C. Matthew McMahon
Christian Preacher
This is not a made-up scenario. Someone asked me this question/situation this week.
A man and his family live in an area where there are no churches to join that equate with their spiritual convictions.
To make it simple, (it goes a bit further than just one doctrine), the family is Exclusive Psalmody, and no instruments in worship, as well as staunchly Presbyterian in their Covenant Theology and polity.
The only church in their area (besides the Arminian churches, Pentecostal churches, jazz band sessions, and mega seeker churches) is a reformed Baptist church.
They are attending the church, and have been for about a year and a half. It is a mission church that has been in the area for about 5 years, and it has grown to be about 30 people, or so, with a full time pastor.
The family can't in good conscience uphold their BCO, and statement of faith (1689 LBC), because of many issues - instruments in worship (piano), not exclusive psalmists, polity, covenant ideas, credo baptism, etc.
But this is the "most solid church" in their area.
They were members of another Presbyterian church some distance away, but that church has degraded so much it wasn't worth going to anymore. Jazz bands, parades in worship, 15 minute sermonettes, non-EP, etc. It simply wasn't a choice. This church asked this family to leave because their convictions didn't match the church's new seeker movement turn. This family stood for the truth, but it was disruptive to the mission of the church going in the opposite direction.
Here is where it gets sticky. They are still "members" of that Presbyterian church, but can no longer, by conviction and even recommendation from the youth pastor who became the church pastor, remain there. So they started attending the best church they could - a reformed Baptist church, which they still have to travel an hour to get to.
The pastor of the Baptist church wants them to come to all the meetings they have (Sunday School for example) and to join the church.
But their convictions remain unchanged, and so how could they support and uphold the constitution of the church, as well as the creed of the church, if they are persuaded otherwise?
Can they join the church? How can they?
It could be that the church pastor allows them to join the church as, say (I'm making this up), associate members. They keep their convictions, but they have some kind of spiritual oversight they agree to.
That seems to be a sticky area as well because in essence, they are simply attending the church with having the ability to have some kind of official oversight they would need to heed. But how would that really work itself out based on conviction, creed, polity, etc.?
To me, that seems a bit confusing.
What do they do? Are they "forced" to join the church and have to sit on their hands on a number of doctrines they hold to because they cannot compromise?
Do they just attend the church without membership? And if they are not members of that other church, then they really have no membership to speak of at this point.
What do they do long term if no church ever is planted in their area that holds to their convictions? Are they required to move? (And that presents problems with family in their area that they are constantly aiding in various ways if they moved away.)
This kind of scenario is happening all over the US and the world in various similar situations.
How do you become a member of a church you can't really theologically support? What are the options? What are the options long term?
And keep in mind these are not little issues they are dealing with. Worship, sacraments, polity, etc.
A man and his family live in an area where there are no churches to join that equate with their spiritual convictions.
To make it simple, (it goes a bit further than just one doctrine), the family is Exclusive Psalmody, and no instruments in worship, as well as staunchly Presbyterian in their Covenant Theology and polity.
The only church in their area (besides the Arminian churches, Pentecostal churches, jazz band sessions, and mega seeker churches) is a reformed Baptist church.
They are attending the church, and have been for about a year and a half. It is a mission church that has been in the area for about 5 years, and it has grown to be about 30 people, or so, with a full time pastor.
The family can't in good conscience uphold their BCO, and statement of faith (1689 LBC), because of many issues - instruments in worship (piano), not exclusive psalmists, polity, covenant ideas, credo baptism, etc.
But this is the "most solid church" in their area.
They were members of another Presbyterian church some distance away, but that church has degraded so much it wasn't worth going to anymore. Jazz bands, parades in worship, 15 minute sermonettes, non-EP, etc. It simply wasn't a choice. This church asked this family to leave because their convictions didn't match the church's new seeker movement turn. This family stood for the truth, but it was disruptive to the mission of the church going in the opposite direction.
Here is where it gets sticky. They are still "members" of that Presbyterian church, but can no longer, by conviction and even recommendation from the youth pastor who became the church pastor, remain there. So they started attending the best church they could - a reformed Baptist church, which they still have to travel an hour to get to.
The pastor of the Baptist church wants them to come to all the meetings they have (Sunday School for example) and to join the church.
But their convictions remain unchanged, and so how could they support and uphold the constitution of the church, as well as the creed of the church, if they are persuaded otherwise?
Can they join the church? How can they?
It could be that the church pastor allows them to join the church as, say (I'm making this up), associate members. They keep their convictions, but they have some kind of spiritual oversight they agree to.
That seems to be a sticky area as well because in essence, they are simply attending the church with having the ability to have some kind of official oversight they would need to heed. But how would that really work itself out based on conviction, creed, polity, etc.?
To me, that seems a bit confusing.
What do they do? Are they "forced" to join the church and have to sit on their hands on a number of doctrines they hold to because they cannot compromise?
Do they just attend the church without membership? And if they are not members of that other church, then they really have no membership to speak of at this point.
What do they do long term if no church ever is planted in their area that holds to their convictions? Are they required to move? (And that presents problems with family in their area that they are constantly aiding in various ways if they moved away.)
This kind of scenario is happening all over the US and the world in various similar situations.
How do you become a member of a church you can't really theologically support? What are the options? What are the options long term?
And keep in mind these are not little issues they are dealing with. Worship, sacraments, polity, etc.