Principles for Bible-Believing Churches: Changing the Membership List
Posted by Matt Postiff March 11, 2011 on Matt Postiff's Blog under Church
Principle: No individual or sub-group of the church or outside the church can unilaterally change the membership roll of the church, either in or out.
This includes:
- The pastor. For example, (A) the pastor cannot add favored individuals to membership on his own authority. (B) The pastor cannot remove disfavored individuals from membership.
- The church board or council. (C) The church board does not have the power to directly change the membership roll either by addition or subtraction, as above.
- A member himself or herself. (D) An individual cannot join the church without the church’s approval. (E) The individual cannot remove himself from the church without the church’s approval.
- Any outside authority. (F) No outside agent, like another church, a denominational hierarchy, or a government, can impose upon the church to include or remove a member.
In other words, it is not within an individual’s power to dictate to the corporate body what the church’s accepted membership roll is. Neither can a government force membership to include any person, especially one whose profession or behavior is not in accord with the Christian faith or our constitution.
The congregationally-governed church cannot absolve itself of the responsibility to maintain a list of members. This includes that the body is the authority over the list, and the individuals or groups above cannot force upon it a change that it does not agree to.
