I love local churches. I just love them.
I know they are filled with imperfect members. I know all the members are sinners and occasional hypocrites just like me. That reality has not changed since the first century.
But I just love local churches.
And I love being a member of a local church. First Corinthians 12, in essence, gives three qualities of healthy church members: they are committed; they are serving; and they are accountable.
And lest you missed it, the word “member,” referring to church members, is in 1 Corinthians 12 five times. Church membership is biblical and church member is a biblical term.
But what do we do with the concept of dual membership? As a rule, most of us believers should belong to one and only one local congregation. We need to be accountable to one body and ministering where we live. But I can see some exceptions. For discussion, then, let me throw out six perspectives on belonging to two different churches.
Keep in mind, there are doctrinal and polity issues that could preclude dual membership. I certainly want to respect the integrity of each local church. Let’s consider, then, these six perspectives on dual church membership:.
- Yes: If the member truly lives in two different locations throughout the year. Obvious examples include “snowbirds” who migrate south in the colder months, and businesspersons required to live in two locations because of their unique jobs.
- Yes: If the member has a high probability of returning to the original church in the near future. A college student moves out of state but plans on taking a job in her hometown when she graduates. She might do well to minister and serve in both her college church and then her hometown church. A soldier is stationed in another state or country but will be coming home. Both might do well with dual membership.
- Yes: If both churches embrace dual membership. In some contexts, churches do not allow dual membership, but they will allow you to become affiliated with their congregation “under watch care,” whatever that means.
- No: If the church member knows he is not returning, but he has a sentimental attachment to one church. Moving is difficult. Leaving a church we love is tough as well. But that is no reason to stay tied to a congregation where you will never serve in the near future.
- No: If the member wants to escape accountability. I actually heard a church member say he has dual membership, and he has become accountable to neither church. There must be an understanding of accountability in each church.
- No: If the member must compromise doctrinally with either church to join. There are some good churches where I disagree with their doctrines on secondary and tertiary issues. I could not and would not join them. I don’t doubt their faith, but I can’t compromise my beliefs either.
For the past few years, I have been advocating the concept of “I am a church member.” In a few cases, it might be okay to say, “I am a member of two churches.”
I hope you will engage with me on this issue. There is so much to discuss, affirm, and, possibly, disagree.
Posted on August 1, 2016
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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80 Comments
I’m sure just about every true Christian church will agree that every saved believer in Christ is already a member of His body–the one church–through faith in Him, as faith in Jesus is the only real way to become a member of God’s church. Where a lot of churches disagree is over the importance of local church members being required to formally sign a membership agreement to be counted as a member of their local church. Local church gatherings are important and biblical, but local church membership is a man-made tradition, not a requirement from God. According to scripture, church membership comes simply by grace through faith in Jesus. When we are saved, we are grafted into the body of Christ as a gift, not by works, and our relationship to one another in His body is to be built on love and trust for one another–not by force, nor guilt, nor coercion, and not by signing a membership agreement that, often, will only serve to alienate you from other members of the body of Christ who believe a little differently on disputable matters. It disrupts the unity in the body when we erect imposing walls of disputable doctrine between us. Just look at the mess that official church membership, along with all its man-made rules and regulations, has made against the unity of the church of today. Signing a membership card may help a particular local group to feel more connected with each other, but it does not serve to unite us as a whole church, but can actually work to divide us from one another, and that shouldn’t be. That is not what Jesus wants for His body. He wants us to agree with one another on the necessary truths of the gospel, and to accept one another when it comes to our disputable differences, without passing judgment on each other. When one member of God’s body counts another member of God’s body as a non-member because he did not sign a card, agreeing to a set of man-made membership rules, it is not much of a welcoming feeling for that member. We belong to one another, and as brothers and sisters in God’s family, we will naturally choose to fellowship where there is love, truth, acceptance, peace, trust, joy and freedom–basically, where the Spirit of the Lord dwells within the members of the body. A membership agreement only becomes necessary when there is an absence of any one of these, just as the law is only necessary when there is no love among the people. Where there is trust among us, there will also be a commitment to one another, without compulsion. Did you ever wonder why it is not normal practice to sign membership agreements with our family and friends? There is really no scriptural requirement for a Christian to add to his existing church membership, since he is already a member of the one and only body–the body of believers in Jesus Christ. So the only membership that is really necessary is our membership with our head–Christ, and our membership with one another–the body of Christ.
I have attended the same church, a very active participant, for 18 years. I love my church and have become one of the leaders of Children’s Ministry during the last 6 years. Recently, another church approached me in my capacity as a Consultant/Trainer/Coach – to help them with their Children’s Ministry. They know of both my consulting work and of my work with the Children’s Ministry and want me to help them grow. I can arrange to shift my obligation at my home church to afternoons and give the new opportunities my Sunday mornings. However, the new church wants me to join them – fearing dual loyalties are not possible. I proclaim I serve the Lord God – regardless of the building/town and always bring my best. Your thoughts?
I go to a local church on Sunday morning. We have a worship service and preaching for an hour. Then I leave to go to another local church where I am a Member in good standing.I go to Sunday school and then to the worship service along with the Sermon by the Preacher. Am I wrong to do this? I have Joyful fun worshiping the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit in these churches.
I’m just 18 and I’ve run into this problem. My girlfriend goes to a different church and I go with her on Sundays. I can’t go with her on Wednesdays because I don’t have a car yet and she can’t pick me up, so I go with my family to the church I’ve been going to since I was young. So I go to one church on Sunday because I want to be with her and I go to a different church on Wednesday because I can’t go with her but still want to go to church. Is it wrong to be split between churches like that? I don’t really feel any conflict inside me and the two churches are pretty similar, but I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to commit to just one church completely?
My husband and I have been Christians together all our marriage. We have attended non-denominational churches (which I prefer) and he was raised a traditional Lutheran and he likes that kind of church. We are now attending a Lutheran church at 8 in the morning and then a less traditional church with the service that I prefer at 10:00. I don’t feel a conflict between the churches at all and it enriches my worship by getting so much scripture and solid teaching in one service, and so much worship and praise in the next church. Since my husband likes Lutheran, I go with him and I like the non-traditional, he goes with me. We find it a good “marriage”
Hi Thom,
I’ve been attending my local church for years and serving in various ways that God has allowed me to. However, I live in the city and my local church is in the suburbs so about a 45-60 minute commute depending on traffic. I do feel called to my local church and placed there for a reason, but because of the distance (and because there are no mid week activities), I felt compelled to serve in another capacity during the week at a church in the city. I got connected to a pastor of a church in the City and have talked about being involved in events that will not precede my commitments to my local church. However, someone mentioned that it may not be biblical to serve at another church that is not my home church. The argument was that the members of each local church should be the ones serving the body and not dabbling in both. I was wondering if you could share your viewpoint on this issue? I’m struggling to understand if serving at the church in the city is a sin and if so, why.
I am a member at one church and want to stay at it I look at church membership as a marriage vow to the church, my husband wants to start going to a different church of like faith what do I do
I first became a believer in college a couple of years ago and while at the free lunch served by a local church of Christ, a guy I started talking to next to me invited me to hang out at the Episcopalian ministry room, which needed students since the recent split of Episcopalian church had left things kind of desolate there. My friend was, and s, nondenominational. The campus priest who was supposed to be in charge was rarely there, so whoever of us showed up and had believed in Jesus longer was whoever was in charge. I went to the church of Christ bible studies regularly. By the time I graduated I was a leader of the Episcopal ministry and attended the Anglican church plant a couple of people from the campus ministry attended, as well as a church of Christ, but I had also started attending a Messianic Jewish congregation on Saturdays as well. I was basically “all in” at two congregations and truly torn… Especially when I tried to invite an unbelieving friend to church and she wanted to go to my “home church”– well there wasn’t just one!
I would boil it down to this: go wherever and fellowship with whoever the Spirit and Word leads, but if your church attendance becomes a stumbling block or impedes the spread of the Gospel, carefully reconsider Who is most important here.
I came across your article when searching dual membership. After reading it and comments I’ve learn a lot about membership in general. I was considering DM because I get nothing from the sermons at the church I attend but I really love the people, they have kept me there. Recently though I found myself sitting Sunday, mentally checking out (nothing worth listening to) and saying “should I stay”. I thought the answer might be go somewhere else every other week to hear a message but I wasn’t sure how to divide my treasures (including time and talent). After reading this I realize I really cannot divide, instead I need to look deeper inside myself and other possible churches to find what I need and then support that. I would love to wake up one day and find everything I need right where I am, but it’s doubtful. It’s saddening because I won’t be the first or last to leave for the reason I mentioned.
Hi Thom,
I just want to ask your views regarding various topics related to the subject matter. I have some questions to ask:
1) Is it ok for a person to go to several churches without committing to one?
2) Is it right for a person to commit to become a member of a church even if he is not so sure of it?
3) Suppose that a pastor goes out of his former church. Is it ok for him to start a new church plant while being ‘sheltered’ by another church (albeit temporarily)? Or would it be better for him to just plant a church, without being sheltered by another?
Sorry for asking a lot. I’m just happy I read your article. Hoping to hear from you.
Thanks.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” We the body of Christ is the Church and the Lord Jesus is the Head of the church and we are the members of His Body. We are one body in Christ.
I think the real problem is we are divided by different “denomination” when the prayer of the Lord Jesus before He went back to the Father is ……that we maybe one as Him and the Father are one.
Being different parts of His Body, when are we going to have unity and not to be so concern of the doctrines or rules of the churches we belong too? This is the time and the hour to be one as we see that the coming of the Lord is at hand. Peace and blessings in Christ Jesus.
What would your position be on children who spend a week with one parent and a week with another parent? Could they be a member of two different churches?