Sermon Central
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Is Formal Church Membership Necessary?
Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 2, 2025 (message contributor)
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1. Is Official, Or Formal Church Membership In A Local Church According To Scripture? – Part 1
Contributed on May 2, 2025
This begins a 4 part study of local church membership in the New Testament. Is a formal church membership biblically required in our churches? Was it required in the first century churches? We will examine scriptures and practices for those answers.
IS OFFICIAL, OR FORMAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN A LOCAL CHURCH ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE? – PART 1 What is church membership? What does the New Testament teach about church membership? Is this a requirement for us in local churches or must we submit ourselves to a practice of man and denominational ...read more
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2. Is Official Or Formal Church Membership In A Local Church According To Scripture – Part 2
Contributed on May 3, 2025
Formal church membership that involves special membership and voting rights is contentious. In this Part 2, I open up the matter to show how out of sync the matter is with the membership of the one Body of Christ, and the discrimination. We delve into some scriptures to bring this out.
IS OFFICIAL OR FORMAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN A LOCAL CHURCH ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE – PART 2 In Part 1 we looked at the practice some churches have of there being an official local church membership that divides “members”, adherents and attendees into “MEMBERS” and “NON-MEMBERS” depending if one has ...read more
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3. Is Official/Formal Church Membership In A Local Church According To Scripture? – Part 3
Contributed on May 7, 2025
Regarding this matter of formal church membership, it is examined alongside mainly Ephesian verses. The subject is opened up to understand the New Testament practice of being members of one another and the equality in the Body of Christ. Membership of Christ’s Body covers it all.
IS OFFICIAL/FORMAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN A LOCAL CHURCH ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE? – PART 3 Part 3 (there are 4 parts) continues to look at various scriptures in this study of formal church membership over and above the one membership that unites all believers into one Body, and makes them all ...read more
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4. Is Official/Formal Church Membership In A Local Church According To Scripture? – Part 4
Contributed on May 7, 2025
This is the final part and we look at a numbers of issues here as well as two statements from Internet sites on why membership is important. Over and over I am opposing this notion that commitment is connected with official membership. It is judgemental and untrue. I hope this is of some value.
IS OFFICIAL/FORMAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN A LOCAL CHURCH ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE? – PART 4 We have been looking at some passages of scripture from Paul’s writings and in vain, do we look for even the slightest suggestion that a church has official membership that discriminates among the Christians ...read more