The church is not a building, but a body of believers united in Christ.
Changing—Not Lowering—Our Expectations
As a church leader for over a decade and a half, I’ve had many conversations with people explaining why they’re leaving their church. During one particularly memorable discussion, someone listed several complaints: the services were too long, the environment was too noisy with crying babies, and it was difficult to hear the sermon.
While listening, I suggested they might need to “change their expectations.” They misunderstood, thinking I meant they should lower their standards and accept mediocrity. That wasn’t my point at all.
I wasn’t asking them to lower their expectations—I was inviting them to transform them entirely. If we have the wrong expectations, even something good might seem disappointing. It’s like expecting a brownie and biting into a steak—you’d be surprised and likely disappointed, but if you were expecting steak from the beginning, it could be delicious.
In fact, many of us need to raise our expectations of what church is truly about.
Why Do Christians Gather?
This brings me to a fundamental question: Why do we gather? Every Sunday, Christians make decisions about whether to attend church and where to go. Some choose one congregation, others attend elsewhere, and some decide to stay home altogether. What’s the purpose behind our gathering?
Some might say they’re checking a box, following how they were raised, or attending because someone expects it of them. But how we answer this question matters deeply, because it shapes our understanding of church membership.
When many hear “church membership,” they think only of signing a card or having their name on a list. This narrow view misses the profound theological reality Scripture reveals about our identity as members of Christ’s body.
Membership: A Biblical Foundation
The Bible couldn’t be clearer that membership is central to Christian theology. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul writes:
“Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”
Similarly, in Romans 12:5, he says:
“So we, who are many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.”
These passages reveal a profound truth: Christians become members of the Body of Christ and of one another the moment we place our faith in Jesus. This membership isn’t something we opt into or out of—it’s a spiritual reality accomplished by the Holy Spirit.
Notice that in both 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, Paul discusses spiritual gifts alongside membership. This connection isn’t coincidental. Our membership in Christ’s body and the gifts we receive from the Spirit are designed to work together. In next week’s message, we’ll explore spiritual gifts in greater depth and how they function within the body of Christ.
In Christ: The Heart of Membership
In Ephesians 1:13-14, we find some of the richest theology regarding our identity in Christ:
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Paul emphasizes being “in Christ” repeatedly—thirteen times in Ephesians 1 alone. Why? Because this is where our salvation is found. Not in church attendance, tithing, service projects, or anything else—but in Christ alone.
Like Noah’s family who were saved by being hidden inside the ark when God’s judgment came, we must be “in Christ” to be saved. And crucially, we can’t put ourselves “in Christ.” The Holy Spirit places us there after we hear the gospel and believe.
The Unity of One Body
Paul continues in Ephesians 4:4-6:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
The modern reality of churches on every corner, each “doing their own thing,” runs counter to this biblical vision of unity. The church isn’t mine to customize according to my preferences. It belongs to Christ—He’s the head, and we are His body.
Jesus prayed specifically for this unity in John 17:20-21:
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Notice the purpose behind our unity: “so that the world may believe.” Our unity isn’t just for our benefit—it’s a witness to the world about Christ.
Our Purpose: Proclaiming His Excellencies
First Peter 2:9-10 illuminates our purpose as Christ’s body:
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
God purchased us with His Son’s blood and placed us into Christ’s body for this purpose: to proclaim His excellencies. If you feel unfulfilled in your church experience, I would ask: Are you walking in this purpose? If not, you probably won’t find fulfillment, no matter how many churches or Bible studies you try.
From Theory to Practice: Local Church Membership
If all Christians are already members of Christ’s body spiritually, what’s the point of identifying with a specific local church?
Identifying with a particular congregation helps us formalize and add substance to our shared unity. While we are theoretically members with Christians worldwide, that remains abstract until we commit to a specific community where we know faces and names.
Being part of a local church allows us to:
- Participate in a shared mission and vision more tangibly
- Use our spiritual gifts to actively serve others
- Be held accountable and hold others accountable
- Express our identity in Christ through visible unity with diverse believers
Why We Gather: The Testimony of Resurrection
So why do we gather? We gather for the sake of gathering.
If you came to church primarily to hear a sermon or worship music, you might be disappointed. You could listen to sermons or worship music anywhere—even at home with perfect sound quality and no distractions. But you can’t assemble alone.
Since that first Easter morning, there has been an unbroken, continuous succession of Christians assembling every first day of the week for nearly 2,000 years. This assembly testifies to a reality: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. We gather because our King is alive.
A Call to Commitment
As Christians, we should consider whether our expectations about church membership align with Scripture. Are we ready to change those expectations? Not to lower them, but to raise them and align them with God’s purpose?
We must move beyond thinking of membership as merely attending services or having our name on a list. Instead, we should embrace the reality that we share in the mission to build up Christ’s church by equipping believers and evangelizing the world.
When you identify as a member of Christ’s body, you’re saying you’re all in—fully committed to praising God’s glorious grace until Christ is known in all the earth.
Don’t ask, “What can this church offer me?” Instead ask, “How can I help extend the church’s impact in building up believers and reaching the world with the good news of Jesus Christ?”
This blog post is part of our sermon series on Church Membership. Join us next Sunday as we explore Spiritual Gifts and their role in the Body of Christ.
Howell Bible Church 