Question of the Day ??
Should church members be held accountable for both personal spiritual growth and committment to the Church in some way on a yearly basis?
If so, should membership be taken away if they are not taking both seriously?
And finally, how would this be done?
posted by Greg Hazelrig @ 8:08 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Why look for an excuse to ostracize people?
The church should be welcoming to ALL. We each contribute in our own way.
Great question Greg. Decided to post my answer on my blog, since I have quite a bit to say on the matter.
A perfect solution would be patterned after the early Methodist class meetings. There were different classes for different levels of spiritual maturity. Every class meeting had an examination and accountability component. If a class member was found lacking they were shifted to a different class that would better suit their needs at that point in their spiritual life. Membership was never denied, but the societies and classes were structured so that everyone with a desire for the Gospel could be served.
Go to the General Board of Discipleship website (www.gbod.org) and click on the links on to small group ministries then on links to accountable discipleship and covenant discipleship for some excellent information and resources.
I think Tony is onto it there.
But, I have to ask BroGreg about the assumption behind the question, that is - a high value is placed on membership. It is as if you are asking, "If someone cannot be a good disciple, should we let them be a member?" As if membership is somehow more important than discipleship. Rather, should we not be asking, "If someone cannot be a good disciple, how can we as members together with them help them become a better disciple?" I don't see how kicking them out is going to help them grow in their relationship with Christ.
We may all be saying the same thing. Yes, the church should have open doors and open hearts (hey, that would make a good slogan!)...we should welcome all and make that clear. However, membership in the church shouldn't be reduced to walking down the aisle and mumbling 'yes' to a few formulaic questions posed by the pastor. Ginghamsburg UMC in Ohio used to require a 16-wk class of all prospective members -- even transfers -- to not only teach the basics of the Christian faith, but to lift up the vision and mission of their church. Not sure if they still do this, but the point is, they had tough requirements to join and it didn't hurt them one bit. At one point they were the fastest growing church in American Methodism.
If we expect nothing from our members, that's what we'll get. Membership in the church SHOULD equal discipleship--not just your name on the roll so you can feel all comfy inside.
I agree with Mark.
To Andy B, I just ask questions to get the conversation going. But I can say that I do not believe what you assume my assumption would be (did I say that right?? :)
I do believe that discipleship is what's important. Membership is granted to those who will commit to accepting Christ and discipleship. And I personally do see membership as a priviledge granted to dedicated disciples. As a matter of fact, I would not be opposed to someday doing away with membership all together...but that's a whole different topic and one that's be done pretty well over at Wesley Blog before.
And I agree with Mark that (with the exception of DBMOM - sorry) we are all saying about the same thing here and agree pretty much. By the way, if you haven't gone to John B.'s blog, do so. It's a great response.
But which one of us will take the responsibility to decide if those mumbled yeses (sp.?) are sincere?
And then what do we do?
When we strip the insincere of their membership, where do they go?
They're certainly not coming back here where they have been made to feel unwelcome
Are they going to be nurtured into our concept of authentic discipleship out in the world?
Just askin....
All good questions Tony. Hey, wait a minute, who's supposed to be asking the questions here? ha ha!!
Why don't I just use these for today's question - that is...after I come up with the Thought of the day. I guess I better get busy.
greg, that's three questions in one day.. i'm on overload now
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