Membership letters??!

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by stmatthew

As far as a person not paying tithes and offerings into the local church they attend, IMHO they would be what God spoke about when he stated that some were robbers and thieves. If the local church is good enough to feed your sorry carcass, then it is good enough to receive of your financial blessings so that it can continue to feed your sorry carcass. To withhold finances from where you dine spiritually is thievery, plain and simple.

The sorry carcass comment gives a lot of insight...

But... what is being discussed here is a person whose right to vote has been removed because they did not sign a membership letter.

That is what this thread is about.

[stmatthew]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

The sorry carcass comment gives a lot of insight...

But... what is being discussed here is a person whose right to vote has been removed because they did not sign a membership letter.

That is what this thread is about.

Just trying to make it more colorful.


This thread moved beyond that when several began speaking about how they would attend a church but not give to said church because they didn't like the org the church was part of. My post addressed that mentality.



As to voting membership, if you are not willing to sign a membership agreement, why should you expect to be able to vote in the club you refuse to join? That's like me saying I want to vote for the next president of the local Lions Club, but I don't want to join the Lions Club and be a member in good standing.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

The sorry carcass comment gives a lot of insight...

"sorry carcass" sounds better than the term I've heard about a sorry part of the human anatomy.

[MomOfADramaQn]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

The sorry carcass comment gives a lot of insight...

But... what is being discussed here is a person whose right to vote has been removed because they did not sign a membership letter.

That is what this thread is about.

Well - from what I understand they are not "fed" - they are mostly beat over the head with rhetoric like "if you don't support me in the decisions I am making then you are going to hell" - maybe not those exact words but that is the message he is preaching. I have heard a lot of the members say they are "starving" spiritually becaue of the way he is preaching now. As for the tithing - he has told people they are not members but yet still tells them if they don't give him their tithes they are cursed - actually heard him say that with my own ears once - he can't have it both ways. He is causing division and confusion in the church - the bible says God is not the author of confusion - the Devil is having and field day with this pastor.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by MomOfADramaQn

Well - from what I understand they are not "fed" - they are mostly beat over the head with rhetoric like "if you don't support me in the decisions I am making then you are going to hell" - maybe not those exact words but that is the message he is preaching. I have heard a lot of the members say they are "starving" spiritually becaue of the way he is preaching now. As for the tithing - he has told people they are not members but yet still tells them if they don't give him their tithes they are cursed - actually heard him say that with my own ears once - he can't have it both ways. He is causing division and confusion in the church - the bible says God is not the author of confusion - the Devil is having and field day with this pastor.

LOL... Been there... done that and have the half torn tee shirt to prove it. LOL

I would interject here though that I am thankful for my current pastor. After all I have been through in the past I really thought I would never find a place where I could begin to trust someone again. For me to trust anyone now I have to trust your heart and it is beginning to seem like I have found that.

Things seemed good at first... but I remained skeptical. After taking some time to really get to know this man I am increasingly impressed with his love for people, honesty and integrity.

I am still a little gun shy and have the occasional knee jerk reaction from time to time... but I feel myself settling in for the first time in years. Wish me well.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by Sam

"sorry carcass" sounds better than the term I've heard about a sorry part of the human anatomy.

I'm gonna have to take your word for it on this one Brother Sam.

[tbpew]

Originally Posted by stmatthew

Just trying to make it more colorful.


This thread moved beyond that when several began speaking about how they would attend a church but not give to said church because they didn't like the org the church was part of. My post addressed that mentality.



As to voting membership, if you are not willing to sign a membership agreement, why should you expect to be able to vote in the club you refuse to join? That's like me saying I want to vote for the next president of the local Lions Club, but I don't want to join the Lions Club and be a member in good standing.

I am very encouraged by this post.
Maybe, just maybe, this is a glimmer of hope that word 'church' we use so often is beginning to be replaced with the more appropriate term 'club'.

Clubs are not inherently bad, but a distributed 'club of clubs' is not God's deployment approach to his building of a house --without man's hands!

Clubs (should) serve the purposes of those who are its members. Members of the club have a reasonable expectation to support the club operations from which they benefit.

The shared experience is maintained by a fidelity statement to the founder's expectations (establishing premise) for club. I have no problem here either....just so long as we all plainly acknowledge what we have here is ----A CLUB.

Clubs have a function and service within the Kingdom(s) of men.

God's church is not a club. God's church, his habitation, is a body.

[Fiyahstarter]

Originally Posted by stmatthew

As far as a person not paying tithes and offerings into the local church they attend, IMHO they would be what God spoke about when he stated that some were robbers and thieves. If the local church is good enough to feed your sorry carcass, then it is good enough to receive of your financial blessings so that it can continue to feed your sorry carcass. To withhold finances from where you dine spiritually is thievery, plain and simple.

Wow. You got it all figured out, don't you.

[Fiyahstarter]

Originally Posted by tbpew

I am very encouraged by this post.
Maybe, just maybe, this is a glimmer of hope that word 'church' we use so often is beginning to be replaced with the more appropriate term 'club'.

Clubs are not inherently bad, but a distributed 'club of clubs' is not God's deployment approach to his building of a house --without man's hands!

Clubs (should) serve the purposes of those who are its members. Members of the club have a reasonable expectation to support the club operations from which they benefit.

The shared experience is maintained by a fidelity statement to the founder's expectations (establishing premise) for club. I have no problem here either....just so long as we all plainly acknowledge what we have here is ----A CLUB.

Clubs have a function and service within the Kingdom(s) of men.

God's church is not a club. God's church, his habitation, is a body.

Well put.

[Timmy]

Originally Posted by aak1972

I was made aware a few weeks ago that at the church my parents are a member of the pastor has issued membership letters. And if you dont sign the letter you are not a voting member but your still on the books. This letter contains some very questionable wording. The pastor told some of the founding members of the church they were not "members". Have any of you had to sign any membership letters?? And if you are not a voting member should you still pay your tithes there?? This is the same church in the MS district that there is a thread on about being sued.

Maybe they could sign it, but add a cover letter, like some ministers do for the AS!