Why Are You a Member of the Church of Christ?

November 9, 2025

by Vance E. Trefethen
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992

A full-page ad for the book "Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ" recently caught my eye, with its bold headline: "Now Is the Time to Act." Much of the message carried in this conservative journal was true—and quite disturbing. Still, I expected the editor to make some kind of comments concerning the thoroughly denominational thinking of the author. He said nothing.

One statement particularly caught my eye: "We are not baptizing many, other than our own children...the average member doesn’t know what he believes and why he believes it ... [It is] urgent that we preach what we practice." However, as I considered some of the terminology used in the ad, I realized that the writer had missed the mark somewhere along the line. Several questions came to my mind that might spur us on to a deeper study of the scriptures:

Can the universal church go into apostasy?

To promote the book as a good way to indoctrinate saints (not a bad idea -- cf. Titus 2:1), the ad urges: "We also admit that if we fail to indoctrinate just one generation—not two—the church will go into apostasy. It has in the past."

"The church" is that body of people who have been saved by the blood of Christ. It is the "general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven" and includes the deceased and Old Covenant saints now cleansed by the blood of the Messiah (Hebrews 12:23; 9:15; Matthew 8:11). In what year in the past did that body of people go into apostasy? How many times has it happened? Did it ever come out of apostasy? How and when?

If a local church drifts into apostasy, that would surely reflect poorly on its bishops. It is their job to shepherd the flock by feeding the truth and to "convict the gainsayer" by counteracting false doctrine (Titus 1:9-11; I Peter 5:2). If they don’t, they will answer to God for their failure to properly watch out for souls (Hebrews 13:17). How does it reflect on the universal church’s Shepherd and Bishop (I Peter 2:25; 5:4) if He has allowed His church to go into apostasy? If "the church" has gone into apostasy, does it perhaps need a new Overseer who will do a better job?

It is a fact that many local churches have gone into apostasy in the past. Certainly, that was true in the first century—five of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3 deserved rebuke. Jesus was going to spit out Laodicea, and Sardis was dead. But had the universal church gone into apostasy? Even in a "dead" church like Sardis, there were still a few who had not defiled their garments and were pleasing to God (Revelation 3:4).

If the universal church were an alliance or body of congregations, then it surely did go into apostasy, even during the lifetime of the apostles. However, individuals can go to heaven even as congregations deteriorate, because the universal church is composed of saints, not churches. The Lamb’s book of life contains the list of saved people, not a directory of "faithful churches" put out by men (Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 3:5).

Can the universal church cease to exist?

Consider this quote: "What we do in the next ten years will perhaps determine whether this generation and the next will have the church as we now know it."

Wow. Imagine the burden on our shoulders if we have it within our power to determine whether the universal church will go out of existence! Or perhaps, if we’re not careful, it will be replaced by some other kind of church different from the one "as we now know it"

Daniel predicted that when the Kingdom of God would be established, it would never be destroyed but would stand forever (Daniel 2:44). Hebrews 12:22-28 shows that the kingdom is comprised of those who are in the church. Is it really possible that the next generation will not have "the church"? Who has the power to destroy the kingdom after the next "ten years" are over?

How powerful are the writings of men?

"For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword..." (Hebrews 4:12). That sounds pretty good, but you ain’t seen nothing yet. The ad says: "Many believe that a million copies [of this book] distributed and studied in the church in the next four or five years would safeguard the church from apostasy for at least another generation or two."

A million copies of a book written by a man in the 20th century will accomplish something that the Bible apparently cannot do: safeguard "the church" from apostasy! If only John had had a million copies of "Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ," those churches of Asia wouldn’t have been in such a mess! If "the church" can go into apostasy, and the Bible can’t prevent it, it seems highly unlikely that any man’s book will do any better.

When we ask our denominational neighbors why they distribute millions of copies of creed books among their churches, how do they answer? "Well, we believe the Bible, but this creed keeps us doctrinally sound and consistent with all the other congregations in our fellowship." What will our answer be when we do the same thing?

I’m not opposed to the writing or reading of Bible study materials—I’ve written some myself (this article, for example). What I’m disturbed by is anyone’s claim that his materials should be bound upon the universal church and that his writings have more power than the inspired scriptures. I don’t claim that anything I’ve ever written can "safeguard the church from apostasy," and I’m amazed that anyone on earth today would make that claim for himself.

How do people get into the Lord’s church?

Consider: "They believe that another million [copies of the book] used among aliens would bring many into the church—and they would be well taught."

If they were taught that someone’s book has the power to get them into the Lord’s church, they’d be taught wrong. The Lord adds people to his church when they meet his conditions of salvation (Acts 2:47; John 17:2; Revelation 3:5). Those terms of pardon were revealed by inspiration long before this 20th-century book was written.

What the ad writer had in mind is a denominational concept of "The Church of Christ." We’re asking people to leave one alliance of congregations that has a particular sign on their door (Methodist, Baptist, etc) and get into our alliance of congregations that has the sign "Church of Christ" on the door. "Get out of your denomination and get into ours." We ought to tell people: "Get out of sin and get into Christ" (Acts 17:30; Galatians 3:27). We may have to defeat denominational doctrines to persuade people that they are still in sin, but we had better not substitute "our" denomination for theirs.