Importance of Church Membership

I have just finished listening to a series of sermons by Pastor John Piper on baptism and church membership. As a pastor of a Baptist church, Pastor Piper spoke on the dilemma of allowing into church membership someone who was baptized as an infant but is not yet convinced of the Baptist understanding of believer baptism. Should the person be excluded from membership? In other words, should the door of the local church be narrower than the door to the Kingdom?

In his first sermon, How Important Is Church Membership?, Pastor Piper asks which is more serious? Excluding from membership a person who gives credible evidence of saving faith or receiving into membership a true believer who is not ‘biblically’ baptized? If a non-member can worship, take the Lord’s Supper, attend Sunday School, be a part of a small group, and be visited by a pastor in the hospital, is denying church membership a big deal? Especially since the person could simply go to another church that shares his view of baptism?

How serious is it to say to a regenerate person: “You are not permitted to be a member of this church”? Pastor Piper thinks it is very serious and argues from scripture the importance and necessity of church membership.

Now you may say, what’s this to you? I thought you were one of those baby-sprinkling Christians? Well, the mirror image of this problem occurs in Presbyterian/Reformed churches. Families are expected to baptize their infants. If they have not (yet) come to accept the reformed teaching on covenant families then they can’t join. (Of course if they are beyond child bearing age or sterile then they can believe whatever they want.)

So Baptists and Reformed Christians have a similar dilemma and I appreciate Pastor Piper’s approach and willingness to deal with a very tough subject. Neither group is immune. We each have our pet doctrines. I pray our churches are able to welcome all believers into membership without requiring more than just faith. Hmm, maybe we should have a saying like, ‘Faith Alone’ as a slogan, wonder how you would say that in Latin?