Featured Should We Require New Church Members

And that, in my humble opinion, is exactly what is wrong with many churches in our country today.

There is no allegiance to the local assembly, only to oneself as a supposed member.

 

Well, that may be the case with some. But that has not a whole lot to do with membership.

I've seen memberships granted, and then the people stop coming soon after. There are plenty of members in our previous church, who visit other local churches on a regular basis.

With a 6 mo. window to show up before your membership gets revoked, there's not a whole lot of allegiance necessary to upkeep most church memberships anyway.

 

My posts of membership before training classes were based on Acts 2:41-47. In reality, it gets back to the policy of the local church. If a church's policy is to have an indoctrination of some type, one follows it. Otherwise, another church should be sought out.

 

I agree, if you're desire is to join such a church, you should follow the plan laid out for membership.

 

I believe this should be left up to the local church; they know their neighborhood and the locals well enough to decide for themselves.

I don't particularly like the idea of mandatory classes, but if I felt led to join that church I would attend. In fact, some years ago we were required and did attend such classes at a local Baptist church we attended.

 

That information comes the same way whether you add their name to a list or not.

I've seen plenty of members of churches who did not contribute, and God bless them for showing up to services.

Whereas I've ushered, cleaned, worked sound equipment, helped with teen classes, my wife has taught children's classes in two different churches, and has done nursery in all 3 churches we have attended. All with no membership.

 

I'm glad you were/are involved, but to me a church without membership is like a club without membership. And you definitely are the exception to the rule for non-members.

 

There are areas of ministry/service I don't have a problem with non-members participating in. However... handling money, greeting guests, teaching (which implies authority), and especially working with our kids in nursery requires membership and when nursery is concerned, a criminal background check.

Ministry in the church is a privilege and it should be handled by people who have submitted to the authority of the church and are in full support of the church's vision and mission, as well as the essential doctrines of the church. I'm not sure how you maintain accountability without membership. There's no way I can tell guests their children are in safe hands with people we've not trained but can attest to their having a clean record.

Membership isn't about a list, in my view. Membership is a covenant relationship between a Christ-Follower and a church that defines the relationship they share. Membership affirms my testimony in Christ as I am grafted in to the body. On the flip side, my association with them affirms the church's doctrine, mission, and vision.

As a baptist, regenerate church membership must be reclaimed and a membership class/orientation is but one tool to get us there. It's not the only one for sure. Church discipline plays a role as well... how can anyone be disfellowshiped from something if they don't "belong" to that something in the first place?

Just a few thoughts...

 

Amen and amen.:thumbsup:

 

So everyone else gets to decide if one is "saved enough" or "sincere enough" to be a member of "their" church?



If you ask me, it's that attitude that afflicts the church.

 

Some churches take a vote.

In our church, it's the elders who decide.

But, yes, to put it crassly, we do get to decide whether or not one is "saved enough" to be a member of our church.

Although we prefer to think of it as protecting the integrity of the church and protecting them from joining unworthily (which would include taking the Lord's Supper unworthily) by examining their testimony, their doctrine, their fruit, and their sanctification.

 

So lets get this straight, despite being received daily by the church in Acts, Acts 2: 41, you and your "elders" decide who is "saved enough." By what standard is that judged? Yours?? What level of testimony, doctrine, fruit and sanctification have you and your elders reached to make a standard?

 

What does the verse say?

 

In a word... yes. The pastors/elders and finally the church. We examine the person's testimony that has either been written out or shared in a 1 on 1 with one of the pastors.

Are we obligated to accept "I'm a Christian" at face value? I wish that we could... but we now exist in a postmodern, pluralistic culture where the term Christian has been hijacked by just about everybody. That's been done... for more than several decades and the results are constant conflict, church splits, and a broken testimony in the communities we have been charged to reach.

Nothing we implement will ever be foolproof, but to allow a person to join a church without verifying as much as we possibly can seems to be irresponsible. If church membership affirms a person's salvation, by extending membership to those who aren't truly regenerate gives them a false assurance.

If I want to buy booze or tobacco, I have to provide ID... proving I am of legal age to do so. Member orientation serves a similar purpose, along with conveying the other things we've discussed.

Not every church does this, and not every will. I don't think I would "join" a church that didn't do these things. Just as some would join one that did.

 

Unfair comparison... but to answer your question, yes. It was a public baptism that ultimately affirmed a person's testimony.

 

So Peter, how does your post square with Acts 2? Also, it is the responsibility to also learn all they can about a local church before even thinking of joining. That would include doctrine, government, and even the cliques.

As far as elder government, having spent 25 years as a Presbyterian, elders generally have no more spiritual maturity than the average active church member. Instead of being elected for spiritual maturity, they are elected on social status in the community.