Don’t Fall for This Misconception about Singleness
The church is family to all of those without brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters.
Articles on Church Membership
108 results found
Dear Pastor . . . Don’t Undervalue the Sacraments
Many pastors and churches today grant the sacraments a low status in public worship, but the sacraments have played a vital role in nourishing God’s people throughout church history.
Dangers for the Churchless Christian
If you try to grow as a Christian apart from a church, your growth will be misshapen.
Church, State, and the Authority of Jesus
Imperium means supreme power or absolute dominion, and it gets at the idea of where the buck stops in a society.
Church Membership Is Not a One-Way Street
What is church membership? It’s the commitment Christians make to keep one another accountable for regularly gathering and centering their lives together on the gospel.
Can We Have Jesus without the Church?
Being in fellowship with a church is integral to participating as a part of the body of Christ.
Before You Gather, Mourn Your Sin
In our avoidance of sadness, we often numb ourselves to death with entertainment. Perhaps what we’re running from is not just sadness; perhaps we’re running from ourselves.
Ask for Grace and Go to Church
The reasons you don’t feel like going to church might be good, bad, or ugly. But, as a fellow sheep loved by the same Shepherd, I’m asking you to trust God, ask for grace, and go.
Are You a Healthy Church Member?
A healthy church member is deeply committed to and practices particular disciplines within a local church.
An Open Letter to the Older Women in the Church
Older women, read Titus 2, and be encouraged to embrace your calling to train younger women in the church.
An Open Letter to the New Christian
Now that you're a Christian, what do you in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead? Here are a few practical suggestions as you seek to follow the Lord.
An Open Letter to the Church Member Hurt by Their Local Church
Local churches hurt people. People hurt people, of course; but since churches are people, churches have the capacity to inflict severe relational pain.
An Open Letter to the Churchless Christian
It is impossible to have a faithful walk with Christ and Christian life—biblically or practically—without committed participation in a local church.
An Open Letter to Graduating High School Seniors
Of all the decisions you’ll face this year, the most important one may be whether you get up and go to church on the very first Sunday when no one is there to make sure that you go.
A Category You Won't Find in the Bible: The Churchless Christian
The New Testament apostles can't conceive of anything called a Christian that's not connected to Christ's body.
9 Ways to Guard Your Personal Relationship with God
Like all healthy and satisfying relationships, our relationship with God needs time and energy.
8 Tips for Taking Good Sermon Notes
Consider using these eight tips, and use a notebook or the margins of your ESV Journaling Bible to record thoughts and sermon notes.
7 Tips for Loving “Those” People in Your Church
What do you do with “those” people in your church—the ones who drive you crazy? If love at church were easy, how would that testify to the power of his saving work in our lives?
7 Tips for Cultivating Deeper Relationships at Church
Belonging is much deeper than fitting in, and it’s much more satisfying than merely having other people around. To belong is one of our deepest human needs.
7 Key Characteristics of the Church
Reformation theology established seven characteristics or identity markers of the church.
7 Good Reasons to Leave a Church
Illegitimate reasons for leaving a church abound, but there are circumstances when it is right to make the painful decision to leave.
7 Checklist Items for Your Next Church Search
Consider these seven key items to look for and prioritize when you embark on your next church search.
7 Bad Reasons to Leave a Church
Before you begin searching for a new church, consider these 7 reasons you shouldn't.
5 Ways to Serve Your Pastor's Wife
There are practical ways that we can help and support the women who support our pastoral staff. Here are five.
5 Questions about the Local Church
Ultimately, the local church makes visible what is invisible, and reflects in words and deeds the kingdom life that is to come.
5 Questions about Church Membership
The local church is the authority on earth that Jesus has instituted to officially affirm and give shape to my Christian life and yours.
5 Questions about Church Discipline
What is church discipline? Is it biblical? Jonathan Leeman answers five questions about church discipline.
5 Guidelines for Preparing Congregational Prayer
Effective public prayer must be well-prepared prayer. This is the engine that will move all the other principles.
5 Common Ways Church Members Go Astray
How can church elders engage relationally with their local fellowship and keep a watch out for church members who may be straying?
50 Reasons We Appreciate Our Pastors
We recently invited our readers to finish the following sentence: "In the last year, I have appreciated my pastor because he . . ." Here are 50 of our favorite responses.