Part 1: Metaphors for Membership

If you are looking for a verse in the Bible that says, “Thou shalt be a member of the local church,” you’re not going to find it. Rather than bare commands, there are metaphors which describe how a church relates to it members, and these metaphors about church membership give depth and meaning to what membership is to look like. In this respect, there is an incredible amount of information on what church membership is supposed to look like.

Sometimes it is difficult to figure out what church membership really looks like in the daily life of the church. So, in his mercy, God gives us so much more than the bare command “thou shalt join a church.” God uses multiple metaphors to paint a picture of what church membership is supposed to look like and how it is supposed to function.

So, what is a metaphor? A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true. However, this figure of speech helps explain the idea in a way a simple statement does not. 

If the Bible simply had a verse that said, “You shall join a church” our tendency would be miss the point of what it means to join a church and to treat membership as a “check the box” task. This is evident by the fact that there are churches who have many people who are on the membership rolls but are deceased, non-participatory, have defected, or who are members of another church while still on the rolls of their former church. Biblical metaphors for the church carry more meaning than a bare command – metaphors give meaning to what church membership in a way that “thou shalt join a church” simply can’t convey.

Far more vivid than a simple command or an additional benefit, the Bible describes the relationship between the members of the local church with a series of metaphors that shape our understanding of the church. These metaphors challenge our cultural individualism, they challenge self-sufficiency, they challenge pride, and they challenge our thinking that we can handle everything ourselves. These metaphors are intended to beg the question, “Does membership in my church look like that?” The goal of these metaphors is to paint that same picture today that is described in the New Testament.

membership looks like are (1) a family, (2) living stones that build a temple, and (3) a body whose every member is necessary to function. These metaphors provoke our imagination to consider how we might build a church that is a genuine family, like the bricks of a temple, or a body whose every part is necessary and needed. These metaphors force us to ask things like, “Am I really a family member in my church, or am I more like a neighbor down the street?” It forces us to ask, “I am a hand or a foot in the body of the church, or am I more like a glove or a shoe that can be changed or replaced?” These metaphors show us that membership in the church is more than having our name on a piece of paper; being a church member informs us how we should live. So, consider that the Bible gives us three metaphors that are even deeper and richer than a bare command for membership.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul calls the church the “body of Christ” and Christians the “members” of that body – an image Paul likely adopted from Jesus himself (Acts 9:4). In Paul’s thinking, a Christian is neither isolated nor independent. A Christian is like any appendage in the body: only useful when part of a body.

Think of that analogy. When you look at someone’s eyes there are some thoughts that can come into your mind. You can appreciate the glimmering, sparkle, and even distinctive color of a person’s eye. But if you were to see someone’s eye apart from their body, then a whole different set of thoughts come into your mind. Probably ones that are nothing like the previous ones that are mentioned. Sentiments like gross, disgusting, or nauseating may come into your mind. That is because apart from the body; body parts are dead. They don’t have life, or they will die very soon. Truly, the description of the church as members of a body bring many important points to mind.

Of importance here is that Paul is not referring to all Christians of all time,  but rather Paul is specifically talking about members of a local church. A specific church in a specific location in time and space. And notice the “member” verbiage is not a pastor’s invention – Paul said “member” five times in 1 Cor 12:12-27. The verbiage applies to a member in a local congregation, not the universal church.

The most prominent apostles call the church “the household” of God (1 Tim 3:15; 1 Pet 4:17). This word “household” is a synonym for “family.” And even families have members. That why we have the word “family member.” Family members do family things. They share meals together, celebrate together, they cry together, they mourn together, they make decisions together, they rejoice together, and when apart for a long time – they long to unite.

Once again, the New Testament conceives of membership of a church as members of a family and not simply a “check in the box.” The “family of God” is the picture that describes the New Testament church. Just like me being a husband and a dad changes my life and priorities, so too does being a member of a local church. Relationships are forged and priorities are changed.

Regularly attending the local church without committing to membership is like visiting a neighbor: you may enjoy the friendship, but you are not part of the family. The description of the New Testament church should demonstrate that regular attendance without commitment is not being a part of the “household of God.”

Paul also calls the church the “temple of God” (1 Cor 3:16-17). Peter also calls Christians “living stones” that build up a “spiritual house” (1 Pet 2:4-5). In the Old Testament, the dwelling place of God was in the tabernacle or temple. As a fulfillment of the tabernacle and temple (Jn 2:19-21), Jesus now pours out His spirit on the church and He dwells not in the temple – but in his people. The members of the local congregation are now the dwelling place of God. The picture is of bricks or stones – you – that are mortared together in order to build a single temple where God dwells with his people.

The Cambridge Platform, a summary of how the church is to be organized, put together by seventeenth century ministers in Massachusetts, points out that Christians must have a visible group of believers to which they belong, or else they are not a church. Just as a body, a building, or a house, hands, eyes, feet, and other parts of the body must be united, or else they are separated and not a body. Stones and wood, even though they are measured, cut, and sanded, do not make a home until they are compacted and united.³

Paul also calls the church the “temple of God” (1 Cor 3:16-17). Peter also calls Christians “living stones” that build up a “spiritual house” (1 Pet 2:4-5). In the Old Testament, the dwelling place of God was in the tabernacle or temple. As a fulfillment of the tabernacle and temple (Jn 2:19-21), Jesus now pours out His spirit on the church and He dwells not in the temple – but in his people. The members of the local congregation are now the dwelling place of God. The picture is of bricks or stones – you – that are mortared together in order to build a single temple where God dwells with his people.

Maybe you still thinking that these metaphors are nice, but they do not give us any commands. However, the Bible does more than give a command – it gives a way of life that must describe your life, and that is a command. If you actually belong to God, then you’re a part of a body, a member of the family of God, or you are a brick in a temple where God dwells. The only question is to what body, family, or temple do you belong? There is the unavoidable question of formal belonging and membership. This question is inevitable because in order to follow the plain commands of being a member of a body, living stone in a temple, or family member, there has to be family, a body, or a temple in which to join.

¹ In church history, there has always been a distinction between the local church and the universal church (sometimes referred to as the invisible church). The term  "local church" is a church that physically meets together. The term "universal church" is used to describe all believers of all time. 

² The Cambridge Platform, Ch. 4, p.1