Membership
Church Planters, Don’t Wait To Put Your Documents in Place!
By Joel Kurz | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.01.2016Our church waited three years to put our church documents in order, and we suffered for it.
Mailbag #31: Healthy Membership before Healthy Eldership; Difficult Shepherding Situation; Ordination; Tithing
By Jonathan Leeman | 02.25.2016— Do we first educate our people about elders and deacons and then install them—or do we educate them about meaningful membership and then make meaningful membership part of how we operate? — One of our members refused to come to church because our building and people remind her of past pain. How can we shepherd her well? — What is the biblical view of ordination to the pastorate? — What is your view on tithing concerning New Testament believers?
Mailbag #30: Non-Members Serving in Church; A Prospective Elder Who Doesn’t Regularly Attend; The Problem with Contemporary Christian Music; How Younger Members Can Serve Older Ones
By Jonathan Leeman | 02.18.2016— Is it wise to let non-members serve in behind-the-scenes ministries? What about children and teens who aren’t members but profess to be believers? — Should regular attendance be an implicit qualification for elders? — It appears my church enjoys shallow and theologically suspect songs. What should I do? — What are some ways that a younger church member can positively influence older members with regards to sound doctrine?
Mailbag #29: On “Thin” and “Thick” Statements of Faith; Relationship between Lord’s Supper and Membership; Small Group Leaders Who Aren’t Church Members
By Jonathan Leeman | 02.09.2016— Are there certain doctrinal difference for which you would not allow someone to join your church? — Should those who refuse to join a church refrain from taking the Lord’s Supper? — We’re starting a small group ministry at our church, but one of the leaders refuses to join our church. Should this small group be connected to our church?
Baptism Is a Church’s Act
By Bobby Jamieson | 01.19.2016People today tend to think that baptism is a symbol that people can simply choose to place upon themselves. Is that the biblical picture?
Mailbag #25: Thinking through Church Budgets; My Congregation Demands an “Altar Call”; Tricky Membership Situation
By Jonathan Leeman | 12.22.2015— How do you lead a church through thinking through the budget in a way that obeys God? Further, how do you do this in a way that is “above-reproach” when leading the overall church through polity change? — My congregation begs for me to do a weekly “altar call,” but I am opposed to them. What should I do? — An elderly couple with health problems wants to join our church—but they won’t ever be able to attend. What do you think?
Your Bad Ecclesiology Is Hurting Us
By Mark Collins | 9Marks Journal: Missions: Adding Wisdom to Zeal | 12.21.2015When you send missionaries and when you partner with others to do so, you are exporting a doctrine of the church. Unfortunately, far too often we are exporting a bad and unbiblical one.
Mailbag #22: Thinking Through Pastoral Transitions; Loving Those Who Repeatedly Commit Sexual Sin; Declaring Membership Bankruptcy
By Jonathan Leeman | 11.30.2015— What are some best practices for thinking through pastoral searches? — If someone is repeatedly falling into sexual sin, yet repeatedly professes repentance and sorrow, is there ever an occasion to disbelieve them? — I’ve heard of churches deleting their membership rolls so that they can start over and have a membership that better reflects attendance. What do you think of this practice?
Book Review: How Church Can Change Your Life, by Josh Moody
Review by Josh Manley | 11.20.2015This is a helpful book on the church in our very anti-institutional age.
Mailbag #19: Baptismal Regeneration; What Makes a Legitimate Baptism; Relationship Between Baptism and Membership; Relating to a Registered Sex Offender
By Jonathan Leeman | 11.06.2015— What do you know about the Restoration Movement and their teaching on baptism? — When affirming someone’s baptism, what legitimizing factors do you look for in the baptizing church? — Is it wise to baptize someone without bringing them into church membership? — A registered sex offender wants to join our church. How should we respond?
An Anglican, Baptist, and Presbyterian Review Going Public
By B. Jamieson, C. Van Dixhoorn, S. Norman, T. Payne | 11.04.2015Editor’s note: In July, we released a book called Going Public: Why Baptism Is Required for Church Membership by Bobby Jamieson. We asked three pastor-theologians to review the book, each of them … keep reading…
Mailbag #17: Renting Out Church Facilities; Too Busy to Elder; Transitioning to Closed Communion; Problems with Secret Societies
By Jonathan Leeman | 10.14.2015—How should we think through renting out our church facilities? —Is there ever a time when a man is too busy to be an elder? —Should ministry roles be restricted to members only? —As Christians, what should we think of secret societies like the Freemasons?
Mailbag #16: Dual Membership; Does Marriage Require State Involvement; How Much Agreement Among Elders
By Jonathan Leeman | 10.05.2015—What should I think about “dual membership”? —If marriage is created by God, does it require state involvement? —Must elders agree on every doctrinal matter? How much agreement is necessary?
Book Review: The Juvenilization of American Christianity and From Here to Maturity, by Thomas E. Bergler
Review by Guy Prentiss Waters | 09.16.2015Christianity—and, in particular, Christian churches—have been unduly influenced by the youth culture. Is there a cure for this problem?
Mailbag #15: Officiating Non-Christian Weddings; Meaningful Membership before Establishing Elders; Excommunicate for Not Giving Money; Transfer Membership
By Jonathan Leeman | 09.09.2015—Are pastors free to officiate a non-Christian wedding? —What should come first: meaningful membership or a plurality of elders? —Shouldn’t a refusal to give to your church result in excommunication? —Should a church accept transfer memberships from other churches at face value?
