized and became a Christian (Acts 9:1-19).

In Acts 9:26, we find Saul making his first appearance in Jerusalem since his conversion. The Bible tells us that Saul sought to “join himself to the disciples.” Herein, we have an approved apostolic example (1 Corinthians 11:1) of what we must do with the local church—we must seek to join ourselves or associate ourselves with them and the work in that area (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

Is it necessary for a Christian to do this? Absolutely! We will not find a “thou shalt” command in the scripture explicitly telling us to do this, but we will find examples and commands for things we can only do when associated with the saints in a local area. Consider Hebrews 10:24-25. How can we not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, if we are not associated with the Christians in a local area? How can we exhort one another, provoke one another, and encourage one another? These are the responsibilities of the local church. Consider 1 Corinthians 11 and Acts 20:7. How can we observe the Lord’s supper without the assembly of the saints? These are the privileges of local church membership.

The example does not end there. As Saul sought to join the local church, the saints feared him because of his great persecution of the church. They did not believe he was a disciple. It is evident from the context that they were going to refuse his fellowship. However, in verse 27, Barnabas (a faithful and trusted Christian) vouched for Saul before the apostles. In verse 28, we see that Saul was with the church, coming in and going out.

From this approved example, several things about church membership are made clear and harmonize completely with the whole of Scripture. 1) The Christian should follow Saul’s example in being a part, or member, of the Lord’s church that meets in a local area. 2) The local church has authority to determine its local fellowship. Of course, brethren can err in these decisions (3 John 9-11). Nevertheless, God has clearly left these decisions in the hands of the leaders (i.e. elders) of a local church (cf. 1 Corinthians 5; 2 John 9; Titus 3:10-11; etc.).

If you are not a member of the Lord’s church, become one (Acts 2:38-47; Galatians 3:26-27). If you are not active in the work of the Lord’s church that meets in a local area, find those who worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) and work with them. This is the will of God for all His children (Hebrews 10:24-25; James 4:17).