The need to leave one congregation and choose another is a sign of our times – of our weakness and fragmentation, of our inability and unwillingness to resolve problems biblically, of our constant search for the perfect situation, and of our general rootlessness, whether geographically, doctrinally, or interpersonally. Leaving a church is almost always painful – the loss of a comfortable situation and beloved friends, starting relationships over again, the questions. Then, after the honeymoon, I find that my new perfect church, the best thing in town, has problems, maybe worse than my las
church membership
Church Membership
The unity and fullness of the body of Christ can never be fully expressed in the local congregation. It is but one member of the body of Christ. Nevertheless, it is in and through the local body that our participation in the body of Christ is enjoyed. Against the modern notion that church membership is an outdated, restrictive practice, one cannot legitimately claim to be a part of Christ’s body unless he is a recognized part of a local congregation that makes up his body. Imagine an eye claiming to be part of the human body while rolling down the sidewalk, occasionally jumping into an
