Voting and Church Membership
Voting for Church membership is a common practice in denominationalism. I remember that when I first heard about the practice many years ago, I knew it did not “sound” Scriptural. The Bible clearly teaches that God loves all, wants all to be saved, and desires that all be members of the New Testament church. These basic Bible facts seem to clash with the concept of voting for Church membership. Since God wants every person to be a member of the New Testament church, why would there be any need to vote? Do people who vote have more power or authority than God? The answers to these questions seem obvious.
What is involved in the voting process? There may be some variation among Churches, but the following are the basics steps involved: First, a candidate presents himself/herself to be considered for Church membership. Second, the person affirms that he/she has been saved, and tells about the “experience” of being saved. Third, the Church then votes on that person to determine if the person is a suitable candidate for Church membership. Fourth, depending on the vote, one is either accepted or rejected.
The practice of voting for Church membership is unscriptural for a number of reasons. First, it is not found anywhere in the Scriptures. In order for a practice to be Scriptural, the practice has to be found in the Scriptures. If voting for Church membership is not found in the Scriptures, and it is not, then it must be an “addition” that originated with men. Second, the whole concept of joining a denomination is foreign to the pages of Bible. Not one person mentioned in the Bible ever joined a protestant denomination. This is an indisputable fact since there were no protestant denominations in the first century. In the New Testament, people were members of “the Lord’s church” (see Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 1:2). Third, after the church of Christ was established in Acts chapter 2, no one was ever saved at “point A,” and then joined a Church at “point B.” In the Bible, the moment one is saved from sin, that person is “added,” by God, to the church. Scripture says that “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). If the Lord adds the saved to “the” church, and He does, then why would anyone need to join “another” church? First century Christians were members of “one” church, not two. Should it not be the same in the 21st century? If not, why not?
Dear reader, if you have been led to believe that the only option you have is to “join” a church (and to be voted on), please understand that you have another option, a Biblical one: be saved and God will add you to His church (Acts 2:37-47). God has already cast His vote for you!
