I hear all the time these days that people aren't "joiners" anymore. There was an interesting book out a few years ago called Bowling Alone that captures the decline of Americans joining social organizations of all kinds over the past few decades.
If people aren't joining, what does "membership" mean now? How that this impact church life?
I love this verse from the Letter to the Hebrews:
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Spur one another on... love and good deeds... encouraging one another. This sounds like what people I know are looking for in life today. Belonging. Meaning. Care and compassion. Just what the gathering of Jesus-followers called The Church is supposed to be focused on.
This weekend we will be welcoming some new members into our church. We have been blessed to have people joining over the past year, and I am encouraged that we are expanding our faith connections to include new people.
Our membership vows include many statements of belief, but they also call us to daily action through encouraging and spurring each other on to follow Christ's example. Members commit to a daily ministry of presence, gifts, service, witness and prayer. We show up - just like the writer in Hebrews instructs. We pray for each other, and serve people in need of justice and mercy, give a portion of what has given us, and share our faith story.
I've attached some images to this post with the membership guide from another United Methodist Church that does a great job explaining Methodist membership. I hope this is inspiring as we consider our changing culture and how we can connect people to God & community in new ways.
Member Expectations courtesy of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, KS