The current moment has been dubbed by some as “The Great Dechurching” because about forty million Americans who at one time belonged to a church no longer do (see Davis and Graham’s 2023 book of that title). It would appear that formal and faithful commitment to a congregation just isn’t something we as a culture care about anymore. Many Christians balk at the notion of joining a church because they do not find biblical warrant for membership. Absent a simple chapter-and-verse proof text, or a “thou shalt join a church” command, some believers look with suspicion on the emphasis that Reformed congregations have historically placed on membership.

Another perhaps more pressing problem for church membership today is the headwinds of expressive individualism, which have proven so strong that a whole host of communal activities, church included, have fallen by the wayside. However, the liberty that self-rule promised has instead left people empty. In May 2023, the Surgeon General of the United States warned of an epidemic of loneliness and isolation that is harming mental and physical health.

In this article, I will address this important but overlooked issue of church membership. First, I will lay out the case for formal church membership as a biblical necessity. Second, I will show from Scripture what faithful membership looks like. Mere membership is not the goal; meaningful membership is. In both, I will be arguing for the inherent spiritual good of church membership and how it answers the loneliness and longing of many today. I hope it comes as no surprise that what God calls us to is always good for us, for “his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3)—and this includes the command to join his church. Read more»

Jonathan Landry Cruse | “The Biblical Importance of Church Membership” | New Horizons February, 2026.

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Post authored by:

• Jonathan Landry Cruse

  

  Jonathan Landry Cruse pastors Community Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Kalamazoo, MI, where he lives with his wife and children. He also serves as an editor for Modern Reformation and is the author of several books, including What Happens When We Worship (RHB, 2020), The Character of Christ (Banner of Truth, 2023), and Church Membership (P&R, 2024).

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