If it were up to you, what would new member classes at your church teach?
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Subscribe in a reader
Got a tip?
Email John at zeraygazette at yahoo dot com
Geekery/Pop Culture
NeatoramaTopless Robot
Great White Snark
Popped Culture
Matthew Caverhill
Johnny Cat
Blogging Buddies
Jeff the BaptistIronic Catholic
Dan Trabue
John Meunier
Divers and Sundry
Bob's Brainstorms
Jockey Street
Operation Oxmyx
Humor Links
The OnionCracked
Questionable Content
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
xkcd
Abstruse Goose
Miscellaneous
PostSecretInstapundit
Ace of Spades HQ
Hell in a Handbasket
Brian J. Noggle
4 comments:
As the pastor, it is up to me. We do a single 90 minute session in which I give my testimony, share with them our mission, vision and values and tell them our expectations of them. Then it's time for some Q & As. In closing I tell them that if they are just going to take up space and use of resources we prefer they go to another church. This month we brought in 25 members. Half of them were new Christians
It's kind of funny that you would ask what should be in a new members class. Several years ago, just after I had transferred my membership to this one church, I got a letter inviting me to participate as a new member, even though I have been a United Methodist Church for over thirty years.
The thing about the class, which meet one night a week for five weeks, is that it dealt more with the beliefs and history of the United Methodist Church than it did the actual church.
I asked the pastor, in a very joking manner, if she wanted me to teach the class. As it turned out, I did teach the class when the discussion of the class was on the history of the church in terms of being "United" Methodists. I began this path in the Evangelical United Brethren Church so I was able to explain, in some way, why we are called United Methodists.
I think that any new member class has to differentiate between those who are new to the denomination and need to understand what the denomination is about and those who are new to that particular church. With the latter, I would make a special effort to have the lay leaders of the church present what they do; I don't think we do enough to get the newest members involved.
And when we do, they haven't got a clue what they are supposed to do.
I agree with Dr Tony that it is important to know whether your new members are new to church altogether, new to your denomination or just new to your church. Ideally, I would have a series of classes for groups 1 and 2 which discussed what it means to be a Christian, a member of a church and some background/history on the denomination. Group 3 would have 1 session talking about your church in particular--its missions, CE and fellowship opportunities and how to get actively involved.
For both groups I would emphasize that you won't get much out of your church membership if you don't become actively involved in the life of the church outside of worship.
We teach an Alpha (really fresh ones) course, a "So what's different about being United Methodist?" and a "Welcome to our church!" class. You take all three, or which ever is appropriate.
Post a Comment