There is no explicit scripture text that says “become a church member!”. However, church membership is biblical! In fact, when the Bible speaks about the church, it speaks of it as a body, composed of individual members united to each other under the head, Jesus! To be a follower of Jesus means being brought out of the world into Jesus visible body, the church (1 Corinthians 12.12, 13)! In the Old Testament, the people of God were distinguished as citizens and members of God’s kingdom. They were called out of the world and into God’s visible kingdom on earth (Deuteronomy 7.3, 6)!As members of Jesus’ church body, the Bible calls us to attend, submit, love, and serve our local church. Hebrews says that members of the church should “not neglect to meet together as is the habit of some” and “obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls” showing membership as a commitment to worship God with others and submit to faithful church leadership (Hebrews 10.25; 13.17). Members are also bound to one another and called to serve one another in love for the common good of the church (1 Corinthians 12.7).