Church membership can be a confusing and often divisive topic.  I believe there are a few dominant reasons for that.  The first has to do with how we have seen membership practiced in our previous church experiences.  The second is due to a lack of solid explanation about the wisdom behind local church membership. 

I cannot speak of your church history, but if it is anything like mine then you saw church membership as walking down front and letting the pastor or someone in leadership know that you wanted to join the church.  They would likely ask about your salvation and if you said you did in fact believe in Jesus, then you would be presented as a member of the church.  I am in no way knocking that process, but I rarely heard the rationale or meaning behind it.  What did membership mean?  How did it change your role or status?  Were there any new privileges or responsibilities attached? 

If you are a part of the Origins family, we want to be clear about our desire for “meaningful membership.”  We want the why, how, and what to be defined so you know how it affects you and the rest of this amazing church family.  When addressing the WHY, we can acknowledge the fact that the Bible does not expressedly command or require local church membership. And while this is true, if we take the time and apply sound Biblical wisdom, we can make a strong case for local church membership that is both meaningful and impactful.