Mark Dever at Together for the Gospel blog has written an insightful and incisive essay about what I’ll call the Church Membership Scandal. Many of our Protestant denominations today judge their health by their numbers – whether in attendance or on their rolls. Dever claims this is not only unbiblical but patently sinful. I encourage you to stop by and read over it and post your thoughts there or here.

Church membership is an albatross around the neck of the Protestant church. Rather than judging the health and success of the body of Christ by biblical and spiritual means, we elevate those churches and leaders with the largest followings, the most resources, and the most hype. How can the tide be turned? What can we as leaders and lay people do to encourage our church to focus upon Christ, His glory, and living out the Gospel?