Church Membership

Church membership. Do you know, officially, if you are a member of the church? Do you know your parish membership status? Do you know specifically how membership is defined?

The Episcopal Church is in somewhat of a time of transition right now with respect to membership. I think it is fair to say that we are taking the administration of membership less seriously than in the past. We are becoming less formal in terms of regulation and record keeping. On the other hand, I think it is very important to take an understanding of church membership very seriously.

Two things have brought church membership to mind for me today. The first is today’s Gospel reading and Jesus’ words, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them." Second, as we work on planning fall parish programs, I am looking forward to Bishop Lee’s visit to St. John’s in October. This will be his first visit here since he became Bishop of Chicago.

For several weeks now, the gospel readings have been from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. We are in lectionary year B right now and the Gospel readings are generally from Mark, but Mark is short, so for a spell during the summer we hear these passages from John in which Jesus talks about the bread of life and the cup of salvation. John’s Gospel, unlike the other three, does not contain an account of the actual events of Jesus’ institution of the Last Supper. In John, that event is given over to a discussion of the foot washing. But John does contain this sixth chapter where Jesus talks about what it means to eat his body and drink his blood.

Returning to a discussion of membership… Think about the broad spectrum of what membership means in our lives. Think about things that you are or have been a member of. How do you perceive church membership within that spectrum? There are the informal groups where membership is open and a matter of interest or participation—things like book club or the neighborhood swim team. You participate and have membership as you are interested. Some certainly see the church that way. There are other organizations where membership is an expression of support. Personally, I carry membership cards in the Art Institute and the Morton Arboretum. I participate in their offerings, but membership at a relatively low level of financial commitment is an expression of support for the organization’s mission. I think quite a few people view the church that way.

Perhaps the most rigorous level of membership is found in groups like professional organizations or exclusive clubs. I have recently remembered that in high school I had to join the musician’s union. I was playing in the summer Wood River Community Band. It was a paid position and to participate I had to apply for membership (probably some sort of student or associate membership) in the musician’s union. I had to be accepted as a musician into the union and pay the membership dues. It is similar for other unions, professional organizations, fraternal organizations, country clubs…

Christopher Webber has written a number of accessible books on the Episcopal Church. Here a bit on membership from one of his books: "Here we discover a radical difference between the church and secular organizations, which ordinarily define membership in terms of signed applications, approval by the membership, and the payment of dues. Church membership, on the other hand, is defined by baptism: no application, no screening process, and no dues. Membership is normally given to infants who have no idea what is happening and whose qualifications are as yet completely unknown. It is true, unfortunately, that some who are baptized drift away and live for many years without ever attending a service, but if they do come back, they are welcomed home with no questions asked. Like membership in any human family, church membership is organic: it can be dishonored but it cannot be denied."

It is an unfortunate aspect of human nature that we often value more highly those things that we have to apply for, or earn, or pay for. Church membership is free, no application, no qualifications required. And, once given by God, it canned be denied. It can be dishonored, but it cannot be denied.

Webber continues: "’The Church,’ the Prayer Book tells us, ‘is the Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head and of which all baptized persons are members’ (p. 845). The Episcopal Church takes this definition very seriously: membership is a gift of God and the church’s role is to welcome and nurture, not to create barriers." This understanding of membership is very important. Membership in the Body of Christ, which is the church, is a gift of God, given in baptism. Baptism fully and irrevocably defines membership. The role of the institutional church (as viewed by the Episcopal Church) is to welcome and nurture, not to create any barriers that would exclude anyone from membership.

Within the Episcopal Church, we do, however talk about different categories of membership. We don’t worry much about regulating these categories, but understanding them is helpful. It’s very significant to note what quality or feature of membership is used in differentiation. The canons of the church define categories of membership. Again from Webber: there are "baptized members, communicant members, and communicant members in good standing." It is the personal choice to be a communicant, to be in communion, that matters. "Communicant members are those who have received communion at least three times in the previous year." Christmas and Easter aren’t enough; you have to make it at least one more time. And you can’t be a communicant on your own; you have to join in the parish community’s celebration and sharing of communion. You have to seek communion with your fellow Christians who are the Body of Christ and to welcome communion with the living presence of Christ offered at his table. Communicant members "are in good standing if they have attended church services regularly and have been ‘faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God’ (Canon I.17.2)." [Christopher L. Webber: Welcome to the Episcopal Church, Morehouse Publishing, 1999, pp. 101-102].

The context for understanding membership is our own choice to participate, to be in communion with God and one another. God offers us a sharing in God’s own being and life. From this morning’s Gospel: "Jesus said, ‘Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.’" Former Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple wrote a study of John’s Gospel. He emphasizes that the gift God gives is an ability to share in God’s own power of self-giving and self-sacrifice. By participating in Holy Communion we come to abide in God, to abide with God, to be in continuity and communion with Jesus’ life and ministry. To truly be the Body of Christ.

The Episcopal Church celebrates membership in the Body of Christ as a gift, given by God, at baptism. Membership isn’t about following certain rules or subscribing to a certain set of beliefs. It’s a gift. It is our choice whether or not to claim that membership by participating as a communicant. The choice is ours. And surely everyone would seek to experience the Body of Christ as fully as possible… as a communicant "in good standing," faithfully working, praying and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God. Everyone has some gift, some ability to contribute.

But no one in the institutional church keeps score. That’s another quality of the Episcopal Church. No one except yourself is keeping track of how faithfully you’re working, praying and giving for the Kingdom of God. I often say that the Episcopal Church requires or demands almost nothing of its members. But it expects a great deal. It expects us to take our membership in the Body of Christ seriously. It expects us to value and cherish the gift that God gives us in baptism. It expects us to know Jesus’ abiding presence with us as an opportunity to share in his work. I’ll admit, sometimes as the Rector of a parish, there are times when I sort of wistfully wish that the Episcopal Church required more of its members… but not really, of course. We are expected to own and take responsibility for our own individual lives of faith, and I think that’s wonderful.

When Bishop Lee comes in October, he will administer the sacrament of Confirmation and the related rites of reception and reaffirmation. The church’s understanding of Confirmation has shifted a bit over the last few decades. For a time, confirmation was seen, both formally and informally, as a sort of "completion" of baptism. Baptism does not need completion. Baptism confers full and irrevocable membership in the Body of Christ. Confirmation, both for young people and for adults, serves two purposes. First, it is an opportunity for an individual to actively claim the gift of baptism and affirm his or her desire to be a "communicant in good standing," an individual who works, prays and gives for the spread of the Kingdom of God. Second, confirmation is an opportunity to express a preference for being a part of the Body of Christ according to the practices, perspective and within a parish of the Episcopal Church. Confirmation affirms an affinity or affection for the practices, perspective and parishes of the Episcopal Church. Ironically, the Episcopal Church understands that denominational piece to be the least important part. So, if you’re someone who thinks that denominational affiliation is not gravely important, then you should be an Episcopalian!

Membership in the Body of Christ, which is the church, is a gift, given by God at baptism. It cannot be denied. But it can be dishonored. We dishonor God’s gift when we turn away from the abiding life of Christ or fail to live in continuity with Christ’s life. But, no matter what, we are always welcome back, no questions asked.