Church Member or Disciple of Christ?
There are two words in the church culture that get used quite often as if they mean the same thing and the confusing of the two is causing one of the biggest yet most silent crisis in the church, especially the African American church. Two words: member and disciple. We treat them the same and swap them out in conversations as if they are synonymous when in the reality of the kingdom of God the differences are about as far as the state of New York sits in distance from the state of California.
At the root of the question presented sits the reality that you can be a member of a church and not be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Let's park right there and pause for a moment as that thought processes in our minds. It is quite true that a church roll can have your name on it and your name not be found in the book of the Lamb. You can go to church without ever fully understanding what it truly means to be the church. You can be in the building and never part of the Body.
And so, let me ask you simply as a pastor who is concerned about your soul and its eternal destination: Are you a church member, or a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Joining Versus Following:
The first difference between a member and disciple in the motion of their actions. Members join; disciples follow. Know the difference.
Understand that joining is something that you do once. The altar call invitation is extended, you walk the aisle, sit in the chair, fill out the card, give your confessional testimony if you choose, shake the pastor's hand, get baptized if needed, and you're done. Your name goes on the church roll, you may have to attend a new membership class, on the next 1st Sunday the congregation gives you the Right Hand of Fellowship, and you have officially "joined" church.
However, following is different. Jesus does not say, "sign up one time and you're good." He says in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up cross daily, and follow me" as the man is doing in the picture above. Membership is Sunday; discipleship is daily. Discipleship is not a one-time transaction completed in the past; it is a direction you walk every day in the present. The disciple is to follow Jesus as He leads us, wherever He leads us. Following Jesus daily leads to formation spiritually from all aspects within the life of the disciple. Members wonder, "Am I still on the roll at the church?' while disciples rhetorically ask themselves, "Am I still following Christ?"
Deep Dive I:
Membership places you at a stationary address; Discipleship sets you off on a missionary journey.
Membership Provides Service, Discipleship Is About Service:
The next difference is seen in how members tend to consume and be served while disciples make themselves to be of service in an act of surrender.
Members get picky and the more tenured they become, the more influence they gain; and the more money they contribute, they begin to communicate their preferences. They want the church decorated a certain way, the choir to sing certain songs, the preacher to stay away from certain subjects, the service to last a certain amount of time, the temperature of the church to be at the degree of their choice, and so on. They look at church no different than they look at Burger King where you can "Have It Your Way" and "You Rule!" To the member, church is evaluated every Sunday like a restaurant and if they do not like the service, they move their membership somewhere else.
However, the disciples does not come to be pacified and pampered. The disciple does not come to be catered to, but rather the disciple comes to experience change. Their concern is conforming more and more to Christ through the means of carrying their own cross. Discipleship is not about being served by the church but surrendering your life to Christ daily. The Apostle Paul says in 1st Corinthians 15:31, "I die daily."
Deep Dive II:
Stop asking, "What is in this church for me?" Start asking, "What is Christ asking of me?"
The Mark Of A Disciple:
So, the question becomes, how do you know the difference. Jesus gives an answer in John 8:31 when He says, "If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." The key word is continue. Not for the hour you are at church on Sundays. Not when it's convenient for you. That is what members do.
The mark of a disciple is not seen in a single moment of emotion but a continuous relationship that evolves as one grows closer to God and conforms more into the image of Christ daily by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Disciples abide in the Word. They stay in the Word whether it makes them stand and clap or sit and think; whether it comforts them or convicts them. This in not NBA2K or Madden where they Create-A-Christ to their liking and play with Him. The disciple of Christ lives up to the standard which is Christ and not attempt to bring Christ down to their level to fit the lifestyle that they want to live.
True disciples follow the whole Christ, not the parts that they want like the miracle-working Christ, the heal-the-sick Christ, and the raise-Lazarus-from-the-dead Christ while telling you that you can keep that Christ who went to the cross and died for my sins and expects me to carry a cross as well. The problem with the church culture of today is that it wants a cross-less Christianity that allows it to have both Jesus and the world simultaneously. You can get away with that if you are a church member, but disciples of Jesus Christ operate differently. Holiness is the standard. 1st Peter 1:16 says, "For it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
Understand that a card membership card simply means you have joined a congregation. A changed life proves that you are following Christ. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5:17, "Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun." A disciple of Christ is saved by Christ, continuing in His Word, and pursuing a life of holiness.
What Does Christ Have To Say About The Whole Matter?
Let's revisit the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus does not say, "Go and make members." He tells His disciples to "Go and make disciples."
Now go back to the beginning of this work and remember how we discussed where we have allowed two totally different words to become synchronized in today's church culture. Mega-church ministries have been built and propped up as the standard for all churches to follow as we have fallen into the trap of admiring growing membership rolls, counting Sunday attendance, reporting baptism numbers, and how big our budgets are.
However, Christ never measures the success of a ministry based upon its membership totals or building square footage. He measures it on its discipleship. Are we sharing the Gospel that leads people to making a decision for Christ and are they being developed in Christ so that they can be deployed to go for Christ? This is what Christ expects out of those who stake claim as being His disciples.
Let's Take An Assessment:
Look at the two pictures below and ask yourself, which serves as the best depiction of yourself? The church member or the disciple of Christ?
Which picture best described you? What will have to change in your life so that more you reflect the picture at the bottom than the picture at the top? Which picture best reflects the type of church you currently attend?
A Moment For Reflection:
Do I know the Order of Service more than I know the Savior?
Have I been so faithful to the building that I have become unfaithful to the command of Christ?
Its not about WHERE you attend, but it is about WHO are you following.
Membership is dangerous because it allows space for a person to be religious enough to feel safe while absent of the surrender to Christ needed to become saved.
Brian Croft writes in his book entitled Biblical Church Revitalization, "How membership is viewed in a local church can speak volumes to its health."(1) What does your church place more emphasis on? Membership or Discipleship?
Stop visiting the Word like members do on Sundays and abide in the Word as a disciple should each and every day of the week.
Stop asking what the church can do for you, start asking what you can do for Christ.
1) Croft, Brian. Biblical Church Revitalization: Solutions for Dying & Divided Churches. Great Britain, Christian Focus Publications, 2016, 76-77.
Comments