Is Church Membership Really Necessary?

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Yes. Members under discipline often just leave the local church and hop over to another local church.
In such a situation the pastor could contact the new church and discuss the situation.

Membership would minimize the possibility of legal action against the church for slander.
A non-member could potentially win such a case against the church.

Rob

Do members commonly sign a clause granting permission for a church pastor to inform on past members? I should think it would be hard for anyone to inform on a past member, especially in a civil slander case.

 

[Marooncat79]

My son was telling me of his former church

a man came to the pastor and confessed that he had homosexual tendencies

he was asking for prayer and counseling

the church took immediate action and excommunicated him

 

[Marooncat79]

That is NOT what the NT teaches

my son left

 

[Marooncat79]

He actually asked the pastor if that was the deal and was told it was none of his bidniz

he stated that as a member since it had been made public that it was indeed his bidniz since he didn’t want to be a rumor monger


The pastor started reprimanding him and he stated that the church had the right to know

my son went to the man and spoke w him and prayed w him

eventually my son was threatened w church discipline if he did not back off

the pastor did not like that my son was all over him on this issue

sad part is that my son really loved that church

but there was no grace and mercy there

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

My son was telling me of his former church

a man came to the pastor and confessed that he had homosexual tendencies

he was asking for prayer and counseling

the church took immediate action and excommunicated him

I should think that that is a church he would want to stay away from! Where is the empathy, the mercy, the path toward forgiveness and right relationship whith Christ.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

He actually asked the pastor if that was the deal and was told it was none of his bidniz

he stated that as a member since it had been made public that it was indeed his bidniz since he didn’t want to be a rumor monger


The pastor started reprimanding him and he stated that the church had the right to know

my son went to the man and spoke w him and prayed w him

eventually my son was threatened w church discipline if he did not back off

the pastor did not like that my son was all over him on this issue

sad part is that my son really loved that church

but there was no grace and mercy there

Gods bless him for recognizing it. Hopefully that won’t have him become bitter, there are better more charitable churches.

 

[taisto]

He actually asked the pastor if that was the deal and was told it was none of his bidniz

he stated that as a member since it had been made public that it was indeed his bidniz since he didn’t want to be a rumor monger


The pastor started reprimanding him and he stated that the church had the right to know

my son went to the man and spoke w him and prayed w him

eventually my son was threatened w church discipline if he did not back off

the pastor did not like that my son was all over him on this issue

sad part is that my son really loved that church

but there was no grace and mercy there

I appreciate the thoughts of Sam Allberry, an Episcopal Pastor who recognizes his own attractions and puts them to death in Christ.

 

[Marooncat79]

He heard his father prattle on for about 400 yrs on such issues.

thr pastor tried to tell him it was all none of his bidniz when my son confronted him. The pastor did not like that take to which my son responded “you made it my bidniz when you went public with it when it should have been kept private where he should have had a couple of prayer buddies and some Bible study”

the pastor really hated that one

MC79jr surprised me

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

He heard his father prattle on for about 400 yrs on such issues.

thr pastor tried to tell him it was all none of his bidniz when my son confronted him. The pastor did not like that take to which my son responded “you made it my bidniz when you went public with it when it should have been kept private where he should have had a couple of prayer buddies and some Bible study”

the pastor really hated that one

MC79jr surprised me

Did the Pastor make the excommunication decision all on his own?

 

[Salty]

Did the Pastor make the excommunication decision all on his own?

Good question

my question would be: What did it mean that his status became excommunication?

 

[Marooncat79]

My understanding is it was announced.

the guy was hugely embarrassed.

MCjr got involved

not sure he ever went back to church there or not

MCjr confronted the pastor. They disagreed and the Pastor told him it was none of his business etc. pastor got mad when confronted MCjr wound up leaving

I think a few more left as well, but not sure

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

In the New Jersey area where I live there are hardly any quality churches today… most have either closed their doors, are limping along without any people, or they are Woke orientated which makes it extremely difficult to belong to anything I’m sorry to say.

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

I do not have a good answer. I have been a member of a church where one became a member by walking through the door and trusting that Jesus was your savior. I have been a member of a church where a 5 person Elder Board asked to hear your personal testimony and then asked questions about your faith to clarify things that you said. Each had merits.

... so I have no answers, except this:

One becomes a member of a local church by choosing to invest - emotionally and with your time and through "being real" - with others attending that church. Sharing their triumphs and pain and being open to sharing your life with them. Absent that ... one is merely attending a performance as a passive participant.​

Hmmm. That answer could easily rule out nearly an entire congregation of "members," and even the "nearly" may be unneeded.

 

[atpollard]

Hmmm. That answer could easily rule out nearly an entire congregation of "members," and even the "nearly" may be unneeded.

When one considers that people were saved just by the testimony of how invested the early Church was in one another’s lives … your (all too correct) observation probably makes the Holy Spirit want to weep. “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” seems to be the word for our day.

And yet, the solution is within the grasp of the lowliest church attendee. Start by inviting someone you barely know out for coffee and talk with them. It is contagious.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

When one considers that people were saved just by the testimony of how invested the early Church was in one another’s lives … your (all too correct) observation probably makes the Holy Spirit want to weep. “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” seems to be the word for our day.

And yet, the solution is within the grasp of the lowliest church attendee. Start by inviting someone you barely know out for coffee and talk with them. It is contagious.

Yes perhaps but there again that little act of kindness could be misconstrued. The wife in the past went to an AA meeting at a church where guys would always invite her out for coffee… she saw it as a pick up line..now helping in the kitchen, cleaning up, helping paint with others, helping a family w/o a father etc helps build comradely and community. These are the things that define you as a christian and doing Christs wishes by representing the church.

 

[atpollard]

Yes perhaps but there again that little act of kindness could be misconstrued. The wife in the past went to an AA meeting at a church where guys would always invite her out for coffee… she saw it as a pick up line..now helping in the kitchen, cleaning up, helping paint with others, helping a family w/o a father etc helps build comradely and community. These are the things that define you as a christian and doing Christs wishes by representing the church.

The ladies should invite her out for coffee and the guys should invite you out for coffee. Then if it gets confused with dating, the Church has bigger issues to deal with than “unfriendliness”.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

The ladies should invite her out for coffee and the guys should invite you out for coffee. Then if it gets confused with dating, the Church has bigger issues to deal with than “unfriendliness”.

My wife and I celebrated our 36th anniversary yesterday so having these characters attempting to pick her up could be considered a complement but she saw it as a problem with the AA programs management, not the church hosting the meetings. Still someone at the church should be overseeing the programs administration to insure the character of the program is being upheld. And that would be a good adjustment addition to any churches hosting AA programs.