In today’s society membership is possibly frowned upon. Joining means responsibility, possibly cost – so why bother? The desire to subscribe to Amazon and Disney may be increasing but is a transactional process: so what about church membership? In the past Church membership meant strong links, collective responsibility, your voice was heard, and moving as one. Is that something which still appeals today? Is joining a Methodist Church worth it? Who wants membership today?
Joining a Church
If we currently attend a Methodist Church, we might enjoy that community spirit, that feeling of belonging to family – that’s a keen aspect we focus upon at Pollokshaws. But membership of the Church, the Methodist Church itself, is rooted far deeper even than that. This blog post highlights that understanding, and hopes to enable people to come to a decision whether to join.
Foundational Aspects
Becoming a member of the Methodist Church is more than becoming a member of a local church. The founders of the Methodist Movement John and Charles Wesley sought to find a way of life which enabled them to flourish as Christians. Their understanding of faith wasn’t about attending once a week but something about our daily calling, belonging to God. John Wesley was still an Anglican CoE Minister but felt that drive to kick-start a Methodist movement.
We have a prayer that all members are invited to say each year called the Covenant Prayer. It’s hard hitting but one open to God walking alongside us – we are not alone! Wesley was purportedly said to say:
All need to be saved;
Four Alls by Wesley
All may be saved;
All may know themselves to be saved;
All may be saved to the uttermost
Saving?
There’s no restriction to be loved by God. That’s also quite powerful. Just think of characters in the history whom we may feel aren’t worthy of God’s love, and ‘all may be saved’! Saved is an old-fashioned term and may carry a lot of baggage from the past. To accept God as the one who we follow, and to live our lives with God is another way of looking at it. We will know of that when we make this decision, and then we grow – day by day – with God on our journey. It’s isn’t saying we are perfect but growing towards God by following God.
We are constantly seeking to understand more about God, personally and collectively. In the past, members would meet weekly in classes before attending church. This continues today, but often ‘Bible studies’ meet on Zoom as well as in person. We reflect on what the Bible says (when and where was this text written, to who, & why was it written?) and couple that with our reasoning, our ability to critically think about an issue. This can be considered with our own experience of life and the traditions of the Methodist Church. This might be seen as:
Using these four ‘cornerstones’, which Albert Outler called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, we can wrestle with our faith.
Scripture; Reasoning; Experience; and Tradition.
Holiness
There’s no requirement to be dressed in a cassock and wear sandals… Being holy doesn’t mean that necessarily but allowing ourselves to follow God’s teachings. We might consider that going to a cathedral is stepping on holy ground, but perhaps we are always treading on holy ground, wherever we are.
Will you commit yourself to the Christian life of worship and service, and be open to the renewing power of God?
Will you seek the strength of God’s Spirit as you accept the cost of following Jesus Christ in your daily life?
Will you witness, by word and deed, to the good news of God in Christ, and so bring glory to God?With God’s help, I will.
Membership Promises
John Wesley said: “Do not allow yourself one thought of separating from your brothers and sisters [today, our siblings], whether there opinions agree with yours or not. Do not dream that anyone sins in not believing you, in not taking your word…Oh, beware of touchiness, of testiness…expect contradiction and opposition..Receive them from people with humility, meekness, yieldingness, gentleness, sweetness.“
What are your thoughts of that?
Connexion
You might think we have a problem with our spelling but, in old English, this was the word to be used – and it is still used today in this context. All of our churches, the members, are all connected together as part of the Methodist Connexion. We love to confer, to discuss, to come to some sort of agreement. Hence we send delegates each year to the annual Conference where they do exactly that. So each District – there are 30 of them, including the Scotland and Shetland Districts – is formed from Circuits – like Strathclyde – and the Circuits are formed from the various churches. In Scotland there is a vibrant network of support available across the country. Within each Circuit the ministers support each and every church.
Ministers
We have two forms of ministers: presbyters and deacons. Presbyters are called to serve the church through the preaching of the Bible and with the Sacrament of baptism and communion. Deacons are called to serve through prayer, witness and service, and are members of the Methodist Diaconal (Religious) Order. That said, they are all ministers and you’ll find that they work collectively for the benefit of the Church and God. The only difference is their personal calling.
What of our calling?
Within Methodism we have four aspects of calling:
Worship: within our local church, as we pray and where we can receive communion – albeit that can be at home for those who struggle to attend church. Worship is generally lead by ministers, local preachers and supported by worship leaders.
Learning and Caring: where, through Bible Study, we may understand more of what God is saying to us individually and collectively.
Service: how we can show God’s love in our local community, where we live and in that area where our Church is located, and how the Methodist Church operates across the world.
Evangelism: it’s not a word favoured possibly these days but means sharing our faith as it means so much to us – it’s not a secret. That can be through word of mouth and action.
We might also see this in the Methodist Way of Life, a way that we all can have a ‘rule of life’ which helps us on our spiritual journey.
Prayer
This isn’t the province of the minister but an aspect of our life which we can all take part in. Prayer is as Oswald Chambers suggested ‘not a slot machine’, where we put a coin in and we get what we want out. “God does not exist to answer our prayers but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God“. We can use a variety of traditional written prayers or prayers that our freely spoken, or ones which are silent. We can pray wherever and whenever. Through every prayer we listen to God, as we grow closer to the heart of God. Each prayer of ours is a silken thread linking us with God and to the person or situation we are praying about.
Today?
The Methodist Church started in seeking to apply the teachings of the Bible to the world the Wesley brothers saw every day. It was a faith that saw the plight of slavery, of the workhouses of the time and sought to eradicate them. They didn’t get everything correct. It was a faith of social justice, where God’s love was for all, not just those who could freely attend church. Today, the Methodist Church is actively walking alongside those who seek justice. JPIT is an active organisation which stands firm on ensuring Micah 6:8 is central to our faith.
Membership
If you’d seek a more in depth understanding of membership please contact your local minister, ask for a copy of the booklet ‘Called By Name’ from your church, or have a look at the various links throughout this post. You would be joining a family of people, dedicated to God, living in today’s world, and focussed upon social justice for all.
Yes it might be called being woke – but our faith means far more than political correctness but equality and love for all. We aren’t linked to one political party but we strive to see everyone as one who are loved and worthy of care.