No Christian and, indeed, no historian could accept the epigram which defines religion as “what a man does with his solitude.” It was one of the Wesleys, I think, who said that the New Testament knows nothing of solitary religion. We are forbidden to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. Christianity is already institutional in the earliest of its documents. The Church is the Bride of Christ. We are members of one another. (“Membership”, The Weight of Glory and other Addresses)
With these words, C.S. Lewis opens his address on church membership. As we explore the nature of being bound together as a church, we will look at the meaning, the basis, the benefits (and responsibilities), and the process of church membership.
Additional Resources
“Membership” by C.S. Lewis. Published in The Weight of Glory and other Addresses. Available in many editions but originally published: New York: Macmillan, 1949.
“Re-Membering the Body” by Walter Henegar. byFaith Magazine, Issue 19, March 2008 available at http://byfaithonline.com/page/in-the-church/re-membering-the-body
“Church Membership” http://www.gty.org/media/pdf/Church_Membership.pdf
“Mark 6: Biblical Understanding of Membership” http://marks.9marks.org/Mark6