Question
I have a question please. Can we count the saints every Sunday service or can someone should ask how many people in your church and count the saints after dismissal prayer. Because the Christians feel, I have seen when someone comes and calculating them every time. Please tell me if it is scriptural necessary.
Answer
There is no direct command to count the members of the local church by whatever method. Rather, we are acting under general authority, that which includes “any thing, method, or means of execution that comes within the class or order of the precept, example or thing commanded” (Roy E. Cogdill, Walking By Faith.15). For example, when the Lord commanded, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”(Mark 16:15), He did not say how to go. Philip ran and rode in a chariot (Acts 8:26-36), and Barnabas and Saul sailed in a ship (Acts 13:1-4), but in each case they acted under the authority of Mark 16:15 as well as the direct command of the Lord to them to go. Obviously, someone at least estimated the number of disciples who first composed the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41). If for no other reason, it helps to know how many disciples compose the local church in order to gauge the relative faithfulness in attendance of those members (Hebrews 10:24-25). To do this we have to count both those who have joined the local church (Acts 9:26-28) and those actually present at each assembly (1 Corinthians 11:18). How, when, or even whether this is done is a matter of liberty (1 Corinthians 8:9) to be decided by each local church for itself.
