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"Visitors Welcome -- Members Expected"

The above quote was from a church sign that I saw this weekend enroute from Savannah to Valdosta. I thought the statement made was very strong. I have been concerned for several years concerning the commitment of people to our churches.

Currently in the United States, we live in a climate of change and movement. In earlier generations, life was a lot more static. People generally lived and worked in the same town, or at least the same general area, where they were born and raised. Their lives were more sedentary and were characterized by loyalty and steadfastness. They generally attended the same church in which they were raised. During this time, workers typically had only one or two jobs during a 35-year work career.

Now, however, people's lives in the U.S. are more dynamic, which has led to a loss of stability in our lives. The average worker will now have 7-8 jobs during a 35-year work career, meaning that they change jobs every 4-5 years during their work career. Also, people rarely stay in the same town or same area where they were raised. It is much more common for people to relocate to other areas just as they relocate to other jobs. This dynamic shift has also been applied to church membership. Previously, people joined churches and remained members for a lifetime. But now, people are changing churches at even higher rates than they change jobs. Some people may be members of over 10 churches during their lifetime.

This is not all bad. People should definitely make their decision on where to attend church based on where they feel called by God versus joining a church simply because their parents and grandparents were members there. However, this tendency to jump churches does lead to a lack of commitment among members. Why get involved since we will probably be leaving in a few years anyway?

Regardless of the length of time that you are the member of a church, membership carries with it responsibilities. When a person joins a church, they are making a covenant with that local body of believers and with God to support that church with their time, their tithe, and their talents. God has put them there to help the body of Christ be complete in that area. Members should be expected to live up to their God-given responsibilities and to participate in the life of the church. True fellowship in a church setting cannot happen if members refuse to participate in the life of the church or the members there. Nothing is more frustrating to a body of believers than to know that God has placed a person in that body to help serve in a certain area, and then not being able to depend on that person to be there. Hence the message -- "Visitors welcome, Members expected."

Perhaps we all need to examine our covenantal relationship with our churches. Maybe we've been neglecting our responsibilities as members of Christ's holy church. Maybe we've gotten into that mindset that if we're not there, someone else will take care of it. Perhaps we need to renew our covenantal relationships, not just with God, but with the church.