Player with members of your club usually means you will have less players quitting on you, if they become friends games are more enjoyable, and often clubs will use Skype or similar so you can talk.
Also, most clubs will have a selection of players of all abilities, and good clubs will help their newer players learn the game, answer questions, give advice etc..
And in answer to your question, yes, all ranked stroke play games count towards averages and stats.
Only hard bit is finding a good one.