Impediments to membership in an Anabaptist fellowship

[Josh]

OTR truck driver is a reasonable one. My church used to discourage it since it means men are away from their families for long amounts of time.

[Judas Maccabeus]

To clarify, are we looking for things that would keep a seeker from applying for membership? Or things that leadership would deny membership?

I can go both ways.

I am open to both, Steve.

As far as folks being denied membership, I've seen some strange stuff:

A person's occupation (OTR truck driver).
Economic status (didn't have health insurance).
Admitted to struggling with mental health issues (viewed as a liability).
Pedigree (couldn't vouch for a person).
Being a transplant (leadership was afraid they would get a "following" due to testimony).
I'm sure I have more later.

Pedigree? Are we admitting dogs or humans? Whatever that is, I do not have one.

[Judas Maccabeus]

To clarify, are we looking for things that would keep a seeker from applying for membership? Or things that leadership would deny membership?

I can go both ways.

I am open to both, Steve.

As far as folks being denied membership, I've seen some strange stuff:

A person's occupation (OTR truck driver).
Economic status (didn't have health insurance).
Admitted to struggling with mental health issues (viewed as a liability).
Pedigree (couldn't vouch for a person).
Being a transplant (leadership was afraid they would get a "following" due to testimony).
I'm sure I have more later.

I don’t see occupation as being strange at all. Even the church I attended 40+ years ago denied membership to a beer truck driver.

I can think of several other examples where this would be a problem.

[Ken]

I am open to both, Steve.

As far as folks being denied membership, I've seen some strange stuff:

A person's occupation (OTR truck driver).
Economic status (didn't have health insurance).
Admitted to struggling with mental health issues (viewed as a liability).
Pedigree (couldn't vouch for a person).
Being a transplant (leadership was afraid they would get a "following" due to testimony).
I'm sure I have more later.

I don’t see occupation as being strange at all. Even the church I attended 40+ years ago denied membership to a beer truck driver.

I can think of several other examples where this would be a problem.

Career soldier or policeman?

[steve-in-kville]

I am open to both, Steve.

As far as folks being denied membership, I've seen some strange stuff:

A person's occupation (OTR truck driver).
Economic status (didn't have health insurance).
Admitted to struggling with mental health issues (viewed as a liability).
Pedigree (couldn't vouch for a person).
Being a transplant (leadership was afraid they would get a "following" due to testimony).
I'm sure I have more later.

Pedigree? Are we admitting dogs or humans? Whatever that is, I do not have one.

I didn't either. That was the issue.

[Judas Maccabeus]

As far as folks being denied membership, I've seen some strange stuff:

A person's occupation (OTR truck driver).
Economic status (didn't have health insurance).
Admitted to struggling with mental health issues (viewed as a liability).
Pedigree (couldn't vouch for a person).
Being a transplant (leadership was afraid they would get a "following" due to testimony).
I'm sure I have more later.

Pedigree? Are we admitting dogs or humans? Whatever that is, I do not have one.

I didn't either. That was the issue.

Has not been in my parts. I know of at least three people that KMF has ordained that have no “pedigree “ whatsoever. One of them is a bishop. So it is not universally true in KMF, by any means. We are about to take another member into my congregation that has no “pedigree “.

Of course, in my case, some may assume wrongly that I do……….

[steve-in-kville]

Of course, in my case, some may assume wrongly that I do……….

I've gone over this before, no point doing it again. That particular congregation was known to be very controlling, on the borderline of narcistic. I'm glad it didn't work out, for the sake of my own family.

[Judas Maccabeus]

As far as folks being denied membership, I've seen some strange stuff:

A person's occupation (OTR truck driver).
Economic status (didn't have health insurance).
Admitted to struggling with mental health issues (viewed as a liability).
Pedigree (couldn't vouch for a person).
Being a transplant (leadership was afraid they would get a "following" due to testimony).
I'm sure I have more later.

I don’t see occupation as being strange at all. Even the church I attended 40+ years ago denied membership to a beer truck driver.

I can think of several other examples where this would be a problem.

Career soldier or policeman?

Worked for the Naval Surface Weapons center. Career soldier.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Of course, in my case, some may assume wrongly that I do……….

I've gone over this before, no point doing it again. That particular congregation was known to be very controlling, on the borderline of narcistic. I'm glad it didn't work out, for the sake of my own family.

Why not transfer to another congregation that does not have this problem?

[steve-in-kville]

Of course, in my case, some may assume wrongly that I do……….

I've gone over this before, no point doing it again. That particular congregation was known to be very controlling, on the borderline of narcistic. I'm glad it didn't work out, for the sake of my own family.

Why not transfer to another congregation that does not have this problem?

Can't transfer anywhere if we couldn't be members