Church Membership Rolls

An article published by Baptist Press illustrates the problem Southern Baptist Churches have when it comes to the accuracy of church membership rolls. Many churches have memberships which greatly exceed average attendance for the primary worship gathering. Many churches have members on their rolls who have not attended the church at which they are members for years. What does this say about church membership? What does this say about the integrity of the SBC when it reports that it has 16 million plus members? Unfortunately, it says that in many churches, an individual can can join a church one Sunday, and never return for the rest of his life, yet be considered a member.

Currently, I am having to deal with this issue in the church I pastor. Brent, you will probably face this situation in the near future as a Senior Pastor, and Seth you may have the opportunity from both the classroom and perhaps serving in a local church to address this issue. What basic steps would you guys take to correct this problem, and how slowly should a new pastor take on this problem?

Recently, a resolution was sent to the resolution committee of the Southern Baptist Convention regarding this very issue. It can be found here. Do you think this is a good start from a convention standpoint?

Genesis

This blog will be the product of three men who grew up together and have all given their lives to Christian ministry. As the title hints, two of us are current pastors and one is currently working towards a Ph.D. and works for a seminary. Our topics for discussion will be wide ranging, and our examination and reflection upon the topics will be discussed from a Christian perspective. We are hoping this endeavor will help each of us to stay up-to-date on certain happenings, but we also hope to edify and sharpen one another through Christian reflection and discernment.