Read this quote recently. Really, really like it. It’s by Mark Dever, taken from his book, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Emphasis mine.

Biblically, if we are Christians we must be members of a church. This membership is not simply the record of a statement we once made or of affection toward a familiar place. It must be a reflection of a living commitment or it is worthless.

Worse than being worthless, it is dangerous. Uninvolved members confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. We “active” members do the voluntarily “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church. Membership is the church’s corporate endorsement of a person’s salvation. Yet how can a congregation honestly testify that someone invisible to it is faithfully running the race?

(HT: Provocations & Pantings)

Update: The link above corresponds to a series of articles on church membership, all of which you can find here.