Using a Community or Organization to Illustrate Church Membership

The concept of church membership is often illustrated through the analogy of a community or organization, reflecting its structured and communal nature. The term "church" itself derives from the Greek ecclesia, meaning an assembly, which is synonymous with the Hebrew kahal in the Old Testament ^[1]. This foundational understanding points to the church as a gathered body, rather than merely a building or place of worship ^[1].

From a Protestant perspective, the church is understood as the "communion of saints," comprising those who genuinely believe in Christ, where the gospel is faithfully preached and the sacraments are rightly administered ^[2]. This view contrasts with the Roman Catholic understanding, which historically has emphasized the church as an external, organized society with the Pope as its visible head, asserting that membership in this society is essential for partaking in Christ's life and receiving salvation through its sacraments ^[4].

The visible church, as defined by some Reformed theologians, is the entire body of those who profess the true religion, or any group of such professors united for public worship and mutual care ^[9]. This visible church is considered a divine institution, established by God's will, and every individual who hears the Gospel is obligated to join its membership and submit to its authority ^[12]. While it is a voluntary society in the sense that no one can be coerced into joining, its existence as an organized body is divinely ordained ^[12].

Membership in this visible church has historically been understood to include those who profess the true religion along with their children ^[5]. The conditions for church membership across different dispensations have remained consistent: a profession of faith and a promise of obedience ^[5]. This perspective suggests that those entitled to baptism are also entitled to partake in the Lord's Supper, and refusing them these sacraments, which are divinely appointed means of grace, carries significant responsibility ^{[5, 6]}.

The visible church, in its current imperfect state, is acknowledged to contain both genuine believers and those who may not truly bear fruit ^[3]. The covenant of grace is seen as subsisting between God and the church as this visible society ^[3]. This understanding implies that when a believer enters into the covenant of grace, their children are also brought within that covenant, with the promise of receiving the benefits of redemption unless they willingly renounce their baptismal engagements ^[7].

The analogy of a body is frequently used to describe the church, where many individuals form one unified body in Christ ^[14]. This body, though consisting of many members, functions as a single entity with Christ as its head ^[14]. This concept extends to both the universal church, which gathers people from all nations, and local congregational churches ^{[11, 14]}.

A profession of faith is a crucial aspect of church membership. While confession does not make someone a Christian, it is the public declaration of one's belief in Christ, his divinity, incarnation, and his redemptive work ^[13]. This public avowal is considered a duty, a privilege, and an expression of gratitude and loyalty that believers cannot suppress ^[13].

Some traditions, however, have debated the scope of visible church membership. For instance, restricting the visible church solely to communicants would exclude a significant portion of the children of believers ^[10]. This raises questions about consistency if there are different rules for admission into the church versus continued membership ^[10]. The principle that Christ requires the rejection of all those not believed to be regenerate would necessitate excommunicating many, a principle that no church consistently applies ^[10].

The church, as a divine institution, is considered God's "treasure-house" ^[8]. While the New Testament church has advantages over the ancient Israelite theocracy, the Apostle Paul still spoke highly of the privileges of the Jews, to whom pertained adoption, glory, covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises (Romans 9:4) ^[8]. However, when comparing the two dispensations, the New Covenant is presented as having a greater glory (2 Corinthians 3:6-11) ^[8].

The presence of the church is recognized wherever the gospel is preached and heard, and wherever the sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution ^[11]. This is grounded in the promise that "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20) ^[11]. This highlights the essential nature of gathering and communal practice in defining the church.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Church — Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., "the Lord's house"), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia, which is synonymous with the Hebrew kahal of the Old Testament, both words meaning simply an assembly, the character of which can only be known from the connection in which the word is found. There is no clear instance of its being used for a place of meeting or of worship, although in post-apostolic times it early received this meaning. Nor is this word ever us”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 38: name of Christ, united under his Vicar, the Pope, its visible head. Protestants, on the other hand, as the communion 137 of saints, that is, of those who truly believe on Christ, in which the gospel is purely preached and the sacraments properly administered.” Proof of the Protestant Doctrine of the Church. This is not the place to enter upon a formal vindication of the Protestant doctrine of the nature of the Church. That belongs to the department of ecclesiology. What follows may suffice for the present purpose. The question is not whet”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: an external profession of the doctrines of the Gospel, and subjection to the laws and ordinances of Christ, appear as a society separated from the world, and dedicated to God and his service. In this view, in the present imperfect state, the Church comprehends branches that are withered, as well as those that bear fruit. Now the covenant of grace subsists between the blessed God and the Church, as such a visible Society, 567 567 To this sentence Mr. Blair appends the following note: “In no other way can we conceive the covenant to subsist”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: be identified with any one nation. National citizenship is no longer the condition of church-membership. Rome, however, teaches, — 1. That the Church is, in its essential character, an external, 560 organized society, so that no man can be a member of Christ’s body and a partaker of his life, who is not a member of that society. 2. The Church is an institute of salvation. Its sacraments are exclusively the channels for conveying to men the benefits of the redemption of Christ. 3. As the sacraments are the only channels of grace, no gracio”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: visible Church has always consisted of those who professed the true religion, together with their children. 2. That the terms of church-membership under all dispensations have been the same, namely, profession of faith and promise of obedience. 3. The requirements for participation in the sacraments were the same. That is, any one entitled to the rite of circumcision, was entitled to partake of the passover; those, under the Christian dispensation, entitled to baptism, are entitled to the Lord’s Supper. Those who, unbaptized, would be ent”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: baptism, and they are bound to commemorate his death in the way of his appointment. They assume a grave responsibility who refuse to allow them to comply with those commands. It is moreover not only a duty, but a right, a privilege, and a blessing to receive the sacraments of the Church. They are divinely appointed means of grace. We must have good reasons if we venture to refuse any of our fellow sinners the use of the means of salvation which Christ has appointed. It is to be feared that many have come short of eternal life, who, had th”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 63: not only bring them under obligation, but secure for them the benefits of the covenants into which they thus vicariously enter. If a man joined the commonwealth of Israel he secured for his children the benefits of the theocracy, unless they willingly renounced them. And so when a believer adopts the covenant of grace, he brings his children within that covenant, in the sense that God promises to give them, in his own good time, all the benefits of redemption, provided they do not willingly renounce their baptismal engagements. This is re”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 65: Church is an institution of God; it is his treasure-house. The Church under the new dispensation has great advantage over the ancient theocracy, and yet the Apostle speaks in glowing terms of the privileges of the Jews. “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.” ( Rom. ix. 4 .) Notwithstanding, when in 2 Corinthians iii. 6-11 , he compares the two dispensations, he says, “If the ministration of death, written and encrraven in”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 63: meaning attached to the word. In the present discussion, by the Church is meant what is called the visible Church; that is, the whole body of those who profess the true religion, or, any number of such professors united for the purpose of the public worship of Christ, and for the exercise of mutual watch and care. With regard to infant baptism the following propositions may be maintained. First Proposition. The Visible Church is a Divine Institution. Concerning the Church in this sense, it is clearly taught in Scripture, that it is the wi”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: people to look after and cherish. In confining the visible Church to communicants, it unchurches the great majority even of the seed of the faithful. 6. There is an obvious inconsistency in having one rule for 578 admission into the Church, and another for continued membership. If Christ requires us to reject all whom in the judgment of charity we are not constrained to believe to be regenerate, then He requires us to excommunicate all those of whom this belief is not entertained. But no Church acts, or can act on that principle. No man o”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 83: and heard, wherever we see the sacraments administered according to the institution of Christ, there we cannot have any doubt that the Church of God has some existence, since his promise cannot fail, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” ( Mt. 18:20 ). But that we may have a clear summary of this subject, we must proceed by the following steps:—The Church universal is the multitude collected out of all nations, who, though dispersed and far distant from each other, agree in one truth”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 47: relation to the State, — 1. The visible Church is a divine institution. In one sense indeed it is a voluntary society, in so far as that no man can be coerced to join it. If he joins it at all, it must be of his own free will. Nevertheless it is the will of God that the visible Church as an organized body should exist; and every man who hears the Gospel, is bound to enroll himself among its members and to submit to its authority. 2. All Church power is of God, and all legitimate Church officers are his ministers. They act in his name and ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 65: the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Confession does not make a man a Christian. It is the public avowal that he is a Christian; that he is a believer in Christ, in his divinity, in his incarnation, and in his being and doing all that He claimed to be, and that the Scriptures declare He did for us and our salvation. Such confession is a duty, a privilege, and a dictate of gratitude and loyalty, which cannot be repressed. His people will g”
Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 12:5: So we being many are one body in Christ,.... This is the application of the above simile. The chosen of God, the redeemed of Christ, and those that are justified by his righteousness, and sanctified by his Spirit; though they are but few in comparison of the men of the world, but considered in themselves are many, and yet make up but one body, the church, of which Christ is the head: and though this general assembly; or church universal, may be distinguished into several congregational churches, and distinct communities, yet each community, consisting of divers person”

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