Why Church Membership Matters

I’m a member of a lot of things. I have a membership at the gym down the street from my apartment, where I lift weights most days a week. That membership gives me access to dumbbells, machines, cardio, showers, and equipment. I’m also a member at my school, where I’m pursuing a Master’s. This membership gives me access to a library, study rooms, a bookstore, teaching, classes, information, and other students. I also have Netflix (thanks, Mom!), a website, Hulu, and Christianity Today, all of which charge monthly. I’m a part of several literary magazines and am on staff at my university, and these come with responsibilities. I am also, significantly, a citizen of the United States, and I have rights as well as responsibilities.

Being a member of something means giving something and getting something. This can be money, status, access, literature, authority, and other resources.

In addition to school, the gym, or TV, I’m also a member of Spring Church. Church membership is less like having Netflix and more like being a citizen. With something like Nextflix or Hulu, I pay money every month in order to have access to movies and television shows. As a US citizen, I pay taxes and vote, and I have rights under the Constitution such as the right to a lawyer and rights to social services. These two kinds of memberships are very different, and require different things from me.

Church membership can look slightly different depending on your strain of theology and denomination, yet where we spend our time and where we spend our money is one way we demonstrate what we believe in.

Different denominational flavors might come into play with confirmation, baptism, and leadership roles. Spring Church belongs to the Presbyterian Church of the USA. My Dad went this route because he can wear his denomination rather lightly (and they were okay with that), there are some really great people within this denomination, and the church governance system is so similar to the civic governance system (where he works in real estate development). Precisely zero people have become members of Spring Church because of a passion for Presbyterian Church Polity, and yet it is still important to know how the church is governed. Spring Church membership system looks like becoming a member if you consider Spring Church your church home, Jesus your magnetic north, and you’re up for baptism (because in this system, baptism is connected to church). Members nominate and vote for elders, and elders help guide and lead the church. In this way, church membership is more like being a citizen, with voting and representation, and less like paying for a streaming service.

And like being a citizen, being a member of a church means receiving and giving at the same time.

Although I live over a thousand miles away from Bellingham, I love being able to serve my church by writing weekly blogs and helping with translations and wording when I’m needed. If I were in person, I’d also have the opportunity to be involved with small groups, set up and clean up, serving dinner, or piloting Zoom. I receive from church when I attend on Zoom, come home in person, and continue in spiritual friendships with other attendants and members.

For a long time (about five years, which might not be long to some but is a significant portion of my life) I didn’t really understand why church was important. It was something to check off my list, or do because I was “supposed” to do it. After a period of not attending church consistently for a year, I felt lonely, disconnected from God, and a bit achey. I thought I should probably start going to church again (emphasis on the “should”) and found, to my amazement, that when I showed up, engaged, and joined a small group, my spiritual life started to flourish.

This doesn’t mean that a church is a one-shot solution to all problems. But it does bear warrant to remember that God said it is not good for someone to be alone.

To quote Spring Church member Leroy Gunderson: “Isolation is the start of everything bad.”

Coming together in fellowship and belonging is what God intends for us, and there is no other membership that does what it does. No amount of movies, exercising, voting, or degrees is going to take the place of a healthy, rich church community.

Join us this Sunday for our common table gathering as we discuss church membership, the process of nominating and voting for elders, and the importance of community.

Corresponding Videos & Photos

When we experience both challenging individual problems (relational, health concerns, financial instability, etc) and community challenges (crime, polarization, healthcare concerns, lack of housing, food insecurity, people out in the cold, and on and on...) what do we do with these challenges? This coming Sunday we'll learn about how Jesus shows his love for us in the midst of difficult challenges. "He won’t call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant, but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right. He won’t tire out and quit. He won’t be stopped until he’s finished his work—to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching.” Isaiah 42 2-4

Join us for a celebratory evening! Games, movie, dinner, and treats! 6pm-8pm. Hope to see you there! Contact us directly for the address. We will NOT be meeting at our regular location downtown.

Closing arguments for this election season from Spring Church.