From Revd Dr. Mark Cheetham
Dear Friends,
I have just renewed my membership with an organisation and it got me to thinking how we talk about membership within church life, because it is unlike anything/anywhere else.
‘Membership’ is not really a helpful word in many ways and it can be confusing, The Methodist Church, in common with other Protestant churches, believes in the sacrament of Baptism by which the church recognises the grace of God who grants forgiveness to everyone and allows us to live anew as forgiven people. The promises that people make at a Baptism service always come after the moment of Baptism. This emphasises that their actions are a response to God’s grace which has already been freely given.
When young children are baptised, the grace of God is received by them and their parents/carers, godparents and the church make promises on their behalf. As these children grow up and learn more about the church and the Christian faith into which they have been baptised, they will come to a point of deciding for themselves. It can happen at any age. If they decide to continue seeking to live out their faith within the Methodist Church, then they may come to a point of asking for confirmation. Confirmation literally means to confirm the promises that were made on your behalf at your baptism, it is a moment of public commitment.
In order to live out that commitment in a Methodist church, you then are received into membership in a particular Methodist church. So becoming a member is saying that this is the worshipping community within which you have chosen to live your Christian life. This is the church where you seek support for your discipleship and where you can support others.
In the Methodist tradition, straight after a person is confirmed, they are received into membership. When people have not been baptised as children, but want to be confirmed and received into membership, they will first be baptised. This is usually done in the same service. If someone has been confirmed in another Christian church and wants to become a member at SMC, we recognise that they have already been confirmed and we receive them as a member.
The difficulty we have is with the word ‘membership,’ If you join any organisation, like a sports club, or a choir, you might describe it as becoming a member. You often have to pay your subscription and then you are ‘in’. Members are those who belong to the club and non-members are those who do not. That is exactly what the Methodist concept of membership does not mean!
Everyone belongs in the Methodist Church. You do not need to do anything, or prove anything in order to belong, all are welcome to worship and be part of the community of the church. God’s grace flows for everyone. We cannot and will not limit it! But membership is still important because it allows us to respond to that overflowing grace of God. Being a member of the church is a personal moment of commitment when a person is saying that this is the community within which they want to develop their faith and discipleship. It is not a ticket to gain admittance to any sort of ‘club’.
Members of the church are the people who hold offices within the church, such as stewards, trustees and local preachers. All members have a pastoral leader who prays for them and keeps in contact with them. Each year members receive a membership card which states the commitments of members of the Methodist Church. It is up to every member to choose how they want to live these out.
These commitments are to:
• Worship within the local church, including regular sharing in Holy Communion, and through personal prayer
• Learning and caring, through Bible study and meeting for fellowship, so that I may grow in faith and support others in their discipleship
• Service, by being a good neighbour in the community, challenging injustice and using my resources to support the Church in its mission in the world
• Evangelism, through working out my faith in daily life and sharing Christ with others.
In the past we have run confirmation/membership courses, if there is sufficient interest we will run these again. These can be held online or in person and usually at a time to suit the people who are interested. Typically they run for 4 sessions. They are a place where you can ask questions and for you to decide if this is the time when you want to take this step of commitment.
Best wishes,
Rev Mark