Appeal made by church member (5)
I believe the answer is:
charm
'appeal' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'by church member' is the wordplay.
'by' says to put letters next to each other.
'church' becomes 'ch' (common abbreviation).
'member' becomes 'arm' (arm is a kind of member).
'ch'+'arm' is 'CHARM'.
'made' is the link.
(Other definitions for charm that I've seen before include "For example, olde-worlde character" , "Make delighted" , "Enrapture" , "Enchant" , "Allure" .)