Church membership is not prescriptive in Scripture. There is no verse in all of Scripture that discusses church membership saying that we must have it. The closest that we can come to is Romans 13 and Hebrews 13:17. Hebrews 13 says, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves” (Hebrews 13:17). A major and crucial role of an elder is to shepherd his flock. In healthy churches, there is an ethos created by the elders where the church body understands that the elders/pastors were placed over them by God to lead them and shepherd them. In realizing this, there has to be some form of submission to the leadership of the church. I am all for congregational church government, but I am also for churches understanding that their pastors will stand before the Lord one day and give an account of how they led their flock. Church membership not only places the emphasis on the individual Christian being counted out and set apart as a member, but it also allows the church (i.e., the pastors/elders) to hold them accountable. Such instances when this would be necessary are giving, attendance, community, serving in the local congregation, AND it also allows church discipline to take place when needed because this member of a local congregation has been set apart under the authority of the elders of a local congregation.

Membership, I believe, rightly allows pastors and elders to be good stewards of their flock.

Good question!