Falling into the Trap

Well it happened again. After the church meeting was over, I realized that I had fallen into the membership trap. The discussion on investments led to income, the income discussion led to stewardship and the Fall campaign, which led to needing more members – read pledge units. This is what I call the membership trap.

The bait this time was the Covid conundrum. It seems most churches I know are experiencing significant – up to 50% of the laity staying at home on Sunday. Online viewership is also declining. So, there I was, chest deep in the membership trap. There were two ropes holding me down. One was the “we are getting older rope,” and the other was, “we have no families with children.” I was caught and did not even know it until I had time to reflect after the meeting.

The membership trap is all about the “why.” Why we do things is our core, our motivation and worldview. And when financial stability is our why, and increased membership equals increased offerings; the trap is set. We need new members to balance the budget.

Avoiding the membership trap is simple but not easy. It requires changing the “why” we want new people. This means removing both the word and the concept of “membership” and replacing it with discipleship. I do not have hard data to prove this, but I suspect the term membership is born out of a club and business model. The goal is to increase membership and increase dues. And if you can attract wealthier members, you can raise the dues.

The shift from seeing people as dues paying members to seeing Christ within people changes us. Our “why” just went from balancing the budget to making disciples. The paradox is that if we seek first the kingdom or realm of God first, making disciples, then everything else falls into place – including a balanced budget.

When I was caught in the membership trap, my remedy for the declining pandemic attendance was asking members to invite people back to church – into the building on Sunday morning.

I think a better idea is to send the church leadership away for a spiritual renewal retreat. Renewed and recharged, they can invite people into a new / deeper relationship with Christ. If we love them, they will come.