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MATT CHANDLER FROM THE RESURGENCE BLOG WRITES:I WAS 28 WHEN I BECAME THE PASTOR OF HIGHLAND VILLAGE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH (NOW KNOWN AS THE VILLAGE CHURCH). I HAD HAD A ROUGH GO EARLY ON IN MY CHURCH EXPERIENCE, AND AT THAT TIME I WAS NOT FULLY OUT OF MY "DISENCHANTED WITH THE LOCAL CHURCH" PHASE.IN ALL HONESTY, I WASN'T SURE AT THE TIME THAT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP WAS BIBLICAL. DESPITE THAT, THE SPIRIT HAD MADE IT ALL TOO CLEAR THAT I WAS GOING TO BE PASTORING THIS SMALL CHURCH IN THE SUBURBS OF DALLAS. THAT WAS ONE OF THE MANY IRONIES OF MY LIFE IN THOSE DAYS.HIGHLAND VILLAGE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH WAS A "SEEKER-SENSITIVE" CHURCH IN THE WILLOW CREEK MOLD AND HAD NO FORMAL MEMBERSHIP PROCESS, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE ACTIVELY WORKING ON ONE AND WANTED THE NEW PASTOR'S INPUT. I HAD A STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL BUT WASN'T WELL VERSED-AND, AS I SAID, SOMEWHAT SKEPTICAL-ABOUT THE CHURCH LOCAL. WE STARTED GROWING QUICKLY WITH YOUNG AND OFTENTIMES DISENCHANTED 20-SOMETHINGS WHO USUALLY HAD NO CHURCH BACKGROUND, OR BAD CHURCH BACKGROUNDS. THEY LIKED THE VILLAGE BECAUSE WE WERE "DIFFERENT." THIS ALWAYS STRUCK ME AS STRANGE BECAUSE WE WEREN'T DOING ANYTHING BUT PREACHING AND SINGING. IF THERE IS NO UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP, THEN WHO ARE WE TO SUBMIT TO AND OBEY?IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THESE MEN AND WOMEN I BEGAN TO HEAR THINGS LIKE "THE CHURCH IS CORRUPT; IT'S JUST ABOUT MONEY AND A PASTOR'S EGO," OR "I LOVE JESUS, IT'S THE CHURCH I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH." MY FAVORITE ONE WAS, "WHEN YOU ORGANIZE THE CHURCH IT LOSES ITS POWER." ALTHOUGH SOMETHING OCCASIONALLY RESONATED IN ME WITH THESE COMMENTS (I, ALONG WITH MOST OF MY GENERATION, HAVE AUTHORITY AND COMMITMENT ISSUES), I FOUND THEM CONFUSING SINCE THEY WERE BEING MADE TO ME BY PEOPLE WHO WERE ATTENDING THE CHURCH WHERE I WAS THE PASTOR.READ MORE AT THE RESURGENCE.
AT THE CHURCHES THAT I'VE BEEN AT, CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IS IMPORTANT PART OF PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY. WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHURCH? DO YOU THINK CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IS BIBLICAL OR MERELY AN ANTIQUATED NOTION?
