Logo

 

Banner Image:   Baptist-Times-banner-2000x370-
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

Church membership: why so rigid?

There are circumstances when we could become part of different churches at the same time, argues Michael Shaw

 

When my Dad was alive he was a member of three “clubs”. His main club was the Conservative club a few minutes down the road, but he also had the constitutional club near his work, and a social club, a short drive from home. The latter did not show the football on Sundays, so he could get some peace and quiet.

Join up300
Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

He was a member of all three: he served his main one by being on the committee and eventually became a life member, but he had the other two in case he needed somewhere while at work (or when he could not stand the football).

When we think of membership with regard to churches, we are much more solid in our thinking. We are a member of one church, which we go to on a Sunday. We serve it and it serves us. If we get fed up, feel called somewhere else, move, fall out with the leader, then we leave that church and eventually either join another or transfer our membership.

However, it strikes me there is little thought or provision made to the idea that we could be members of different churches for different reasons.

When my wife and I first moved to Plymouth, we occasionally went to the larger city church in the evening. It had a younger congregation, lively worship and as a NAM (Newly Accredited Minister) I felt I needed some teaching myself. We do not have an evening service, so it was actually quite helpful to us. But I felt slightly guilty doing it: I felt like I was betraying my church through my presence there...

Yet, why do we see membership as so inflexible? Why can we only be a member of one church at one time? Why can’t we become part of different churches at the same time? Because they can serve different purposes. Maybe we could be part of mid-week house group near our work, go to a local small church in the morning to serve and support, and then to a bigger church in the evening to get some input. Why have we made membership so inflexible, so limited?

Now I can see the possible problem that living in a consumer-driven culture could bring about. We could end up serving none of them, just taking from each congregation what we want, and leaving nothing behind, serving none of them, getting what we need in a very detached way. That danger is always a possibility.
 

There is little thought or provision made to the idea that we could be members of different churches for different reasons.


But the fact is that some people do that anyway: some people are pew fillers, content to sit at the back, maybe for a season or maybe because they are just happy that way. If we worried that some people may just take from the church and not give or serve, well that happens already!

Greater flexibility in the way we see church membership may prevent Empire building, as we see people not as resources to build our Empire, but Kingdom people who serve the Kingdom in various contexts where it is appropriate. It may halt the decline in inner city: rather than feeling we have to make a choice between a church that has all the great kids work we need, and the small church that needs help, can't we do both? Where musicians cannot get a spot at the big church, because of its semi-professional band, they can happily serve in the smaller church one or two Sundays a month.

There are currently a lot of conversations about Membership and Covenant, where we are talking about moving from a membership role to a covenantal model. Maybe in this process we need to think about what it means to belong in general?  


The Revd Michael Shaw is minister of Devonport Community Baptist Church, Plymouth

Michael Shaw, 24/11/2014
    Post     Tweet
The urgency of reconciliation
A reflection by Dr Rula Khoury Mansour, founder of the Nazareth Center for Peace Studies, following her presentation at the recent Lausanne Congress
COP29 - climate loss and damage, and historical injustice
We cannot talk about climate loss and damage without reflecting the damage of the past - and that means acknowledging the impact of slavery, the industrial revolution and colonialism, writes Israel Olofinjana
Prayers and a reflection for COP29
Dave Gregory, convenor of the Baptist Union Environment Network (BUEN), offers a reflection and prayers points for COP29, which runs from 11-21 November in Baku, Azerbaijan
Key themes around church planting
Alex Harris shares observations on church planting nationally in the UK. All speak to a growing flexibility and agility amongst churches, leaders and Christians to reach people, grow disciples and start new churches in the ways they are needed, he writes
Collaboration, and our worship of Jesus
Notes from the two keynote addresses from Dave Ferguson and Alex Harris at the first Everyone Everywhere national conference on 8 October
Israel-Palestine: I can’t keep up
Baptist church member David Nelson has travelled to Israel and the West Bank on three occasions in the past 24 months. He offers this reflection on events in the region
     The Baptist Times 
    Posted: 18/11/2024
    Posted: 14/10/2024
    Posted: 02/10/2024
    Posted: 22/07/2024
    Posted: 07/05/2024
    Posted: 12/02/2024
    Posted: 22/12/2023
    Posted: 16/12/2023