Jodie McNeill’s article Love your church mission and the earlier one linked to in that article are worth reading. We’re discussing them tonight in our elders meeting.

Seems to me this is a good thing, and something you hear coming out of the states a lot lately in regards to membership classes etc.

I think our Anglican systems of 3 months attendance and baptism (not necessarily in our churches) tend to work against our goal of having people onside with the mission and vision of the church.

For those more adept at all the legal stuff, is there any way individual churches can change their consititutions to allow voting to be on the basis of a form of membership, rather than the way in which it functions currently?

Steve

David McKay - 23 April 2008 05:09 PM

We’re discussing them tonight in our elders meeting.

Oh you mean Parish Council?

I don’t think anyone’s ever heard of these ‘elders’ before. Where did you find out about such a thing?

Steve Carlisle - 24 April 2008 12:07 PM

For those more adept at all the legal stuff, is there any way individual churches can change their consititutions to allow voting to be on the basis of a form of membership, rather than the way in which it functions currently?

Hi Steve, I’m not sure I understand the question (not that I’d be able to answer it anyway), but are you asking whether or not a parish can change the way it classes people as members?

So would it be possible for a parish change the membership requirements to say, for example, 1 whole year of regular attendance combined with completing and agreeing to a set of studies n the churches doctrine?

Sorry if this is off topic, but it does interest me.

Thats absoultely what I am asking!

I dont intend for the membership stuff to be all sociological and missiological stuff, I think it really ought to be 39 Articles, BCP, Homilies etc mainly, with other setting specific stuff thrown in for good measure.

It interests me too.