The Example of the Early Church 

In the early church, "coming to Christ" was synonymous with "coming to the church." Experiencing salvation meant belonging to the local church. When individuals repented and trusted Christ, they were baptized and "added" to the church (Acts 2:41). They believed, they were baptized, and they were in the local church. More than simply living out a private commitment to Christ, this meant that believers joined together formally with other believers in the local assembly. Evidence for this can be found in Acts 16:5, "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they (the churches) increased in numbers daily." Notice that the text says "the churches" and not "the believers." 

It is also significant to note that most of the epistles in the New Testament were written to churches. Those few written to individuals-Philemon, Timothy, and Titus-were written to church leaders, again emphasizing the importance of the local church. In the time of the "early church," the followers of Jesus were committed to the local assembly. 

Various New Testament examples indicate that the church had a systematized way of identifying those who were part of the church: 

1. Because there was a list of widows eligible for support (1 Timothy 5:9), it seems reasonable to assume that there would also have been a list of members. 
2. When a believer moved, or was travelling, to another city, their church often wrote a letter of recommendation to the new church (Acts 18:27; Romans 16:1; 2 Corinthians 3:1-2, and Colossians 4:10). 
3. Some of the terminology in Acts fits best with the concept of church membership. Phrases such as "the whole congregation" (6:5), "the disciples" in Jerusalem (9:26), "in every church" (14:23), "the whole church" (15:22), and "the elders of the church" (20:17). The very early church had some formal way of determining who was in the church and who was not. 

The Existence of Church Government 

 The New Testament records that a plurality of elders were to oversee each local body of believers. The duties and tasks given to these elders require a clearly defined group of church members under their care. 

These elders are responsible to "pay careful attention ... to all the flock" (Acts 20:28), "shepherd the flock of God" (1 Peter 5:2), "labor" among them (1 Thessalonians 5:12), have charge over them (1 Thessalonians 5:12), and "keep watch over" their souls (Hebrews 13:17). These responsibilities require that there be an identifiable, mutually understood membership in the local church. Elders can accomplish, and be accountable to God for these duties only if they know for whom they are responsible. The question elders must ask is simply, "Who are our members?" 

Because believers are to submit to their leaders (Hebrews 13:17), the question that believers must ask is, "Who are my leaders?" This verse implies that believers know to whom they must submit, which, in turn, requires clearly defined church membership. 

The Existence of Church Discipline 

In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus describes the way the church is to seek restoration of a believer who has fallen into sin. He described a process that we know as "church discipline." This process presupposes that the elders of a local church know who is a member. Elders have neither the authority nor the responsibility to discipline either a member of another local church or someone who is not a member of any local church. 

The Apostle Paul's formal exclusion of an immoral brother (1 Corinthians 5) requires formal inclusion. Paul's action would imply that it meant something to be included in that church. The Bible's teaching on church discipline assumes church membership. 

The New Testament teaches that the church is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). It also teaches that God has called every member to a life devoted to the growth of the body (1 Corinthians 12:25-26). Scripture exhorts all believers to strengthen and encourage other members by practicing the "one anothers" of the New Testament (Hebrews 10:24-25, which seems to specifically direct these commands to those who "meet together"). While mutual edification can take place outside the context of the local church, it appears that the expectation of the New Testament is that it takes place within the local church. 

History of Church Membership 

 The history of church membership in evangelical churches begins with the Catholic Church, which grants membership to all who have been baptized in the Church, through a traditional sacramental system, governing all of life from cradle to grave. In this way the Catholic Church believes that every baptized child is "in" unless they insist on being "out." 

By contrast, the Reformers placed a much stronger emphasis on grace through faith as the only way of reconciling man to God. This was followed by a belief that baptism is only valid if voluntary, what we call "believer's baptism." These two departures from Catholic practice immediately produced a variety of approaches to membership in Protestant churches. National churches adopted some version of a parish system. In these cases geography was significant of jurisdiction, as in the Roman Catholic Church, so that it was not exceptional for members of the parish, though baptized, never to profess the Christian faith. The core principles of the Reformation naturally gave weight to conversion, to conscience, and thus to voluntarism, in which membership can only be entered into by those who profess faith. 

We also need to recognize the enormous influence of the Baptists on how membership was to be practiced. While Baptist churches required baptism as a prerequisite of membership, this influence strongly emphasized the individual and the voluntary aspects of membership in a church. 

A strong current of voluntarism swept through churches of all traditions, especially in the 19th century. This cultural movement led, in part, to the belief and practice that the individual's decision to join or to depart from the church was determined only by whether the believer choose to associate formally or not. 

This is the process that Ada Bible Church has followed since its inception. Membership in this local body of believers has been entirely voluntary. The requirements for membership have been: 1) having placed faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, 2) general agreement with the church's doctrine and theology as stated in the church's Constitution, and as detailed in our "We Believe" teachings, 3) general agreement with the direction and philosophy of the church, and 4) a commitment to giving, serving, fellowship, evangelism, and discipleship in the church. 

We believe that local church membership has its basis in the New Testament. We also recognize that local church membership reaches back nearly 2000 years and has been practiced, in one form or another, by churches from which Ada Bible Church claims its history. 

We also believe there are four "global reasons" for local church membership: 

1.  A Biblical Reason. We are a covenantal people, a people who express a global faith in a local context. We belong to this local context (Ada Bible Church), not to another local context. The New Testament speaks of the church in two ways, as a global reality and as a local reality. As the church we need to understand ourselves as the people of God expressed in a local context. Just as the church in Philippi was understood as being a part of the larger family of God, it was also understood to be a local community of faith that existed in Philippi, rather than in Galatia. So, too is Ada understood, as a part of the larger family of God and as a local community of believers particularly expressed. Membership establishes which local context we have decided to join in order to grow in faith, service and witness. 
2. A Communal Reason. We were created for community and we desire to be known and loved, both by God and one another. We are a community of faith that is accountable to one another under the leadership and supervision of the elders. Membership establishes our commitment to other believers in this community to whom we wish to express our commitment to love, support and submit to the leadership of a particular body of believers. It helps us know which people we wish to commit to love and serve. Membership assures the church of our commitment to Christ in serving with them as we call for their commitment to serve us in love and to encourage us toward greater growth in Christ. 
3. A Spiritual Reason. As Christians, we become what we are committed to. If I am committed to football, I will watch it, play it, buy tickets to attend games, etc... As a part of a church, we commit ourselves to becoming like what we are committed to. As I commit my time, resources, witness, service and love, I become more and more like the person God desires me to become. We need to become spiritually formed (become more Christ-like) and part of that formation (discipleship) is to agree to identify with this local church and represent whatthis church believes. 
4. A Practical Reason. The elders of Ada Bible Church need to know who is on the "team," those who they are responsible to shepherd and disciple. For positions of leadership, the elders need to know who holds to our teachings and has formally said they stand in agreement with the doctrine, philosophy, and direction of Ada Bible Church. They need to know who has said they want to be formally related to this community of believers. Membership defines who is on the "team" and who it is that the elders and other leaders can count on for future leadership positions and who it is that desires to be held accountable and part of the larger ministry team. 

Questions or comments membership@adabible.org