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Alan

I find it strange that your church doesn't have a mechanism for purging inactive members from teh membership rolls. Is that a UMC thing or just your local church? Churches in the PCUSA have to pay an apportionment for each member listed on the rolls, so it's in our best interests to purge them of inactive members occasionally. Any member that has been inactive for a few years is contacted by an elder and asked if they want to remain a member, or if they would like to continue to be a friend of the church, but be removed from the membership rolls. We do this yearly.

Greg Hazelrig

Thank you for your answer John. I agree wholeheartedly. And by the way, there are some churches doing this. They are new startups that can make up the rules as they go and don't have to fight tradition.

John

"John Wesley didn't hesitate to remove an inactive member from the roles of his societies, why should we?"

I'm playing devil's advocate here, but John Wesley also never removed anyone from membership in the Church of England. For purposes of excommunication or church discipline, there is a difference between expulsion from the church and expulsion from a Methodist society.

Michael

But are we not also comparing apples to oranges? What I mean by this is the difference between excommunication and simply being dropped from the membership rolls. One is not akin to the other.

John

For removal on the basis of sheer inactivity, sure.

Is this really controversial? I don't know anyone who is opposed to regular roll-cleaning.

Michael

Not at all, but I don't think that was the intent of Greg's original question.

John

Oh. I read Greg's post differently. Like that even regular attenders are supposed to show some spiritual growth.

John B

I'm not sure it's possible to measure spiritual growth. I know in my own life, there have been times I've taken 3 giant steps forward, and others when those steps were in the opposite direction. Most often, however, is a slow almost undetectable growth, and which only becomes apparent when viewed over a period of years.

On the other hand, activity that leads to spiritual growth; worship attendance, giving, service, participation in small groups, can be measured. Thus these offer a criteria by which a person desire, if not actual, spiritual growth can be judged.

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