Membership and Citizenship Matter

This week, President Donald Trump made news when he announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative put into effect by an executive order by former president Barak Obama.

This policy allowed children of illegal immigrants--whom have no memory of living anywhere but the United States--to be free from the possibility of deportation. Even though they were not legal citizens, they would receive some of the rights and privileges of citizenship, like getting to live in this country. The ending of this program sparked protests and social media backlash. Even lawsuits have been filed.

At the heart of this issue, to me, is the idea that membership matters. To be a citizen of the United States makes you a member of the United States. As a citizen or member of the country, you have certain rights guaranteed by the Constitution. You have the right to free speech, free religion, and free assembly. You have the right to bear arms and the right to due process. Most importantly, you have the right to vote and to participate in the governing of the country.

In addition to that, as a citizen, you have certain privileges. You have the privilege of serving your country, whether that is through the military, as a first-responder, or as a government employee. You have the privilege of earning social security at retirement. You have the privilege of obtaining a passport, which allows you to legally visit other countries and return to the United States.

All of those rights and privileges (and many more not listed) are the result of a person's citizenship in the United States. They are members of the country. If you are not a member or citizen, you do not have these rights and privileges. At the heart of DACA and the immigration reform movement is the issue of who has the right to do these things and who does not. Who can be a citizen and who cannot.

Membership matters. It matters in this country when it comes to what you can and cannot do. It matters in clubs and teams, where members get special treatment. It should matter in churches, but it doesn't.

Just like with immigration, where often illegal immigrants want the same rights as citizenship without being citizens, too often believers want the rights and privileges of membership without being members of the church. Whereas many immigrants WANT to be citizens, in churches, many people want to simply just attend the church. They have no desire to join.

In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul talks of unity in the church. He wants to bring together Jews and Gentiles. Near the end of that passage, he tells them that they are all members of the same house. They are all members of the church. They all belong.

Membership matters because it means we belong to the church. I believe that is manifested in the local church. You are to belong and serve in a local church body. You are to be a member. Membership allows you to serve, to be accountable, and to have a voice in the organization of the church. In my church, it also allows you to vote and lead and be in charge of ministries and teach classes. Membership is a big deal.

It's time for us, as believers, to recognize the important of membership. Many people fight for legal status of immigrants. They know the importance of citizenship and the rights it brings. We need to think the same way for our churches. Membership is important.