In conclusion, several objections may be raised to the admonition to submit to the authority of a local church, such as the risk of the abuse of that authority, the practical concern of what to do when there is no local church present or no acceptable local church present, and what are acceptable reasons to withdraw from church membership. First, the devaluing of church membership is not simply the fault of individual Christians who want to maintain their own personal independence. The church itself is at fault, as well. Lack of discipline, coupled with a distorted view of love1 has led many churches to remove or diminish the importance of membership in order to appear more inclusive and accepting of those in this pluralistic society. In order to return to the Biblical practice of church membership, pastors must take seriously their responsibility to ensure the integrity of the church through their own personal submission to Christ and consistent, loving discipline of their local assembly.2 Peter’s admonition to the elders in the church bears repeating here, “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you … shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples of the flock.” (1 Pet. 5:1-2)3
In addition to the church leaders, each member of a local church ought to carefully consider his own commitment to the church. It is sin for a believer to neglect to do what God’s Word has called him to do. That means that anything less than a commitment which involves loving, honoring, living at peace with, edifying, receiving, caring for, serving, suffering with, speaking truth to, forgiving and praying for the other believers in the church is not obedience and submission to the calling of Christ. What is needed today is a determination on the part of the church itself to restore meaning to membership and become what Donald Bloesch calls, “a confessing church, one that will boldly confess the claims of Christ in the face of the heresies and heterodoxies of our age.”4
It is possible that a Christian may find himself in a place where there is no gospel-preaching church with which he can associate in good conscience. In such cases, he may need to broaden his search and travel a greater distance to find a church to which he may submit and in which he may fellowship. When that is not possible, he may need to begin to hold some sort of service in his own home and strive to reach out to others who also need a body of believers with whom they may identify. Certainly, that is what happened when the church at Jerusalem scattered under great persecution.5
Finally, how firm should the believer’s commitment be to his local church? When would it be advisable for him to remove his membership? This issue can be challenging, yet it is also very important. Certainly there are times when it is appropriate to leave a church, such as in the case of unbiblical teaching or public sin that is not addressed. The problem for too many Christians, however, is that they are looking for the minimum requirements to withdraw, rather than seeking to find reasons to stay. The best perspective may be to adapt Jesus’ response to the question of divorce to the issue of dissolving church membership. When they questioned Jesus about the basis for divorce in Matthew 19, the Pharisees essentially were looking for the easiest way out of marriage. Jesus answered them by explaining that while they had rejected God’s ideal plan for marriage and substituted their own ideal, God had never changed. His goal for marriage remained the same as always. So too, Christians ought to strive to achieve God’s ideal plan for the church. This involves the individual Christian submitting himself to the authority of a local church, and the church covenanting with each Christian to protect and guide him that, as the Apostle Paul says, he would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls him into His own kingdom and glory. (1 Thess. 2:12)
1 See Leeman, 39-74. His first chapter entitled “The Idolatry of Love” contains a detailed discussion of the culturally biased view of love which has impacted so many church leaders today and its consequences for the church.
2 Vanhoozer, 91-92.
3 The elders were instructed to provide loving care for the members of their particular congregation. Hiebert explains, “’Among you’, placed attributively between the article and the noun, points to the character of the flock in the presence of the shepherds. They are not absentee lords, but are shepherds actively working with the flock around them.” D. Edmond Hiebert, “Counsel for Christ’s Under-Shepherds: An Exposition of 1 Pet. 5:1-4,” Bibliotheca Sacra 139 (1982): 334-335.
4 Donald G. Bloesch, The Church: Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, Mission (Downer’s Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2002), 34.
5 Acts 8:1-40.