Belonging to a particular church is vital to the Christian. In the New Testament there is no such person as a Christian who is not a church member. Conversion was described as ‘the Lord adding to the church’ (Acts 2:47). There was no spiritual drifting. Those who came to know Christ were committed at once to the local church where they were instructed and shepherded and where they submitted to the teaching and direction of those God appointed for their good (Eph. 4:11-12).

The Bible teaches that the church is the company of those who are committed to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. The Master said ‘Upon this rock I will build my church’ and the foundation to which he referred was expressed in the glorious testimony of Peter ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Matt. 16:16). This passage indicated that the church is made up of those who make confession of faith that Christ is the Son of God and pledge themselves to him.

It follows that those who belong to the church will seek to obey Christ’s teaching and live to his glory. The New Testament teaches that we cannot do this alone, it is a corporate responsibility. On the day of Pentecost the church was formed and the early chapters of the Acts reveal clearly that it was essentially ‘a fellowship’. Those converted from sin unto God should seek to serve the Lord in daily living individually and together.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

As the gospel was carried into regions afar, worshipping groups were formed into local churches according to a biblical pattern. Thus we discover a church in Antioch, a church in Ephesus, a church in Corinth and so on. These churches differed in their needs and in their problems. Some were strong spiritually, others weak, but the one outstanding feature of them all was that they were made up of those who were committed to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. All were conscious of their relationship with Christians everywhere but recognised a local assembly to which each was responsible.

Churches are glad to welcome within their influence those who are seeking to discover the truth of the Gospel and one of the chief aims of a local church is to bring together those who will search the Scriptures in order to be made wise unto salvation. (2 Tim. 3:15). Communicant membership of the church, however, is possible only for those who do confess Christ as Lord.

WHAT LOCAL CHURCH?

Looking around a modern town we find a multiplicity of religious bodies. How is the man in the street to know which church to attend? It is outside the scope of these paragraphs to pass any kind of judgement except to say that the church joined ought to be an evangelical one. This does not necessarily mean that it must be detached from a denominational body, though where a congregation is connected to a denomination the testimony of that body as a whole will need to be considered. Whether denominational or independent, it is of first importance that the particular church should uphold the trustworthiness of the Scriptures and the doctrines that through the ages have marked men as truly biblical. For example: The full Deity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the sacred relationship of the Trinity, the sufficiency of the Saviour’s substitutionary death for our redemption, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the personal and visible Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. These doctrines are not a comprehensive statement of belief but indicate some of the matters which should be examined before joining a place of worship. Set the assembly alongside the Scriptures and discern accordingly. Remember that once you are a member your testimony will be judged not only by your own word but by the position of the church to which you belong.

In seeking a church it is wise to discover what services are held. The ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism should be observed and, as I see it, proper morning and evening services maintained. Sunday School facilities are important. If the individual is going to be nourished spiritually there should be a sufficient and balanced diet. A church with only an evening service cannot give this adequately, neither can one which is content to be without a systematic expository ministry. It is wise to enquire how the finances of the church are organised. Be sure that your gifts will support missionary societies that stand for biblical truth. Will you be involved in unworthy money raising efforts which reduce the church of Jesus Christ to the level of the world?

On Sundays you will want to worship as a united family but during the week you may wish to attend meetings designed for different age groups, so the journey to church is a consideration. If at all possible find a church of biblical conviction close to your home. If you are buying a house or have some choice of district, select a home within easy reach of a helpful place of worship. There is an old saying ‘Pitch your tent near your tabernacle’. In these days of easy travel, it is often said ‘I have a car and a few miles are neither here nor there’, but it is not so easy when children want to go to church on their own, if there is a mechanical breakdown, the cost of petrol rises, or the weather is treacherous!

Generally it is right to support the nearest church to your home where the gospel is faithfully preached and your convictions on the church and the ordinances upheld. In some cities there are popular preaching centres and the ‘keenest’ people go to them. Sometimes there is even a suggestion that unless you do support these central churches you are not very sound. This is a fallacy, if you are giving support to a smaller cause that is equally faithful to the Scriptures. Some attend large fashionable churches with particularly gifted orators where the work is overstaffed and have little scope for service. God’s place for you may be a small work with a less well known pastor who is equally faithful, and where there is a need for workers, givers, and folk to pray. How unworthy it is to choose a church because of its architecture, its social standing, its popularity or its music and to neglect a smaller cause loyal to the truth which needs help. Attendance at a large church can sometimes mean a lack of willingness to be involved in the hard work characteristic of most lesser known causes.

MUST I JOIN?

Belonging to a particular church is vital to the Christian. In the New Testament there is no such person as a Christian who is not a church member. Conversion was described as ‘the Lord adding to the church’ (Acts 2:47). There was no spiritual drifting. Those who came to know Christ were committed at once to the local church where they were instructed and shepherded and where they submitted to the teaching and direction of those God appointed for their good (Eph. 4:11-12).

It is not enough for folk to profess to be saved and then to ‘pop in’ where they please Sunday by Sunday, or worse, only when the fancy takes them. Spurgeon used to call people like this ‘birds of passage which nest nowhere’! This drifting arises from a misunderstanding of the Christian life. Men are saved out of the world and into the church to serve Christ not singly but as part of the body over which he is head. Many of the duties of the church can only be honoured when the people of God work together and the discipline of the church is impossible when individuals decline to join.

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