Are you fricking kidding me?!?!?!

You have read about my experience with church membership. And, my guess is that you have some experience with it yourself. I provided an article at the end of my last post that was recently forwarded to me as a positive reason for instituting a church membership program. I promised a personal response to this article, so here it goes...

As I read this article for the first time the other day, tears ran down my face. No my friend, these were not tears of joy, but tears of anger. My heart is saddened by the red tape that we as human beings love to put up in the church. Let me explain. I wholeheartedly agree that the church should be a place with high standards. That is what we are called to in God's Word! How we interpret that is a different story.

First of all, I LOVE this line from the article... "The church should be less like a cruise ship and more like a battleship, says Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries." That is fricking hilarious! I am not sure I have ever been to a cruise ship type church (except what I have heard of a new Christian cruise line on KLOVE). We should be more like a battleship? Says Ken of PEACEMAKER MINISTRIES??? WHAT?? Once again, a little confused.

Then, to go into the story of the church who had a crook in the community steal money from its congregation is PITIFUL! So, Ken is saying that the number one reason churches should have membership is so they don't get sued????? Do we as Christ Followers really view God as that small? Yes, we live in a sue happy society, but of all places, the church should be the light in the darkness willing to speak truth no matter what the cost. Honestly, is a signed piece of paper saying that someone agrees to the churches policies and bylaws going to hold up in court anyways? I have heard it said that it is always better to have a paper trail, but come on! This whole concept makes me sick!

Then, Ken speaks about our cultures resistance toward commitment. We should be leery of committing to every random organization! The problem is, the church is not a random organization. It should be a movement of people who love God and want to be a part of a mission that is bigger then themselves. If this were the case in today's church communities, then membership would be totally un-necessary!

He goes on and on then about how membership might be perceived by outsiders as elitist. Well, no crap! How would you like to walk in the door of a new church for the first time and have it made abundantly clear to you that you do not belong! Forgive the seeker-sensitive side of me. but why does the church need exclusive cliques, and why on earth would we require formal membership for a person to be able to express their faith in God and therefore serve faithfully in His church? It is LUDICROUS! Really, who do we think that we are???

I don't care what we do as a church, the front and back door as Ken says will always be revolving! That is life. We are human. Things change, and that in my opinion is good. People will come and go. It should never be about numbers! Who cares if you have the biggest church in your city? Who cares if people leave your community and go to another life-giving, Christ centered community? Praise God that people are joining the spiritual movement in your city, no matter what specific church or denomination they choose to be a part of!

All this crap about church policies, by laws and consents makes me literally want to throw up! (Can you tell I am passionate about this issue?) We as the church will die and will never accomplish anything that we have been called to accomplish by God because we will be stuck under mounds of paperwork, red tape and our butts will forever be sitting in committee meetings and membership classes. What is the point?

Will someone please tell me what the Bible or what Christ have to say about church membership?????

Basically, I feel as though I can not be a part of the "Real" church unless I go to a 12 week class, profess my faith (again, as if my baptism was not good enough) and sign on to all of the churches rules and regulations. That my friends is a sad day! As a passionate lover of Jesus, I will take no part. Now, does that mean that I wont faithfully serve my community with my time, talent and treasure? NO! That is not what that means.

How about this... What if our churches focused on their mission and calling as a church instead? What if we as leaders in the church cast such a strong, passionate vision for our communities that people would do anything to be a part of the movement? What if we actually believed the things that we hold as truth? What if our church was passionate about our local communities and making a HUGE impact for Christ? What if we actually understood the Great Commission as our primary purpose for existing? Can you imagine?

I have visited a church like this. The vision is communicated to its people every single week, on every publication and every where they look. The vision is so strong that people are literally flooding into this place to be a part of what God is doing there. As part of their vision, their people are all expected to serve. You can create that culture. People are joyful and excited to give everything they have to the cause of Christ.

If we as leaders feel like our only option to get people to step up their involvement in our churches is to require membership, then we as leaders have a BIG problem! We are totally missing the point. The church is not a random organization. It is a group of people called by God to change the world for Him. Anything less than that is a shame! When we commit our lives to Christ, that is a much bigger deal to me than signing a piece of paper that says I am a formal member of such and such church! It is almost comical when you compare the two.

Think about who Jesus himself chose to spend his time with? Were the tax collectors and lepors and prostitutes official members? Had they taken the class? Did they need to before they could be a part of Jesus? I am sure not going to argue with that. We have lost our focus!

Let us join together in prayer for our churches, our cities and for new leaders to rise up and cast vision and passion in our communities, so that the church of Jesus Christ can rise up and change the world!

My experience with church membership

Ahh, one of my favorite church subjects... "Church Membership!"
When I was in either 6th or 7th grade (I can't remember) I was confirmed as an actual member of Littleton United Methodist Church!! WOHOOO!!! All I had to do was be sprinkled as a baby, take an 8 week long class about the Methodist church and visit the administration building for the United Methodist Church and walk through the campus of the Iliff School of Theology. I don't remember choosing to be a part of this class, it is just what you do when you are that age in most of today's mainline churches. Then, after you suffer through 8 weeks of horrible, cheesy curriculum, you get to stand up in front of all of the old people in the church and take this oath/covenant. I agree to support________ church with my time, talent and treasure. CONGRATULATIONS! You are a member of the church!

Disclaimer: My youth pastor was an integral part of my faith development and my life. I appreciate every effort he made and continues to make to bring students to Christ!

In 2000, I actually became a believer in the church. Yet, I was already a member, so I am not quite sure what that means. Unfortunately, I was now a member of the wrong church. So, I had to write an official letter to transfer my membership to my new church community. The funny and very sad part was that even though I was on the books as a member, I had not served that church at all with my time, talent or treasure. Again, VERY confusing!

In 2002, I joined the staff of a mega church in south Denver. In order to be on staff there, I had to take the 4 hour membership class and become a member. So, now I had to sit through the evangelical Presbyterian version of the membership class and sign the dotted line that I would serve this place with my time, talent and treasure. Well, I kind of figured that I would serve that church when I agreed to be on staff. Hmmm...

Ok, I was attending and serving at the church where I became a believer, because I wholeheartedly believed in the mission and vision of that place. This particular church did not have a membership program (yet.) I was on staff at a mega church which I loved, but was not super connected to, and I am a member.

Then, the church I was passionate about and serving at and part of the community decided to implement a "Partnership" Program (The new, hip way to say membership)
I was intrigued. So, I picked up the flyer about it and quickly realized that I did not qualify to be a "Partner" at my own church, because I was already a member at the church I worked at and I could not commit to being a part of a new Sunday night program due to other obligations. It didn't matter at all that I already served that place with my time, talent and treasure, and had for 5 years.

That was the beginning of the end for me. I felt completely left out, un-appreciated and ostracized from my own community because I was not an official "Partner." This brings me to today...

I am proud to say that I am still a "member" at the mega-church where I used to work, even though I have not attended there for 9 months, and don't intend to be a part of that community any time soon. hmmm...

Now, to the debate. Why do we have church membership? What does the bible say about formal church membership? Is this just a man made formality that we have added to the institution of church? I recently posed this question to a pastor friend. He sent this article as a reference for me to read about the pro's of church membership. Check it out...


Taking Church Membership Seriously
Why it's time to raise the bar.
An interview with Ken Sande


Membership is not all that important at our church, about a third of respondents to a recent Leadership Weekly poll said. While 38 percent said attenders were frequently urged to join, and 34 percent said the membership appeal was occasionally given, the remainder said their church placed little or no emphasis on membership. That trend, according to many experts, is a mistake, the costly result of a casual, come-as-you-are attitude.

The church should be less like a cruise ship and more like a battleship, says Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries. Rather than emphasizing their casual atmosphere and fun activities, Sande says it's time for churches to raise the bar, to focus on a serious mission, and ensure that every person aboard serves a vital function. To make the shift, Sande says we must recapture the importance and meaning of church membership. If nothing else, emphasizing membership can protect the church from the growing threat of lawsuits.

Can you give an example of how deemphasizing membership can be perilous for a church?
I counseled a church where an attender used his relationships within the church to persuade people to invest over $2 million with him. The money was never returned to the investors. The church leadership struggled to respond because the man was not a member. If they said something publicly and warned the congregation about his actions, they risked a lawsuit for slander and defamation of character.

The church leaders finally asked the man to leave, but said nothing to the congregation. As a result he continued to scam people in the church for another year. When the victimized members discovered that church leaders knew about the man's actions but failed to publicly warn the congregation, they in turn threatened to sue the church for failing to protect them.

Several courts have ruled that churches may not discipline people who have not specifically consented to discipline. In this case, church leaders could not publicly warn the congregation about the man's actions without threat of a lawsuit because he was not a member, and had not consented to discipline. By not emphasizing membership, the leaders were prevented from fulfilling one of their most important biblical tasks—protecting the flock.

Why are more churches no longer emphasizing the importance of membership?
First, we've given in to our culture's antagonism toward commitment and accountability. Like parents who are afraid to discipline their teenagers, church leaders are afraid they will be unpopular for emphasizing commitment and accountability.

Secondly, there is a concern that if we create a barrier at the front door to the church, not as many people will enter, and the pressure leaders feel to grow the church is enormous today. But what we don't realize is that by not emphasizing membership we may have a wide-open front door, but we also have a wide-open back door. Numerical growth is really not helped by deemphasizing membership.

Many see membership in the church as similar to membership in other community organizations. How do we help people see it differently?
It requires very good teaching, and we need to use the terminology found in the Bible rather than our culture. The Bible speaks of the church as a family, or the household of God. If we emphasize this family language it will help people see that church membership is not like joining a country club, it is about joining an organic family.

The concept of the Body is also very helpful. The church is called the Body of Christ in the New Testament, and you don't just casually amputate a thumb. In fact, if the thumb is hurting the whole body goes to its aid. This metaphor shows the commitment, the accountability, and the interdependence of the church. Church leaders need to draw these concepts from scripture and clearly teach them.

How can leaders ensure that they have protected the church legally through a membership process?
You must achieve what lawyers call "informed consent." If you can show your people know what your church's disciplinary practices are, and that they have consented to them, that is a virtually ironclad defense against lawsuits.

You can achieve informed consent in a few ways. First, maintaining an attendance for the membership class so you can prove who has received the teaching. Second, a higher level of proof is to have new members stand before the church and actually verbalize membership vows and commitments. A third level, which gives you the best protection, is a signed membership covenant.

What should be included in a membership covenant?
The covenant itself can be kept fairly simple. A statement as basic as, "I have received a copy of the church's policies of redemptive discipline, and I consent to be bound by them" is sufficient. The church needs to have their disciplinary policies outlined somewhere and accessible to members, but the covenant only needs to refer to this other document to secure informed consent.

Apart from securing legal protection, what else is vital to include in a membership process?
At my church we have a twelve-week membership course, and our first priority is making sure a person has a credible profession of faith and understands the gospel. We also cover the theology of the church, our polity, our vision, how we handle conflicts, and an understanding of church discipline. Finally, it is helpful to discuss expectations for members regarding giving, respecting leadership, and serving in the community.

The membership process will be different in every church, but it is important to treat it as a significant event. When we treat it casually it sends the message that membership is casual. We highlight membership by having a special service, a membership Sunday. It is a serious ceremony that communicates the importance of membership.

What about retrofitting? How do churches with loose membership expectations, or none at all, begin to change and achieve informed consent?
Retrofitting requires a process that may take one to three years of educating the church to think more biblically about membership. I recommend preaching from Deuteronomy where there is a restatement of the Law.

Our church did this. We said to the congregation, "Times have changed from years ago when you could have a loose relationship with the church. Our society and our laws have changed. It's time for us to renew and tighten up the covenant."

Our people were very responsive to that because we took the time to educate them. We held a congregational meeting where revised bylaws and policies were presented, along with new procedures for accountability and conflict resolution. We met in small groups to talk personally, and over several months there was a lot of dialogue. That culminated in a church meeting where the new policies and bylaws were accepted. At that time we handed out a new membership covenant to be signed.

The last thing we did, to make sure we had informed consent, was send out a letter to everyone who did not sign the covenant. It said, even though we have not received a written covenant from you, we will interpret your continued attendance at our church, beyond a specified date, as your affirmation and consent to these policies. We didn't have a single family leave the church.

An attorney and engineer, Ken Sande is founder of Peacemaker ministries, a mediation and counseling service for churches and couples. www.hispeace.org

Do you have a question for Ken? Write to us at Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net.

Click to read Ken Sande's recent articles on church discipline.
Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.
Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
April 18, 2005


Check back tomorrow for my response to this article.

Let's continue the conversation!

Jesus Camp

Here we go again. Another "Jesus" movie. This time a documentary. Any of us who follow Christ need to educate ourselves on this new film that is taking the country by storm. For those of us in the Denver Metro Area, the next showing of this film is Friday October 6th.

My initial response is concern. I am all for raising children to love and fear the Lord, but this may cross some lines. I am excited to be a part of the conversation!

Check out Jesus Camp Myspace!

Contrast

Shimmering drops of water rushing down stream, aspen leaves fluttering in the breeze as they display beautiful shades of green, yellow and red. A Fall breeze sweeping through mountain valleys, my hair blowing in my face and music to fill my soul blaring through the speakers. There is absolutley nothing like that experience.

Today was one of those days where you awake with the Holy Spirit beckoning you to spend time alone with the Lord. A day when you wake up and are filled with joy for no reason other than the fact that you feel truly alive.

I took a prayer journey with God today. A drive through the Rocky Mountains. I am not really sure how anyone could take the drive that I did today and not believe in God. The beauty was astounding. I found myself feeling very small, and yet more alive then I have felt in months.

Sometimes I forget how good it is to just sing to God at the top of my lungs and worship Him from the depths of my soul. There is something utterly refreshing about driving for no reason. Life is always so hurried and crazed, (especially on the road) that it is a true blessing to leave home with no destination in mind and just drive. My journey today took me up Hwy 34 to Estes Park. My love for God and my passion for His unmatchable creativity exploded as I drove through the hills. His majesty and gradeur were splashed throughout the hill sides, and around each corner was a new glimpse into the very heart of God.

I pray for each one of us who are trying to follow Christ, that we would take time to revel in His glory. As the Psalmist writes... Be still and know that I am God. There is something unique about putting yourself in a situation where you realize that He is God and you are not! I cannot even fathom the enormity of His creation. The millions of trees and the trillions of leaves, and the many creatures that roam about the massive mountains. It is crazy to even try to wrap your brain around such a concept as the Maker of the universe!







My heart breaks as I see the contrast between pure light and shear darkness. I spent the evening at a local bar tonight watching a friend play music. I so enjoy live music, yet the blatent darkness of the bar scene just rips through me. The addiction, the pain, the sin. If only the people who call the bar "home" could see that there is so much more. I found myself struggling to love those people where they are. I want to be a light in dark places. I believe that Jesus calls us to live out His light in the dark places.

So, the question is...How do we as a new generation of the church love the light and bask in it, while at the same time loving those who live in darkness? I do not want to be a person that judges others. I do not want to live my life in the ways of this world. Yet, I so desire to be relevant and love people where they are. I want to be more like Jesus.

I pray that God will use our generation of worshippers to change the world. May we live lives that are worthy of our calling. May we inspire the change that those in darkness are desperate for.

We are the ones we are waiting for!

Living every day for the beauty of the Lord,
Kristi

Coming Soon...

I am totally excited and incredibly humbled to be a part of a study of the book of 1 Peter with the pastor who led me to Christ 6 years ago! Be on the look out for details of my encounters with the book of 1 Peter.

What a day!

After being up most of the night sick, I was dreading getting up today and having to go to work. I missed going to Blue Sky, and there was just not a part of me that was joyful. As I was making myself get ready for work, the phone rang. It was my husband Nick. It was during the middle of the worship gathering, so I was somewhat alarmed.

In April 2005 Nick and his friend Dan Dalpra put out a CD called "Remember" It was a wonderful, fresh mix of songs to draw people close to God. After the album release, and selling out of CD's. Nick began to put together a band. Last December, they became the Nick Carleton Band. They have been leading worship, playing worship events and working on recording their first full length album! It has been quite the journey. For those of you who are not hip on the music scene, it is extremely expensive to produce an album! We are talking thousnads of dollars worth of equipment and hundreds of hours writing, recording, mixing, producing, etc.

It is clear to those around Nick that he has a significant calling from God. He is truly annointed to be a new voice for a new generation in the church. (How I got him to marry me, I am not quite sure) With all of that to say, it has been a long, hard road over the past 10 months. Many trials, many tears, countless late nights and lots of letdowns.

Last Friday, Nick and I went to the po-dunk, reject grocery store here in Loveland with $3 in our checking account and nothing to eat at home. We found ourselves near tears as we walked through the store and realized the severity of our poor financial situation. We sat in silence on the car ride home, as fear about our future overcame us. Here we are not able to afford food, and yet we are praying for this $470 vocal recording microphone so that Nick Carleton Band can finish their CD. We have invested all of our "no" money into the gear that the band needs to make this happen, with the firm belief that this is what God has called us to do. As of Friday, we were wondering if we were completely insane.

My how a few days can change everything! We are part of a little church plant in Loveland, Colorado called Blue Sky Church. About 150 of us meet in an old, storefront building in downtown Loveland. In the last few weeks, there has been a flood of new people coming to check out what God is up to at Blue Sky. One of these people is named Ken.

You might remember that in the 1990's there was a movement of contemporary Christian music. It was led by none other than Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. (One of my very first CD's when I was in jr. high, I must admit!) Well, this guy named Ken was involved with these two Christian leaders, and the new found Christian music movement.

So, here we are. Are you putting the pieces together? It is September 24, 2006 and this guy named Ken is a newcomer at Blue Sky Church. Nick Carleton Band is in a funk as they have run out of resources to finish the album they felt called to record. Nick and I are dirt poor and questioning why we are even up here in Loveland in the first place...

Some people do not believe in the power of prayer. I must admit that I have my moments when I question it as well. Then, there are days like today when God answers prayers in the most profound and unexpected of ways.

Nick was leading worship at Blue Sky this morning. Ken was sitting in the community. Nick was singing. God was speaking to Ken. After the service, Ken came up to Nick and shared with him that the Lord had told him that he should give his studio microphones to Nick. So, he obeyed the Lord and gave Nick 3 top of the line studio recording microphones. These are microphones that we could never have even thought about purchasing because of their enormous value. We were praying for one $470 mic, and God had in mind much more.

As we speak, I am waiting for Nick to come home with thousands of dollars in new studio equipment, and the new Nick Carleton Band album can resume production TODAY! It is clear to all of us involved that God has ordained this album. God has a new message and a new hope that he wants to communicate through these new songs, and God is not going to allow anything to get in the way of accomplishing what He has started!

We may still be poor in bank account terms, but we are eternally rich in God's goodness and mercy!

May we join together today in Praising God for His un-failing love and His Eternal Faithfulness! Please continue to lift this project to the Lord in prayer!

Humbled once again...
Kristi