Church Membership

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.