Why Place Membership?
Leon Barnes via BULLETIN DIGEST

It is pretty common for someone to ask the question, "Why does a person or family need to place membership with the church since it is never mentioned in the Bible?" It's true there isn't a time that it is mentioned in the Bible specifically. Paul does write the church at Rome about Phoebe--who is moving there to encourage them to both receive her and encourage her in her work. He told them what a good woman she was and the kind of work she had done for the Lord in other places (Rom. 16:1,2).

But the process of placing membership is really a matter of good judgment. When Christians become a part of a local church, placing membership is a signal to the leaders of the church that they are ready to be part of the work. Until then, they are usually considered visitors and are not depended on to carry out the ministry that needs to be done. When a person announces to the church their desire to be part of the family of believers, they are telling everyone they are on the team now. They're ready to be involved in different ministries and to give of their means to support the work of the church.

The danger is that they may drift along and be lost in the shuffle of things, having never made known the fact that they want to be members. God wants each of us to put our talents and gifts to work in His church. It is in the church that we are to glorify God for all ages (Ephesians 3 :21).

There is no such thing as a member of the church "at large." We are members of a local congregation of the Lord's people where we function as a member of the body. Read again Romans 12:1-9 and 1 Corinthians 12. Both talk about the body of Christ and how we are members one of another.

The body is one and has many members and all the members have a place to fill in the body. When we begin to worship at a place, God is involved in making a place for us to serve. He knows our abilities. He knows what we can do to serve much better than we ourselves know. There is no such thing as a member of the body who has no ability and no place to serve. God opens the doors to work, but we must get into the family to be used.