By Brandon Petty

This blog post originally appeared at BrandonPetty.org and is reprinted with permission. It is part of a series of posts dealing with “Next Steps” in the local church and written from the perspective of a local pastor speaking to his congregation. Brandon is Founding and Lead Pastor of Generation Church and Co-Director of General Baptist National Missions.

One of the often asked questions that people have about the local church is whether or not a Christian has to attend church or better yet do they have to join a church to be a Christian. Let me answer the surface level question with a surface level answer; no. Being a part of a church or going to church does not save you. Salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ and in Christ alone. (Ephesians 2:8)

Salvation is not necessarily the result of joining a church; however joining a local church is the result of salvation. Becoming a lone ranger in your faith can be tragic. Yet, it is common in our culture for people to attempt to do life alone. In a culture that seeks for others to be transparent and authentic, most avoid any transparency in their own lives. But when we become a follower of Jesus, we become a part of something bigger than just ourselves:

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”—1 Corinthians 12:12-20

We actually become a part of a functioning body that God is using to accomplish a mission. Salvation is not exclusive, but inclusive. We were saved with a purpose, yet for a purpose. The Bible is clear that one part of the body cannot simply decide to dis-member itself. God places us in the right community, with the right people, with the right mission. It’s up to us to connect to the mission that best fits our purpose, not our preference. Personal preferences change; purpose does not.[bctt tweet=”Salvation is not exclusive, but inclusive. @BPettyGC”]

Let’s look at 3 reasons why membership is important:

1 – Your Growth as a Believer Depends on It

Nothing can grow apart from other sustaining sources. Every seed needs water, sunlight, the right soil, and nurturing. The health and growth of the plant depends on it. I teach our church all the time that the number one way to disciple in our church is to commit to giving your time, your talent, and your treasure. We use the term Owner instead of Member. When you own a vision and mission, you take responsibility to help in its accomplishment. When you’re simply a member, it’s easy to have an attitude of entitlement. There is nothing wrong with using this term; we just prefer to use Owner. When you become an owner at Generation Church, you commit to growing spiritually. The more time you spend around other believers who are on the same path to accomplishing a mission; you will grow spiritually. The early church immediately began meeting in homes, giving generously, worshipping nearly every day, and reaching the lost in their community. As a church, we offer small groups, serve teams, and outreach efforts that give people plenty of opportunities to connect to Jesus and the community. That’s the picture of the local church that God intended for us to imitate.

2 – Connect to a Mission; not a Mindset

Most people will choose a church based on a few criteria: the music, the preaching, denomination, how “deep” they are, and the comfort level. Not many people ask; what’s the mission of this church? And yet, this is one of the most important questions to ask when choosing a body to belong. That’s due to our mindset of church as a place that we attend instead of a body of believers in which we engage. We must change our mindset to engage in mission. Belonging to a body of Christ is not about what we choose to tolerate. It’s a place for us to be stretched, challenged, engaged in mission, and grow the Kingdom. We are only as “deep” as we “do”. The gospel was not preached to absorb information; it was preached to bring dead people to life![bctt tweet=”We must change our mindset to engage in mission. @BPettyGC”]

I never have a problem with people leaving our church to find another church as long as it’s to engage in mission. But the sad reality is that people will church hop in the same way we want to try new restaurants. We want to try everything on the menu but no one wants to pick up a tray, a towel, and serve. We are not called to be consumers; we are called to be Christ-like. And Christ formed a body of believers and then served them.

3 – Joining a Local Church Reflects Christ

When the local church is living on mission, it has the greatest potential to change the world. We can make a small impact alone, but we can change an entire city together. When the body of Christ is operating together and functioning at a healthy level; it becomes the city on a hill that Jesus envisioned. Jesus died to establish the local church. It’s a body that is being used by God Himself to reflect His glory by how we reach our community. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. He had compassion over the lost and hurting in His city. When we have a heart for the body of Christ and for the city in which we’ve been called to serve; we reflect the heart of Jesus.[bctt tweet=”The gospel was not preached to absorb information; it was preached to bring dead people to life. @BPettyGC”]

For those who are interested in knowing more about the mission and vision of Generation Church, we have an Ownership Class every third Sunday of each month. Our next class is this Sunday November 15th. The class starts at 9:30am and your kids can enjoy our amazing kids ministry while you attend the class. You can then attend the 11:00am worship experience. For more information or to sign up, you can simply email whitneygoostree@hotmail.com.

If Generation Church is not for you, then I strongly urge you to find a church that you can join and engage in their mission. Our church attendance has never inspired life change. But our church involvement has changed hundreds of lives. Get involved today; be a part of the body of Christ. It’s the most important decision you can make as a follower of Jesus.