Is Church Membership Really THAT Important?

I recently read Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches by Dr. John Hammett. Hammett is the professor of Systematic Theology and the Associate Dean of Theological Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The book was recommended to me highly be Dr. Al Jackson, pastor of Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn, Alabama. Anyone who knows me understands that if Al Jackson recommends that a pastor should read something, I run to read it! Needless to say, Hammett's book was a fascinating and intriguing read and has prompted my thinking on a lot of different issues related to membership in Baptist churches, in particular the one God has entrused me to lead.

Thus, I was intrigued to read that Matt Capps recently posted an interview with Dr. Hammett over at his blog. The interview is divided into five questions/parts:

1. Is local church membership really that important, is it even biblical?
2. In your opinion, what are the requirements one must meet for local church membership?
3. What are the privileges of being a member of a local church?
4. What are the responsibilities of being a member of a local church?
5. What, if any, are valid reasons for parting ways with a local church?

Below are the links to each of the parts:

Introduction

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

From the introduction:

“Church membership is something that can be misunderstood. It’s not the same thing as the gospel, and certainly doesn’t guarantee someone’s place in heaven. But consider this – On a typical Sunday morning, of the more than 16 million members of Southern Baptist churches across the country, more than 10 million will not be present in a local church, that’s less than 40%. Where are they? Some are sick or on vacation, but many simply choose not to come, and have made that choice consistently for years. Somewhere along the line they joined a church, but their life shows no evidence that they know Christ. My fear is that they think somehow their church membership guarantees them access into heaven, but being a church member doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a genuine follower of Jesus. It should, but in many churches it doesn’t.

"Not only can church membership be misunderstood, it can also become meaningless. Churches where more than 60% of the members never even come and whose lives shows no sign of Christ’s presence make membership a meaningless mockery and expose such churches to the charge that they are full of hypocrites. All you can say is, “you’re right.” Church membership doesn’t guarantee that someone will live a Christ-honoring life. So some churches have deemphasized church membership. It doesn’t save you, and doesn’t make someone a better person, so what’s the value? While I want to keep the main thing the main thing, there can also be secondary things that have significant value. I think church membership is one of those secondary things.”