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Both Denominations and Membership Belong To the Modern Age
Currency is divided into different denominations. The Church of Jesus Christ is divided into different denominations. How did this happen? While the Age of Enlightenment, also identified as the Modern Age, fostered a climate of change, the slower, less-obviously important need to change allowed a range of personal opinion that polarized people.
After extensive, wrongful and ineffective ways by the Church to keep a lid on change, the 16th Century Reformation was born. It changed the total Church for the rest of the age. Even changes made later in the century by Rome in the Counter-reformation were all of as significant as those by Luther and the entire first generation of reformers. Everything that transpired leveled a playing field that produced throughout the Modern Age a myriad of denominations.
It is not in our interest here to argue the right or wrong that came from all of this; suffice it to say this was not a completely right or wrong issue. Measuring with hindsight, however, it is true this phenomenon of the Modern Age was less “right” than it might have been. Given human nature, the worst decision of the Reformation was to extend organization of the Church based on membership instead of discipleship. All denominations followed suit.
With the immigrations from Europe to America occurring completely within this age, discipleship in the new world took second place to being a member of a church, a good member. We were mistaken that we could be good members and be disciples at the same time.
Even our understanding of what it meant to be a Christian became tainted. Combine the human nature of personal preference with the power to vote and it became clear the majority could not be good members and disciples of Christ at the same time, unless we completely transform the church from membership to discipleship. Call it transformation or a new chapter in the Reformation, it remains to be the only choice other than eventually going out of existence.
Definition
Membership has its privileges. In the Lutheran Church as well as others, an active, confirmed, voting adult member is the highest category of membership. Subtle or not, this fosters an ownership mentality. “We are sure going to vote for doing things the way we want them done.” Leaders learn that they dare not move in new directions unless they have at least polled in some way the voting membership. They learn early NOT to risk an outright vote.
Discipleship is the role of a servant. A disciple has a healthy grateful sense of belonging to Jesus and openness to discovering how He is calling one to share in His ministry, not our ministry. There is trust and respect in the power of the Holy Spirit to direct change and accomplishment. Trust in Him spills over into permission giving to those who are called and gifted to carry out the ministry. Leaders are untitled but empowered to spiritually coach the ministry.
Modus operandi
Membership elects a council to manage the ministry. In turn they appoint/approve standing committees whose responsibilities are defined in congregation approved Bylaws. New areas of ministry need to be approved by the Congregation Council. However, if it represents an entirely new direction for the congregation, or its financial needs exceed an established maximum amount of money, it must first be approved at a specially called-for-that-purpose meeting of the voting members of the congregation.
Ministry in a disciple based congregation is directed, shaped and accounted for by the Holy Spirit, within the frame of the mission and vision the Spirit has provided, plus the identified core values and core beliefs of the congregation. Besides unleashing needed gifts of discernment, these become the principal lens through which the Holy Spirit directs the congregation’s ministry. Success and accomplishment become the Spirit’s affirmation of the ministry along with new parts of the congregation’s vision. Disciple shortage means, first, look for those the Holy Spirit is attracting to the congregation, but second, in some instances, reexamine discernment.
Organizing for operations
To get something done within the membership committees are organized. These are assigned a list of responsibilities that become their agenda. To efficiently manage the agenda a chairperson is elected who uses Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct meetings. There can be good committees that get a lot done, but there are far more committees who just professionally “meet,” if they can maintain enough members. Otherwise they essentially shut down.
Discipleship teams are not made up of members but disciples. All are permitted and encouraged to lead, which they likely do at different parts of the ministry/project. Since teams have essentially one objective/responsibility, they generally don’t meet, but gather resources and simply get the job done, whether it’s one time or continual. Without assigned or multiple responsibilities there is no need for either an agenda or a chairperson to be responsible for it.
Growth
Early in the Modern Age many denominations adopted Confirmation as a mark or seal for adult or voting membership. The greatest tragedy is that it resulted in a shutting down of spiritual, biblical/theological and leadership growth, since participants have arrived or graduated.
Rather sparsely attended Bible studies, 10-20% of members, simply have not changed that. As a result, nearly all churchmembers today sit with a kindergarten-to-less-than-fourth-grade education. Nearly all of them profess to be grossly lacking in biblical background, which has a snowball effect on future generations. Mega churches felt they had the answer with bigger better programs, that these would produce the missing spiritual growth. The last couple of years, however, have seen a parade of admitted disappointment that it has not happened.
Discipleship is a life-long commitment and dedication to growth. Though it is just as important the congregation partner with the home, the home is a more important setting for the beginnings of faith formation. Depending on one’s perspective, there are six or seven faith practices that are held up by Jesus and scripture where spiritual growth is concentrated from birth to the grave. Effective coaching/leadership development is also cast within them. Since the end of the Modern Age this has left Confirmation as an empty vessel, serving only to define membership base.
With all issues that pertain to membership or denominations, to pursue them diminishes potential progress for advancement with the mission of Christ. The more or longer we perpetuate these issues, the older, greyer and smaller our congregations will become. Having lost twenty percent of our national membership in the last twenty years might, and likely will, even accelerate.
On the brighter side, there is a movement out there today, gaining a fair foothold already in Europe. Membership had failed even earlier there. What we are seeing is a new expression of effective small group ministry. As they gain a foothold, these groups, which are a bit larger, organic and disciple-based, are in Europe beginning to network into parishes. The Church in the future will likely look much different than it did in the Modern Age. Are you open to it?
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Comments on this Entry:
One approach I've considered to at least help people begin orienting away from privilege and back to discipleship is a one-year "membership" that has to be renewed annually. Most ELCA parishes operate with essentially open-ended membership, typically linked to the most minimal involvement levels. (E.g. annual contribution in any amount and/or reception of Communion.) Even those criteria are often ignored until someone has to "clean up the rolls" and we all know how much fun that is. Annual, renewable membership would at least spare us that ordeal.
But more importantly, and more to your point, an annual re-commitment practice could be a useful teaching tool. The membership "pledge" could include promises to give, serve and grow for the sake of the Kingdom, be in a small group, attend worship... whatever the community recognizes as it's expectations. Of course, this is something of a half-way measure compared to what you describe above, and sometimes half a change can be worse than none. But it's an idea that has some appeal and certainly could be implemented in our existing congregations. Know of anyone who's implemented that?
Posted by: Tim Thompson at September 7, 2008 11:00 PM
Over the years I have known a number of congregations that had some variation of what you describe, but I don't remember any to quite the same extent. Those I've been able to witness enjoyed a degree of effectiveness with respect to the concern of this article, but with all the baggage that comes with membership defined in the Constitution I still feel the disciple relationship to Christ becomes compromised. I believe the further we move into the Post-modern Age the clearer this will become. For the sake of thousands of congregations I believe will disappear from the landscape, I wish it could be different, but apart from relative few I doubt that it can be. However, I like your efforts in the right direction, Tim, as well as your support for them, and I thank you for sharing them with us.
Posted by: Roger Ganzel at September 8, 2008 06:05 AM
I came across a mention of a catechumenal process at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle, WA as I was reading Diana Butler Bass's book "Christianity for the Rest of us." It is a year-long process which grounds each person in the ancient Christian practices of hospitality, discernment, prayer, etc. That is about all I know about it at this time but I intend to find out more.
Most of what we get now is "principles of Lutheranism" or congregational orientation. There seems to be a lot taken for granted here..membership doesn't appear to be based on a grounding in the faith, just a verbal assent to some statement of faith.
Posted by: Joe M. at September 8, 2008 10:31 PM
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