2. When you see people moving from one church to another in the New Testament, they're commended by letter, which implies a transfer of membership.
3. People were obviously considered either in the church or out of the church. To be accepted as part of the church, or rejected as not part of it.
In this way, the practice of church discipline makes the need for church membership obvious.
4. You can't put someone out of a church they're not in.
The Bible is not shy of expressing things which really cut against the spirit of our age. Many people today want to simply be able to "do what I want when I want" and to be accountable to no-one.
Our leaders have to be accountable for their oversight of your spiritual life, and we are accountable to obey and submit to them to allow them to do this and to exercise leadership without causing them grief in the process.
We need godly leaders who can deal with false teachers and those who are rebellious. Church leaders (elders) need to be godly men who are able to "rebuke those who contradict" sound doctrine (Titus 1:9. See the lists of qualification in both Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3). The reason Paul gives for this high standard in Titus 1, is that "there are many who are insubordinate" (Titus 1:10).
While nothing in the concept of submission to elders gives elders the right to abuse that authority—either to micromanage our lives, or to ask us to sin—the principle of submission is in scripture for very good reason. Sadly, in the history of the Church, much harm has come from people who desire to set aside this biblical principle when it suits them.
GraceLife London has seven elders. The local pastors: Tom Drion, Ross Orgill and Adam Waller, as well as four offsite-elders: Ray Meringer, Kevin Edwards, Jack Hughes and Keith Essex. For the day-to-day life of the church, Tom, Ross, and Adam take care of most issues, but when problems arise, it's reassuring to know that all of these men are involved, bringing well over a century of pastoral experience to the table, and holding the local pastors accountable to lead biblically. We praise God for these men, and are so grateful that they are both available and approachable as the need arises.
Considering all the different ambitions that you pursue in this life, there is one constant temptation: to try to obtain what you are reaching for while forgetting the triune God in the process.
When I first joined GraceLife London, I essentially knew the name of every single person name who attended GraceLife London. It was a lot easier back then when there were only 30 or so people at a Sunday service.