AuntieM Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 To clarify, by "church" I mean the organized church. Upon what do you base your answer? (Bible verses would be helpful to me, personally.) What says the hive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Not as far as I know? If I were to walk up to my priest and tell him I felt I needed to be somewhere else, he would give his blessing and pray for me. This example was given in one of my classes. It would be a matter of conscience and a great deal of respect is given to following it. So no? :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I don't think so. I know Christians are told to worship corporately and be a part of a local body of believers, but I know families in my church who were members and left for other churches and no stink was made over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 No, it is not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 There are no Bible verses that speak of church membership. There are plenty of verses, though, that speak of being a part of the body of Christ. You are a member of the body of Christ (the church) if you believe and have faith. Therefore, church membership is an administrative, human idea. (That is, church membership being a formal agreement with a specific group's theology and commitment to certain expected norms within that church body like service or tithing, etc.) I see church membership as a good idea mostly for ministry purposes. It's a simple way to agree together on foundation beliefs and on "style issues" such as worship music or baptism. It's also an easy way to provide some screening for who can minister (for example, who is allowed to teach Children's Sunday School). Church membership is NOT a marriage commitment and should not be equated to it. If God wanted us to commit that way to group of people, he would have commanded it explicitly in the Bible. I have seen a lot of hurt come when people draw parallels of church membership to marriage. It's my opinion that God intends for us to give our emotional energy to our spouse, children, and parents. That's why he gave explicit instructions for those relationships. With regard to other believers, we are commanded not to neglect fellowshiping together, to hold each other accountable, to give a portion of our material gains, and to respect our leaders. It is not a marriage, and there are no commands about joining any specific Christian club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 No. :thumbup1: Hee. There you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 nope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thanks all (especially strider for the length of your reply). I asked for two reasons. First, over the past ten years or so, dh and I have visited a few churches that refer to the membership agreement specifically as as a covenant. Second, in a post in the now closed thread, someone seemed to indicate that some see it as such. Personally, I have never thought local church membership was something so weighty as to enter into a covenant over, and have been troubled by this trend in independent evangelical/Protestant churches to ask members to sign a "covenant" agreement in order to join the church. Knowing that there are folks of many Christian flavors on the board, I am really wondering how this is more widely viewed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 I don't know about the organized church "at large" but my church does have what they call covenant team membership. It's a two-way agreement and they ask people to "re-covenant" every year. I rather like that aspect of it, giving people the opportunity to assess if this is really where they belong, if they're still on board with what the leadership is saying/doing, and if they still want that kind of authority in their lives. (FTR, I've been attending this church for a little over a year and I've never heard so much as a whisper about anyone being "disciplined" so if it happens, it's private.) So maybe what I've observed is the use of the term "covenant" as something that simply refers to an agreement. I don't see why they don't just use the word "agreement." It sounds like your church has clear terms for the length of this agreement, which seems like not a bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 So maybe what I've observed is the use of the term "covenant" as something that simply refers to an agreement. I don't see why they don't just use the word "agreement." It sounds like your church has clear terms for the length of this agreement, which seems like not a bad idea. It's Christianese. It's similar to using other phrases like "I covet your prayers" rather than "Will you pray for me?" or using the word "surrender" rather than "confess" or "tell the truth." It's just the language of that group culture. Having said that, though, "covenant" carries different connotations in different church contexts. For some it's just another word for "agreement;" for others, it carries much weightier connotations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 It's Christianese. It's similar to using other phrases like "I covet your prayers" rather than "Will you pray for me?" or using the word "surrender" rather than "confess" or "tell the truth." It's just the language of that group culture. Having said that, though, "covenant" carries different connotations in different church contexts. For some it's just another word for "agreement;" for others, it carries much weightier connotations. Yes, Christianese. As one who has a deep appreciation for the term covenant, and the weight & depth of meaning of covenants cut throughout the Bible, I guess I just have a real problem with the lightweight usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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