Why Membership Matters (and Doesn’t)

FROM THE RECTOR

Lately I have spent more time than usual visiting with newcomers and answering their questions about St. Paul’s and The Episcopal Church. Partly that is because the bishop was here last Sunday, and, during the weeks leading up to his visit, we focus more intently on inviting people to join the church. But I also think that pandemic-enforced isolation has given way to a new desire to connect with others in meaningful ways, and lots of individuals and families are looking for communities of faith in which to make a home.

By the time I meet with a newcomer face to face, they are usually well on their way to becoming a member of St. Paul’s. We live in a world in which people are reluctant to share their email addresses and phone numbers, so, by the time we have communicated enough to set up a meeting, they have probably been going to church for a while, have recently decided to sign up for the newsletter, and may have been giving serious thought to joining the church for months. When they ask me what they need to do to become a member of St. Paul’s, my answer is somewhat anticlimactic: if you have ever been baptized before, you are already a member of the church; the only question is where you live out that membership.

We will happily transfer the record of your membership from another congregation, but joining St. Paul’s usually does not involve anything more elaborate than some paperwork being sent from one place to another. As a denomination, we complicate things with Confirmation and Reception—important ways for individuals who were baptized as infants to make a mature profession of faith and necessary steps for people who want to serve in particular ministries like the vestry—but our membership in the body of Christ is by virtue of our baptism. When we are baptized, we are united with Christ and become members of the holy, catholic, and apostolic church. As Episcopalians, we share the sacrament of Holy Baptism with all Christians, and we recognize that anyone who has been baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is already a full member of Christ’s body, the universal church.

So why bother with Confirmation or Reception? Why take the time to transfer your membership from one congregation to another? Because membership in the church is not an accomplishment to put on your résumé but an identity that must be lived out on a daily basis within a community of faith. Wherever you are pursuing your baptismal identity—wherever you are living out your faith—that is the place to call your church home. When you move to a new town or become affiliated with a new congregation or find a renewed connection with God in a new tradition, that is the place to put down roots.

You do not need to be a member of our congregation in order to take part in almost all of our ministries, but, if you want to experience a sense of belonging in this community of faith, you need to get to know us and let us get to know you. At St. Paul’s, the Inquirers Class is one way to become more familiar with The Episcopal Church, and for many it leads to Confirmation or Reception when the bishop is here because they want to make this church their home in a public way, but you do not need to be confirmed in order to live out your identity as a Christian in this congregation. Hopefully, that connection starts when you first show up, and, if you let it, it will grow over time.

Years ago, what drew me to The Episcopal Church was not only that I was allowed to show up and participate fully as if I had been a member all my life but also that, as a part of a congregation of intentional Christians, everything we did together—worship, pray, study, and socialize—was an opportunity to deepen my faith by deepening my connection with both God and the community. Although I was welcome to just show up, when I did, there was always an invitation to seek more, and that invitation eventually led to confirmation, employment, discernment, and ordination. Each day, I still look for ways to deepen those connections.

Do you need to be a member of St. Paul’s to take part in the life we share? Absolutely not. We do not check IDs at the altar rail or in the youth center or in the choir room or in the kitchen. But being a member of the body of Christ and living out that identity within a particular community of faith really matters. There is no such thing as a solitary Christian. Baptism matters because it is the way we become a part of the body of Christ. Membership matters because it grounds us in the particular community in which we live out that identity. Ultimately, the building in which we worship and the register in which our baptism is recorded do not mean as much as who we are and how we follow Jesus, but our faith grows when we take part in the community of faith. Wherever you hear the good news of God’s love most clearly and feel the call to share that love with others most strongly, that is your church. Put down roots and let your faith grow.

Yours Faithfully,

Evan D. Garner