Church Membership

So,here's the question; is church membership, the actual singing-on-the-dotted-line-6-week-course-denominationally-based-church-membership, a Biblical thing or a man made thing?

Did Paul or John or Peter officially belong to a church way back when? Did Abraham belong to a church? Did Jesus have to sign on the dotted line in order to preach in the synagogue? Were Stephen and Mark and Job - Presbyterians? Baptists? Lutherans? Missionary Alliance? Community?

Where did the sermons on Sundays at 11am, or Saturdays at 5 come from? Or Wednesday Bible studies or prayer meetings? Gentile Aerobics on Tuesdays? Jewish/country music jams on Tuesdays?

Did the apostles have to go to membership class for 6 weeks in order to become a member of the 'club'? Were they able to vote on things? Were they able to be ushers or Sunday school teachers?

I wonder.

OK, to some of you I'm heading towards heretical waters here, wondering aloud if church membership is really necessary and wondering if it's Bible-based. Read on and let's talk.

I'm not anti-church - not at all. As Martha Stewart says, 'it's a good thing.' I just have a problem with making it 'official' with a certain church or denomination. I mean, if we're all Christians, all on the same team, why the formality? Official 'church' membership is not in the Bible as far as I can tell. (If you know of a verse that talks about signing on the dotted line, please let me know)

And the UN-spoken rules. Why do we have to dress up? Why do we have to sing all 6 verses? Why do we take communion every week, or every other week, or once a month. Who determines that? How about having to be a member in order to teach Sunday school? And you're welcome to help on Saturday 'work' days, but bring your own tools if you're not a member. Membership class is 6 weeks. (3 days for United Methodists). Why not 7 weeks. Or a month? Or a year? Or a lifetime? Can't vote if you're not a member? Vote on what? Whether to paint the Sunday school rooms blue or pink?

And the prejudice. If you should get into the 'inner circle', you'll find that the people who actually run the church are just as much a sinner as you and me. Their prejudice isn't against minorities or poor people (even though that exists in some parts of the country). Their prejudice is against sinners; non-Christians, people who haven't seen the light. Seems to me these 'holy church folks' shouldn't get above their raising. Remember we were ALL non-Christians at one point or the other, and we're STILL only at the sinners saved by grace level. (which is a great place to be).

What good is a church if it doesn't embrace non-Christians. And by embrace I'm saying love these people, warts and all. So what if they drink or smoke or gamble or go bowling on Sundays. So what if in 8th grade they said damn. So what if in 1983 they coveted their neighbors new riding lawnmower. So what if they have the audacity to wear jeans to church. They're sinners for Pete's sake. JUST LIKE YOU AND ME. God can save them and USE them just as well as He can you and me. (sorry - I DO wear jeans to church. Church is for hearts - not legs)

Bottom line is I love church. I love to worship. But don't make me sign on the dotted line. That defeats the whole purpose in my view. But then, I'm a sinner. What do I know?