Why I Refuse to Be a Church Member

OK, refuse is a strong term. I object to the whole idea. I am a member of the Body of Christ. Full and intact. So are many Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, Assembly of God, Methodists, Lutherans, Seventh Day Adventists and Apostolic. We belong to different tribes. We affiliate with them. But, we are in fact if we believe in the core center, Jesus is True GOD, we are members. I am not alone in this thinking.
Having read Dan's life a bit, he would call himself a Lutheran in Doctrine and a Pentecostal in Practice. I'm just exactly that.

The idea that I must somehow become a Member with all the "Rights and Privileges" is hard for me to stomach. Who gives that right and privilege? I have been member of a Church in the past. If it was essential to my ministry I would be again. I have always been clear on that.

Via Steve Scott of From the Pew, I got this fine link today that is written by an ex Catholic regarding the banality of trying to create "Church Members". If a person affiliates with a church he or she is a member. Barna says that in today's Christian world n the USA most Christians have at least 3 and up to 7 different affiliation's they maintain. I know I'm over 3. This doesn't divide. This embraces and builds. Only if you are trying to build an empire will you as a pastor worry much about membership.

OH, I want members who are committed and who have the best interest of the Body at Heart. They should be voting members. That makes sense. I just with it had more to do with faithfulness, giving and ministry involvement than some silly little man made program that makes a member of an uncommitted lukewarm once a month Christan and holds at arms length the man or woman who Loves Jesus but who is unwilling to be rubber stamped with a label. I am a "Member" by participation in at least 3 fellowships on a regular basis and 3 other occasional fellowships. I do NOT agree with everything every one of those fellowships would teach or practice. But, I agree with most of them in each of them or I wouldn't maintain the relationship.

From this Pastor's Writing on Membership:

A great deal of the tomfoolery concerning division in churches could be done away with if we took the time to base membership in the local church off of identity–who a person is in Christ–instead of thinking that membership is a matter of joining up with a particular community or expressing a commitment to a certain local church. At our church, if you attend at least once a year and in so doing worship with us, take communion, and give financially we consider you a member–because these are things normal Christians do and we are always ready to recognize that reality in people. We don’t have membership vows and we don’t have any sort of commitment pledge card for you to sign. We don’t ask for you to commit to things you’re not ready to commit to or require you to be someone other than who you are.

We must come to realize that denominations as they exist today are a mirage. They really have no bearing on the state of one’s soul. They play no essential role in the existence and spread of the church. For eighteen hundred years prior to their existence, the church was able to do all that she needed to do quite without them and they only arose in a particularly unique and heretofore unseen historical context.

Likewise, churches that pretend that membership vows are necessary to embark upon good church discipline and commitment in their churches also hit well wide of the mark. What commitment isn’t implicitly or explicitly made in Baptism that is reflected in these church vows that are made when a new family joins these churches? Why is an additional post-sacramental vow necessary to reaffirm what has already been promised in converting to Christ?

Put simply, if you are a Christian you are already a member of the Body of Christ. If you come and participate with us in worship, we recognize you for who you are. If you come more than once, we treat you like the family you are. Doing more than that by adding additional guidelines and commitments that you’ve already made long ago amounts to legalism and shouldn’t be a part of our churches.

These ideas about Christian identity are radical (though, truth be told, they really do have ancient and biblical precedent) and have consequences all the way up and down the line.

He also has something to say about Ordination. I agree with him. We in our denomination RE-Ordain people. WHAT? Credentials are Credentials. I know some Dr's of Divinity I would NEVER let in my Pulpit because they are loons. (SPONG!) I know some humble good men of God who are local licenced pastors who any Church would be thrilled to have as a leader. How did it all get so stupid anyway?

These ideas about Christian identity are radical (though, truth be told, they really do have ancient and biblical precedent) and have consequences all the way up and down the line.

It means, for example, that ordination by one ecclesial body ought to be respected by others and things like “regularization of orders” or “re-ordination” ought to be condemned. What?!? It’s only your particular fellowship or denomination that’s rightly ordaining ministers? Please. Let us abandon this sort of denominational thinking in favor of being in line with the actual truth of the matter.

AMEN MY BROTHER! I'm proud to be a member with you in the only church body that matters. THE CHURCH.