Being a member of the church

 

Sometimes a calamity -- or a joy -- befalls someone in the community and one of the things that we want to know about them is, “are they members of our church?”  Sometimes a person is a long-time worship attender and we are surprised to hear, “You know that they never actually joined here.” 

 During These several weeks we are considering the membership vows of a United Methodist.  We are looking at “prayers, presence, gifts, and service.”  These are the promises we make when we become a part of the UMC and of a local congregation.

 But I would point out that these are the vows of a FULL MEMBER.  Sometimes we call this PROFESSING MEMBER.  These are people who have joined a church fellowship and who are entitled to participate fully not only in worship and programming, but also in the leadership and administration of the church.  It is a rule of The United Methodist Church that a person must be a full member in order to hood most offices.

 But we have other categories of membership that we don’t talk about so much.  A person may be an AFFILIATE MEMBER of a local church.  These are people who are United Methodists who maintain membership in one church while attending another some distance away.  Many people whose jobs or family situations cause them to re-locate for a time choose this relationship.  It allows the individual to be able to participate fully in the life of the local church they attend, even as their plans may be to return to the church where they hold full membership later on.  Affiliate Members enjoy full privilege of fellowship and leadership in a local church.

 A person may become an ASSOCIATE MEMBER of a local United Methodist Church.  These are people who are members of other denominations but who become attached to a United Methodist Congregation.  Most frequently these are people whose church membership is in a denomination that does not have a congregation in their current area.  In our neighborhood, for instance, there are no congregations of the Lutheran Church or the United Church of Christ.  So, these people desire a full participation – and responsibility – in a local church and so they become Associate Members in the UMC.

 We also have a roll of CONSTITUANT MEMBERS.  These are not necessarily people who have formalized their relationship with a United Methodist Congregation.  These are people for whom a local UMC has pastoral care.  These people are usually spouses, parents, children, or other family members of Full Members.  They may live in the same home with the Full Member, or may be residents of the community while claiming no local church affiliation for themselves.

 So, “being a member” is a little more complicated than our common understanding might indicate.  All of these categories allow individuals to participate as fully in the life of a local United Methodist Church as they desire.  They also represent the far-reaching involvement of a variety of people in our mission and ministry.

 There’s a place for everyone.