Involving non-members

Gotchya..................................

 

American baptists play bingo?

Cheers,

Jim

 

Oh yes they do. Our church runs the van for a group of elderly ladies to play bingo several times a year. Sorry to shock all of you Pharisee Baptists, but put that in your pipe and smoke it. Oops, you don't smoke either. Almost forgot.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth,
I was going to say the exact same thing, word for word

 

If non-members can serve as well as members, what's the value of membership?

But having unbelievers involved in service? At that point the church has lost its credibility of being a "spiritual" body. In another thread, this was set forth as a way to keep people in your church. That is wrong.

 

What presbyterian denomination would that have been? There's not too many "sound" ones around, are there?

 

An excellent practice and one that we have in place in our church. Members don't have to be theologians, but they must agree to be taught in accordance to our theological position - which also happens to be the 1689 LBC.

 

Church membership is not about "value" this is not a country club.

 

The Presbyterian Church I grew up in (fairly conservative) practiced open communion. They are quite sound in doctrine except for infant baptism. Baptists are all over the map on the practice of communion. Practice is established by the local church, as each one is autonomous. This involves the issue of member and non-member also. I can see both sides, however, if a church is not keeping its church rolls clean from non-active members, some who have not darkened the door in decades, then any argument for closed communion evaporates.

 

You are totally correct. Not only is it not a country club, it is not a list to be maintained by people who have not supported the local church either financially or being involved in ministries for decades so they can have someone to preach their funeral or get a visit in the hospital at some future date. The local New Testement church is a group of believers that are following the Lord, and supporting the church.

 

It was an Orthodox Presbyterian church. Very conservative and very solid.

 

I have been a regular attender at my Church for almost two years. I have not joined yet. I'm a member of the praise team, work with the food pantry, have given several messages (for example at Easter Sunrise Service), take communion but do not serve the elements. We are among several persons listed in the church directory as non-members. In general I participate in just about everything except decision making and office holding.

While the question of becoming a member is presently on my mind I'm not sure when/if. The only person who has asked me about it is the pastor, whom I know from a previous church I was a member of in another state. I consider the pastor to be a good friend and he is one of the reasons why I go to this church, which is 24 miles from my house. There are no doctrinal or qualification issues between us (me and the church). I give as required.

To be honest, in this area where I live, I'm considered an outsider because I'm from that "liberal state to the east". I'm involved in several other activities, my local volunteer fire company and the local orchestra to name two. Compared to other out of state transplants, I get somewhat of a pass as far as acceptence goes but if I go up against a homebrew, my chances of prevailing are not good, even when I'm correct or the better canidate. I'm not complaining, but just stating a fact.

I think, that if just (1) Deacon or Elder asked me or spoke to me about joining and made it clear that they wanted me to do this, I probably would. While the Deacon/Elders are very nice to me, in the back of my head, tucked deep in my brain there is this feeling that my past association with the pastor is more responsible for my acceptance locally, not my faith and service. I do not use my association with the pastor to my advantage, in fact I sometimes feel funny about doing things he askes me to do, such as the closing prayer during worship service because I don't want to be thought of as someone who gets special treatment and I think I'm well behaved and try to be likeable but not over-bearing. I'm in a quandry over this membership issue for sure.

By the way, this is a small country church, if that matters. Also, I do not aspire to hold any office. Not saying I wouldn't hold an office, just that I haven't made any attempt to express an interest.

 

But that does not negate the value / importance of membership. We remove from membership those who cease to be active in the church and do not respond to pastoral counsel on the matter.

Our members stand in front of the congregation at time of reception and answer questions put to them. It is a covenantal matter to be part of a church and supporting it by your presence, using your gifts in ministry and finances are part of being a member. If you don't want to do any of those things, then you would not be eligible for membership.

Membership cuts both ways. It is a privilege, as well as a responsibility.

 

So your friend the pastor has mentioned your becoming a member; the Deacons/elders are very nice to you; yet you won't join until a Deacon/Elder asks you? Hmmm.

I don't quite understand why you're in a quandary about membership. You are leaving yourself open to the question if you have made this all about you and not all about where God wants you.

 

Very true.

 

That is the the way it is in your local church. Nothing in the post was meant to say it negated the value of membership.

 

We do not have a waiting period for for membership in the Church I attend. We are less than a year old and this was discussed. We felt that membership would be available to all who have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour and will to enter in a believers covenant with the rest of the membership. As for as having a trial period before membership is offered, we go by Luke 23:43. Praise Him for He is Worthy!:jesus:

 

John, are you saying that you have an open membership as would a non-denominational church? Baptism is an option?

Cheers,

Jim

 

Sorry for late response, I was out of pocket yesterday.

Jim, I reread what I posted and do not see how you can read that into what I wrote.
Membership is open to all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and will enter into a believers covenant with the other members of the church.
This covenant includes Baptism by immersion and we do accept Baptisms preformed in other churches if the Baptism was done because of their acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior. We do not believe Baptism is needed for salvation, but it is needed as a sign that the believer is truly ready to follow Christ and not the world. We do not require immersion in cases where it might endanger a believer in poor health.
The covenant has the whys and hows of what we teach and believe and also the scripture that supports. We go by scripture and not what someone else wrote years later.
I hope this clarifies this a bit more for you.