In recent weeks, the subject of church membership has come up in different conversations. For example, just yesterday, I received a call from a Christian organization asking about a person in our congregation. Their question was, "Are they a member in good standing?" Ironically, that phrase, "member in good standing," is one that I have given a lot of thought to lately.
Membership is a word that can have different meanings. In some situations, membership is one-sided. For example, someone can buy a membership at a health club or gym, which then entitles them to come and use the facilities when they want to. As long as they continue to pay their fees, they get to keep their membership. Whether or not they actually use their membership does not affect whether they keep it. In this context, "member in good standing" simply means you are current on your dues or fees.
In other situations, membership is two-sided. Sometimes, the group to which you belong has requirements or expectations of its individual members. When a member fails to maintain the requirements, the group then removes that member from their membership. Thus, the term, "member in good standing" here means that you are actively engaged in the group and meet the requirements.
What about church membership? Is it one- or two-sided? If it is a two-sided relationship, who decides what the expectations or requirements are? I have met people who thought that church membership was simply one-sided. They believe they are a member of the church until they decide not to be. To some, church membership has no connection to their actual participation in the congregation itself. This means that in some churches, there is a large gap between the number of people attending on Sunday morning and the number of people on the membership rolls.
The question of church membership has prompted some congregations to eliminate the whole concept of membership. If you come, that is all that matters; if you don't come, then that's okay, too. There is no accountability at all by the leadership for those people. Other churches have enacted very strict membership policies. I recently read an article advocating that ALL members be REQUIRED to tithe and to prove it.
At Crossroads, we have a membership covenant which we talk about in the Discovering Crossroads class. Every member signs a copy when they join, so they know what the expectations are for membership. In the covenant, it states that members are to be "attending faithfully" the services of the church. I used to believe that you did not have to specify to people exactly what "faithfully" meant, but recent events have caused me to reconsider that opinion. I have never been a big fan of restrictive policies and rules because they replace authentic relationship and actual accountability. I am not sure reducing membership to numbers and percentages helps individuals to grow into mature disciples. This is, of course, the goal of membership, or at least, it ought to be.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Miracle On Easter
Most of you have already heard about MOE, or more accurately our "Miracle On Easter" campaign. The Leadership is challenging the congregation to pray and work toward accomplishing goals in three key areas.
The first area is that of finances. You are all well aware of the financial difficulties through which our community is going right now. Layoffs have hit several members in our congregation, and this has impacted the church. The leadership team has been proactive and has made a number of difficult decisions to address the situation.
We believe God is bigger that the current economic situation. We believe that He is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine. Therefore, we are praying and believing that He is going to provide through His people a $10,000 plus offering on Easter Sunday.
These funds will be put to good use. Primarily, a $5,000 emergency fund would be provided to be held in reserve in the event the church would need to make a quick repair or deal with a financial emergency. For example, just this week, we discovered that someone had stolen two of our air conditioning units; they cut the lines and took them away. While we do have insurance coverage, there is still a deductable. There will be other such expenses in the future. Our original building is in its 18th year under a 15-year-old roof. The original furnaces are also 18-years-old, with blower motors that could go out at any time. Our water needs are served by a well with a pump that could fail at anytime. It is wise to prepare for such "emergencies" with a reserve fund.
The rest of the offering would be used in our general fund, so that we can begin to accumulate resources toward our ministries. There are programs that need to be funded, such as VBS and our children's ministries. However, we will be very cautious in our expenditures to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar given.
Some might think such a goal is too ambitious, given the current circumstances. As I said, that is why we call it a miracle – because it exceeds our human potential. Yet some of our current offerings have caused me to question whether I set the goal too low. God is truly blessing us through your generosity.
I want to encourage everyone to think about ways of sacrificing something until Easter in order to give that little bit extra. Everyone's participation is critical in order for us to achieve our goal for God's glory. Do not let the devil convince you that your gift will not make a difference. Every dollar given can be multiplied by God.
The second goal is to welcome ten (10) new members into our congregation on Easter Sunday, whether through transfer or baptism. We have many folks who worship with us on a regular basis but, as of yet, have not become members. We are having our membership class "Discovering Crossroads" on Saturday, April 4th at 10:00 a.m., to answer any questions you may have. Those considering membership are encouraged to attend.
Our final goal for Easter is to have over two hundred (200) people in attendance. This is not a difficult goal to accomplish. It only requires that EVERY member of Crossroads commit to being here that day, and to inviting as many others as possible. Easter is a great time to invite friends and family to visit our services.
The key to realizing these goals is praying for God's intervention. Miracles still happen if believers will be unified in prayer and commit to being used of God. Pray for MOE every day, several times a day if you can. Ask God to show you want you can do to be an instrument of His will to make this miracle on Easter happen.
See You Sunday,
Mike
The first area is that of finances. You are all well aware of the financial difficulties through which our community is going right now. Layoffs have hit several members in our congregation, and this has impacted the church. The leadership team has been proactive and has made a number of difficult decisions to address the situation.
We believe God is bigger that the current economic situation. We believe that He is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine. Therefore, we are praying and believing that He is going to provide through His people a $10,000 plus offering on Easter Sunday.
These funds will be put to good use. Primarily, a $5,000 emergency fund would be provided to be held in reserve in the event the church would need to make a quick repair or deal with a financial emergency. For example, just this week, we discovered that someone had stolen two of our air conditioning units; they cut the lines and took them away. While we do have insurance coverage, there is still a deductable. There will be other such expenses in the future. Our original building is in its 18th year under a 15-year-old roof. The original furnaces are also 18-years-old, with blower motors that could go out at any time. Our water needs are served by a well with a pump that could fail at anytime. It is wise to prepare for such "emergencies" with a reserve fund.
The rest of the offering would be used in our general fund, so that we can begin to accumulate resources toward our ministries. There are programs that need to be funded, such as VBS and our children's ministries. However, we will be very cautious in our expenditures to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar given.
Some might think such a goal is too ambitious, given the current circumstances. As I said, that is why we call it a miracle – because it exceeds our human potential. Yet some of our current offerings have caused me to question whether I set the goal too low. God is truly blessing us through your generosity.
I want to encourage everyone to think about ways of sacrificing something until Easter in order to give that little bit extra. Everyone's participation is critical in order for us to achieve our goal for God's glory. Do not let the devil convince you that your gift will not make a difference. Every dollar given can be multiplied by God.
The second goal is to welcome ten (10) new members into our congregation on Easter Sunday, whether through transfer or baptism. We have many folks who worship with us on a regular basis but, as of yet, have not become members. We are having our membership class "Discovering Crossroads" on Saturday, April 4th at 10:00 a.m., to answer any questions you may have. Those considering membership are encouraged to attend.
Our final goal for Easter is to have over two hundred (200) people in attendance. This is not a difficult goal to accomplish. It only requires that EVERY member of Crossroads commit to being here that day, and to inviting as many others as possible. Easter is a great time to invite friends and family to visit our services.
The key to realizing these goals is praying for God's intervention. Miracles still happen if believers will be unified in prayer and commit to being used of God. Pray for MOE every day, several times a day if you can. Ask God to show you want you can do to be an instrument of His will to make this miracle on Easter happen.
See You Sunday,
Mike
Monday, March 9, 2009
First Congregational Forum
The first our congregational forums is behind us. The meeting was well attended and there was a diversity of members there. The purpose of the forums is to provide another means of receiving input from the congregation on matters that the leadership is considering. This particular meeting, however, was an opportunity to address any questions or discuss any issues members had.
As you would imagine, many of the questions received were about the recent change to one service and the type of service we have been doing in terms of worship style. For example, someone asked, "What is a blended service?" Several people afford their prospective on the question and gave suggestions. Tyler shared that his goal in designing the service is that everyone would find, at least one element of the service that connects them to God in worship.
Another subject that came up in several different forms is how the make-up of the church has changed over the last five to ten years. This will always be true of growing congregations. Our demographics have changed. Our talent pool has changed. We have different musicians with different talents. This affects the type of blended service we can provide with quality.
While the discussions were, for the most part, good, I was disappointed in the fact that much of it was focused on the past and on the negative. This was to be expected since we did invite members to share their questions and concerns. A certain amount of "venting" is healthy and even beneficial. However, I now believe the time for that is over. We need to put the past behind us, and move forward together.
I did not say much at the meeting because we wanted to hear from the congregation. What I did say was that while it is true we are a different church than we were eight years ago, I firmly believe we are a BETTER church than we were then. I also believe that eight years from now, we will be an even better church than we are now. We are growing as a congregation both numerically and spiritually. We have a committed and united leadership that is truly focused on our mission as a church. We positioned to reach this community during this time of difficulty as never before.
Future forums will be more focused on specific ideas or plans that the leadership team is considering. Congregational input is critically important to our success as a church. Their focus will be on the great things God is doing through us to reach the lost and build His kingdom through Crossroads.
As you would imagine, many of the questions received were about the recent change to one service and the type of service we have been doing in terms of worship style. For example, someone asked, "What is a blended service?" Several people afford their prospective on the question and gave suggestions. Tyler shared that his goal in designing the service is that everyone would find, at least one element of the service that connects them to God in worship.
Another subject that came up in several different forms is how the make-up of the church has changed over the last five to ten years. This will always be true of growing congregations. Our demographics have changed. Our talent pool has changed. We have different musicians with different talents. This affects the type of blended service we can provide with quality.
While the discussions were, for the most part, good, I was disappointed in the fact that much of it was focused on the past and on the negative. This was to be expected since we did invite members to share their questions and concerns. A certain amount of "venting" is healthy and even beneficial. However, I now believe the time for that is over. We need to put the past behind us, and move forward together.
I did not say much at the meeting because we wanted to hear from the congregation. What I did say was that while it is true we are a different church than we were eight years ago, I firmly believe we are a BETTER church than we were then. I also believe that eight years from now, we will be an even better church than we are now. We are growing as a congregation both numerically and spiritually. We have a committed and united leadership that is truly focused on our mission as a church. We positioned to reach this community during this time of difficulty as never before.
Future forums will be more focused on specific ideas or plans that the leadership team is considering. Congregational input is critically important to our success as a church. Their focus will be on the great things God is doing through us to reach the lost and build His kingdom through Crossroads.
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