This past month the Session looked over the roles of the church members. We noticed that many people who are members of the church are no longer attending. Many of them have moved out of the area, some had passed away, and a small number have been attending other churches. We contacted all of the members that we could get a hold of about removing them from the roles. Then we made the hard decision to remove 50 people from membership per their request or because we could not get in touch with them. There is a list of members who were removed on the Session board outside the Westminster room. If you notice someone on that list who would still like to be a member, please let our Clerk of Session know, Mike Eastman.
Let me take a moment to explain why we did this. The roles of the church had not been updated for several years. This being the case, there were many people on the rolls who are no longer part of our congregation and will not be coming back. Of course anyone is welcome to worship and be an active part of our church family at any time, but it is important to have a clear understanding of who are active members are. As we continue to move through this time of transition and change in the church and our community, we need an accurate picture of who we are as God’s gathered people and that includes knowing who are active members are. In order to faithfully move forward into the future God is calling us to, we need to know who we are today.
Another lesser, but still important, reason is that we are paying per capita on all of our church members. This means we pay to the Presbytery over $35 for each member of our church each year. If people are not active in the life of our church, including attending, serving, and giving, then it doesn’t make sense to be paying per capita for them. Of course the people who have put decades into the life of this church and are no longer able to be as active will not be removed from membership. We will always love and support them. We are talking here about people whom we can’t contact or wish to be removed.
Unfortunately, even though this is a healthy step for the congregation, it is also difficult and painful. Our membership just went from 170 to 120. On paper this looks like we just took a huge and sudden hit to our congregation. In reality, this is a recognition of shifts that have been happening in our church for years. At this time we are no longer a church of 170 members, and that’s okay. As we mourn the loss of the congregation and members that used to be a part of our lives, it is good to celebrate the church we are today. The church God has called us to be, and the church God is calling us to be. Let us not forget God’s promise to God’s people through Jeremiah, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
