When one is born-again by God’s Holy Spirit, he or she becomes organically connected to God and His other born-again children. Thus, all such followers of Christ are members of His Church–the Body of Christ.  

Nevertheless, as a part of the New Testament pattern, it is vital for individual followers of Christ to be plugged into a local church, where membership is understood not merely as “attending church”; rather, it is more akin to being part of a family–in this case, a faith-family of those who share in the spiritual life imparted through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Thus, local church membership is best illustrated by the natural family relationships between brothers and sisters. Jesus actually likened His followers as members of His own family:

And a multitude was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." And answering them, He said, "Who are My mother and My brothers?" And looking about on those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:32-35  

This likely is the context for Paul’s profound words to the Roman Christians: “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom. 12:5).

Thus, membership in a local church is not primarily formal; rather, it is organic.  In a similar way that we are committed to our natural family, Christ teaches us one of the essential aspects of being born again and following Christ is that we are to become members of this radical new family. In every way, our commitment to one another–particularly in our local church–is to reflect as great a love and loyalty as we would give to our natural family, if not actually even greater (Luke 14:26)!

In much of American Christian subculture, church involvement is a secondary priority.  This is, in large part, a result of the unique American mindset that emphasizes “rugged individualism.” But the New Testament provides us with a radically different model. While we all must individually bow the knee to Christ, we need to understand that our salvation is not merely an individual phenomenon. Without exception, the New Testament teaches that our relationship with Christ must be expressed corporately, in our relationship with fellow believers. The apostle John wrote, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren….Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another….“ (1 John 2:16; 3:11).  This is no casual or merely formal commitment, but one that involves a depth of commitment that goes far beyond mere “attendance” in the local church.

We might even say such deep engagement and participation in a local church is a primary litmus test of authentic Christianity! So Jesus prayed the following to the Father for each of us who follow Him: “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:20-22). This is not peripheral doctrine, but the very heart of our Lord Jesus Christ for each of us as we follow Him!