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Ernie wrote:About 10 years ago I moved to a church in a distant state. Within a couple months the deacon came asking me if I wanted to join. I did and he officiated in receiving me two weeks later. I never "applied" for membership. I wish this could happen for the rest of you.

Maybe if more of us had a similar servant type demeanor it would.

Wade wrote:

Ernie wrote:About 10 years ago I moved to a church in a distant state. Within a couple months the deacon came asking me if I wanted to join. I did and he officiated in receiving me two weeks later. I never "applied" for membership. I wish this could happen for the rest of you.

Maybe if more of us had a similar servant type demeanor it would.

The Bible says "Repent, and be baptised for the forgiveness of sins."

I don't think it's wrong or shows a non-servant's heart to desire to be baptised into Christ's body and become a member of it.

silentreader wrote: OJ said discipled, you are maybe thinking disciplined?

Yeah, I read that wrong at 4am without coffee!

Josh wrote: I noticed your affiliation is Brethren now.

That actually would be the type of church I was converted in. I hate to say it but we wrote off the mennonite church we tried joining. Its a long story...

I believe the scriptural precedent is that new converts be baptized promptly, confirming them as part of the body of Christ. In our current cultural context, with many denominations, and many congregations within those denominations, it seems to make sense for the congregation and the one interested in membership know each other reasonably well. Depending on how the body life of the congregation is, that could be several months or several years.

We need a middle ground between easy-believeism where most baptised converts immediately fall away and a model of church membership that basically requires someone to be perfect before they can easy be baptised.

I think there are too many dependencies.

Somebody from a non-Anabaptist background who was baptized already (based on confession of faith) and is attending a church may take longer than 6 months. Some people are more analytical and critical on some subjects.... Some people are more sincere than others.

I think an Anabaptist switching churches or just moving because of employment can apply pretty quick. They know pretty much what they are getting into.

I think sincerity is key.

We attended about 3 years before we asked to join. Never once felt pressured to.

Chris wrote:I think an Anabaptist switching churches or just moving because of employment can apply pretty quick. They know pretty much what they are getting into.

I think sincerity is key.

I think Anabaptists switching churches (other than moving for employment, etc.) shouldn't be easily accommodated, unless we like the Anabaptist escalator of slightly less conservative churches setting up shop in town and then half of an existing congregation migrating over there.

And I think if membership weren't a quick, easy process, maybe existing members would think a bit more about the rather heavy barriers they've put up for new members to join. Of course, if the goal all along is to avoid new members, then you wouldn't want to do that.

When someone is already a member of a similar church, they are not starting on the ground floor. These people are simply transferring their membership from one church to the next. Unlike a new applicant, they don't need to prove anything. Usually their old church will send a membership transfer letter to the new church vouching for this persons sincerity and wishing the Lords blessing on them.