Who Cares About Membership?



This year at Hope Lutheran Church, we're doing a study of the book "Connected to Christ: Why Membership Matters."

The question might be asked, "Why are we bothering with this study?" It's a valid question, so here are some answers.


  1. Very few people have any idea what it means to be a member of a church.  In my years as a pastor I have observed that some elderly members have a good concept of membership, a few middle aged and younger members understand it, but the vast majority of Christians have no concept of what it means to be a member at all. 
  2. There's a myth that "membership" isn't biblical.  It is biblical, but the word "member" does have a very different meaning than how the word is often used these days. 
  3. When we understand what it is to be a member of a congregation, then we are better equipped to faithfully live out that calling from the Lord.
  4. If we're going to be doing outreach, we'd better understand what it means for us to be a member of Christ's church before we try to talk to someone else about being a member.
  5. By doing this study as a whole congregation, we get to better know one another and are better prepared to take care of one another as we have been instructed to do by Christ.
I could add to the list, but this is at least a start.

Church membership is valuable and important and I'm thankful for this new resource that will help us to better understand what it means to be a member of a congregation. 

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