Christian Century Blog

Amy Frykholm asks some interesting questions about Church membership. It is worth a read and some thought.
Is Membership an Outdated Idea?

For Episcopalians, this is a particularly tricky area. We have a number of descriptions of membership that mean slightly different things. Part of the confusion, I think, has to do with the role of Confirmation.

It seems, according to my fallible memory, Confirmation is no longer required, if you have made an “adult profession of faith” in the denomination you are leaving. Prior to this change, the action of a General Convention, Confirmation was required of converts from denominations with no notion of the Historic Episcopate. This practice emphasized being in communion with the the bishop as a sign of apostolic authority and continuity. The change emphasizes Confirmation as a rite of passage denoting a certain spiritual maturity.

There are certainly positions to be taken and defended about Confirmation, but that is only one dimension of the membership question. According to canon, there are financial expectations for one to be a “member in good standing”. An individual or family is expected to make a pledge, which I see as an open-ended contribution to parish operations with no expectations other than general good stewardship. However, there are many that choose to make financial contributions of record to specific ministries. A member of a certain parish may designate a gift for music, mission or something else. The rub is that a pledge and a designated gift are different things.

There is also the expectation of attendance. Again, working from a soft, mushy brain, “members in good standing” are expected to attend and receive communion a couple of times a year. I think the intent is for attendance and reception on specific feasts, but I believe the specific wording of the canons to be murky on this point.

Of course, membership status means little in terms of practice. The two exceptions might be the privilege of having a wedding in a parish and voting in an annual parish meeting. Usually, good Episcopal clergy will baptize and bury almost anyone regardless of parish membership status.

Membership is a clubby sort of word that I don’t particularly care for, but I think it communicates investment and identification. I wish we could come up with a better word to communicate investment and identity. I also wish we thought in more enduring terms.

The ASA (average Sunday attendance) is probably the most useful indicator of life and “membership” of a parish. The ASA represents the people that are present through the course of the year. The word Church itself from Greek (ekklesia) really means assembly or gathering. Membership is really about the people that are present (obviously, I don’t intend to exclude those absent by virtue of health or infirmity).