Members

Every year at about this time I start thinking about church membership. I meet with the nominating committee and we try to figure out who we should nominate for the various church offices. I give the committee members a list of folks who "qualify" which means that they are active members in the church. The list is pretty short.

People don't seem to like to join. They can be very active and committed to the church but they just don't want to join. I think for a lot of them this issue has roots in the past. I know a lot of people blame it on the new generation but I think it is the anti-establishment generation that is the problem.

One thing we always talk about is changing the rules so that you don't have to be a member to serve in the various capacities. The people we would likely put in those positions have been faithful after all. That is always countered by the idea that if they are really with us why wouldn't they join?

Fortunately, I think the younger folks are getting over the fear of joining and are starting to take more interest. They kind of think it is cool to belong in that way. I suppose that there are still a lot of people who would disagree with that assessment but I think it is true for us.

I am also pleased that this has not been divisive for us. I don't think very many people actually think about it in when it comes to our church family. Family is family and the only way out is disowning on the part of the individual of the family whether you like it or not. There are no membership questions for that.