Zambia Hunt

Church membership is one of the more misunderstood doctrines among evangelical churches in Zambia. Due to a weak understanding of ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church), many people lack a proper grasp of what church membership truly means. Sadly, the majority of evangelical churches in Zambia do not practice any form of formal church membership, though not everyone falls into this category.

All too often in Zambia, when church membership does exist formally, it is viewed merely as joining a club that provides additional desirable benefits. In the health and prosperity movement, one identifies as a “member” simply by attending and self-identifying as such in order to gain the purported benefits brought by the “prophet,” or as he is commonly called, the “man of God.”

One answer to addressing this issue is to teach church leaders the true doctrine of the church – its biblical purpose, roles, responsibilities, and specifically the relationship between the corporate church body and individual members.

Jonathan Leeman in his book “Church Membership” outlines two crucial ideas that pastors and churches in Africa must understand:

First, by joining a church, the corporate body commits to taking responsibility for the spiritual health and growth of each individual member. Conversely, members submit to the church for their spiritual discipleship. As part of the church, each person is responsible for the well-being of their brothers and sisters – to encourage, edify, and help hold one another accountable in their spiritual walk.

The second critical aspect is the church’s role in corporately affirming the profession of faith of each person seeking membership. This affirmation is not a means of salvation itself, but rather a solemn agreement by the body that the individual’s profession appears valid. It testifies to the trust and assurance the church places in the authenticity of that person’s faith. This responsibility should be taken with utmost care, discernment, and transparency – premised on truly knowing the individual and having opportunity to observe their life.

In Africa, we are often too quick to affirm someone as a “brother” or “sister” without real insight into their spiritual state. The terms can become more cultural designations than spiritually meaningful ones. Moreover, an aspect of African culture that must be understood is the importance of respecting the shame/honor dynamic. For a younger person to question or confront someone older or of perceived higher status is considered deeply shameful. So while the “honor” of being a church member is embraced, the difficult responsibility of holding others accountable is frequently rejected due to the perceived shame it would cause.