As we continue our series on church membership we will look more closely at how church membership not only unites, humbles, and protects us but also how it matures as believers. We have seen through Tom and Don’s previous blog posts how church membership is not only beneficial for us as individuals, but also benefits body of Christ. So, with that in mind, we are going to look at the question how does church membership make us more mature?

The answer could be many things, but one of the main things that comes to my mind is accountability. Being an active church member surrounds us with people that can look out for us, pray for us and with us. Has there ever been a time in your walk where you needed answers to questions or prayer for something going on in life? Who do you go to that for that? I know in my life it has been my church family that I run to with questions or for help. Asking for help is not always easy. It’s never easy to say where you are failing and to ask other people to pray for you. It does, however, mature you, and it is such a blessing to have brothers and sisters in Christ who you can talk with about your struggles.

Church membership also helps mature us in our convictions of what the Word of God says and how to live it out. Again, it surrounds us with other believers who are striving to live a life that is honoring to God as well. It would be easy to read the Bible on your own and do what you think it says all by yourself. But, that could get messy pretty fast. The benefit of being a member of a church is that the gift of accountability goes a long way in our maturity. The more we live in the convictions that we learn from the Word of God, the more we become more and more like him. That is the goal. That is what Christian maturity is - being more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ. Church membership helps a ton in living that way because we have the support and encouragement of our brothers and sisters who are striving for the same thing.