“For as
in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same
function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members
one of another.” Rom. 12:4-5
About a month ago, we took the plunge and became members—of
Costco, that is. As our boys are
growing, we’re seeing skyrocketing cereal and soap consumption. There happens to be one of those behemoths of
a store not far off Allison’s route from the rectory to Catholic
University. I’ll admit to being at least
moderately enthusiastic about the project.
That night we were having a dozen churchwardens over for Friday dinner,
those half-salmons were excellent for the money. I do like the samples on the ends of the
aisles. And when you need a bale of
paper towels…
But it still seems strange to think of myself as a Costco member. I’m happy to be a customer,
maybe even, in time, a loyal customer.
But for me, membership should suggest something more existential or
transcendent. My association with Costco
is purely transactional. I don’t feel
that I belong to Costco, that the institution somehow depends on my
loyalty. It’s silly to imagine that the
institution would be diminished should I forget to repay my annual fee at the
proper time (though I’m sure they will be much more insistent about tracking
down that sum than any church stewardship committee I’ve ever known).
Costco is, technically speaking, not a store but a “membership
warehouse club.” There’s a whole section
on their website all about why you should consider becoming a member, with a
rags-to-riches history and cheery testimonial videos. It’s not just about the prices and the
quantities, apparently. Standards of
quality are offered—that’s an invitation to trust, mind you. And there’s a money-back guarantee, something
I’ve never seen in the bylaws of any civic organization or church.
This kind of transactional arrangement disguised as club
membership is really quite common. Have
a look through your bulging wallet and see how many “member” tokens slide out
of the little pouches. One doesn’t just
subscribe to National Geographic membership, one becomes a member of the
society. The discount plan at the
grocery store, the coffee shop’s arrangements about the tenth cup free, these
aren’t put forth as simple gimmicks or loyalty rewards---they are called
memberships, and that means they trade on some sense of higher purpose and
emotional, even spiritual connection. But
do they? Is "membership" at Costco inherently equivalent to
membership elsewhere - say, at Saint Francis?
Sometimes it’s good to be vigilant about counterfeits that
cheapen the coin of the realm. We’ve
been hearing for decades now about the steady decline of “membership
organizations” in America. Civic clubs
like Rotary and Kiwanis, local historical societies, scouting groups for kids,
and churches of all kinds have noted substantial declines in the number of
people who commit to participate in and to support their work.
“Membership fatigue” provoked by all those meaningless cards
in our wallet may be part of the problem.
But generally, we have become a people far more skittish about
commitment and less willing to assume responsibilities than we once were. Freedom has always been an important American
value, but it is increasingly understood and prized in individualistic,
anti-institutional ways.
De Tocqueville famously
described our society as one deriving its strength from voluntary associations,[1]
but there are far fewer joiners these days, which doesn’t bode well for civil
society The opinion page in this
Sunday’s Post included a column by Dana Milbank--who has never seemed very
religious to me—urging his fellow Americans to join a church or synagogue, if
only for the sake of learning how to build meaningful relationships with other
people.[2]
Of all people, membership should be a meaningful category for
disciples of Jesus Christ. Far before
Costco ever caught wind of the idea, Saint Paul described the community of
believers in two separate Epistles as members
of the Body of Christ.[3] We’re so used to the language, we may well
have lost track of the fact that it was originally a rather earthy and direct
metaphor—and that it belonged us before anyone else ever took it up. Bodies have parts—members like arms and
legs. Those parts depend on each other
for life itself, and they are only separated at the cost of devastating
pain.
We are members both of Christ and of each other. Jesus isn’t some spiritual essence floating
over the sum of the parts. When we are
baptized into Him, we enter into a mysterious but powerful form of union with
Him. He applies the grace bought with
His own blood to our sinful souls. He
animates our lives with His own Spirit.
And he joins us deeply with all the other parts of His body, and bids
grow closer to each other, as we grow into Him.
Part of that growth is understanding how to use His gifts cooperatively
in the work He calls us to do together—seeing the necessity of each member and depending
more and more on each other.
It is impossible to be in Christ alone, without having a real
connection with another group of believers.
In our country, churches are commonly understood as voluntary
associations, with an emphasis on the voluntary. People often assume that religion is merely a
matter of doctrinal opinions and that joining or not joining a church is a
matter of taste or inherited habit.
While there may be pastoral exceptions to many rules, this seems to get
the New Testament vision of membership precisely backwards. It’s not that we can believe and then decide
whether or not to be a church member.
Christ is only known and loved truly within the community of
believers. Saint Cyprian’s ancient saying
is an excellent summary of Saint Paul’s logic: “He cannot have God for his
father who has not the church for His mother.[4]”
This is the season when we invite you to consider becoming a
member of Saint Francis. I will teach a
class I’m calling “Life in the Spirit” on Sunday nights at 7:00, beginning
February 26. It will focus on the
primary teachings of our faith, the spiritual and moral practices of Christian
discipleship, and the history and liturgy of the Anglican tradition. All are welcome—newcomers and old-timers,
those with lots of questions and those who just love to hear the “old, old
story.”
The class will end just before our bishop comes to Saint
Francis to administer confirmation and to receive people into the fellowship of
this Communion on May 7. Confirmation by
a bishop is the sacramental way in which we become adult members of the Church,
confessing our faith and receiving renewal in the Holy Spirit by a successor of
the apostles, a representative of the universal church. All those who have reached the age of reason
(we generally place that around 13) are encouraged to prepare for
confirmation. Those who have been
previously confirmed by a bishop (usually in the Roman Catholic or Orthodox
churches) will be received instead.
Perhaps you were confirmed long ago at another Episcopal or
Anglican church, but have never formalized the commitment you feel to this
parish. Barbara Cantey, our membership
secretary, is happy to arrange a transfer from your former congregation. You can call her at the church office and
also arrange a meeting with me to talk about how we can help you grow in faith
and how you can use your gifts to support our common work. We plan to regularly recognize these kinds of
new members in Sunday worship, beginning later in the spring.
Have more questions about the specifics and how they apply to
your own church background? Just give
me a call or tick the box on the Communication Card in the pews that says “send
me more information about church membership.”
We hope that if you aren’t yet fully committed to this wonderful
congregation, we can help you to find your place among the members of this part
of Christ’s body, sharing His gifts, working together to do His will, growing
in the grace He supplies.
[1] De
Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2000.,
489-492.
[2]
Milbank, “Here’s How You Can Deal With Trump—Besides Drinking Everclear.” The Washington Post. 10 Feb. 2017.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/heres-how-you-can-deal-with-trump--besides-drinking-everclear/2017/02/10/94921012-ef98-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html?utm_term=.d120c132395
[3]
Rom 12:15; I Cor. 12:27.
[4] “Treatise
1: On the Unity of the Church.” 6.
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