These are excerpts from my long article found at El-Shaddai.org: Church Membership
…As far as I can tell, the origin of the very word “membership” is fairly recent in origin, being a word developed from the Bible word, “member”. It is said that C. S. Lewis also said this. “Membership” itself – as in a group that is voluntarily joined – is a word or concept is not found in scripture. …
…We hope to establish that our understanding and use of these two terms come not from the Word of God, but from about a millennium of practice and tradition that was unknown to the church in its first two or three hundred years. We have grown up all of our lives with the world’s accepted viewpoints on these terms, and as a result developed a bias of their meaning that has radically affected interpretation of scripture and thus our beliefs and practices….
…nowhere in scripture do we find anyone either voluntarily “joining” (or refusing to join) any group of believers, nor are there any scriptures admonishing any believers to “join” any group of believers, let alone the body of Christ. One is only born into the body of Christ, and if one is not born into it, he/she cannot – by choice – join. Neither can one born into the body of Christ un-join. Only in man-made organizations can one decide by their will whether to join or not join the group. …
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Finally, it must be pointed out that if one were to list the major emphases of scripture where believers are deficient in their walk and relationship with the Lord and their knowledge of the Lord – and where churches are deficient in their service and ministry – one would clearly find more than enough areas which desperately need to be addressed long before even touching things that are not even found in the Word of God – such as church membership.
Can we trust the Lord that if we lift up our Lord Jesus, and all that He is and has done in His work on the cross, and teach only that which the Word is clear about, that saints will come to know and experience Him, and as a result they will then live the life of service and commitment that we so long to see?
May we return to the simplicity of Christ (II Corin. 11:2), where knowing Him, walking with Him in faith and obedience, and loving one another and the lost are not only our focus, but the very fruit of our lives and churches.
To Him be all the glory and honor “in the church” (Eph. 3:21), forever.
( Full article here: http://www.El-Shaddai.org/churchmembership.asp )
El Shaddai 
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