SBC - Regenerate Church Membership Resolution

I have to admit to you at the very start that I missed the debate and the adoption of this resolution on regenerate church membership (Resolution #6). I just cannot sit for sixteen hours in one day. Now that it was adopted, it is already being misunderstood and/or, misquoted. (Gee, what a surprise!)

The resolution as adopted can be read at Baptist Press

It does not give place to a "works" gospel. It does challenge both recalcitrant members and "dip and drop" style membership. I think we do need to repent about this numbers thing. For years, when asked how many members my church had, I have responded with a question, "You want the 'official' or the 'real' numbers?" My follow up to that is how many we have "on paper," followed by how many are "members" of the Sunday School, and then the average number of how many of them actually show up on a given Sunday. That's reality. It may hit us in our "church pride." But that is the real deal.

I have often wondered how you can be a member of an SBC church and not a member of a Sunday School (or small group, if you are in a "simple" kind of church). That is where you connect with other believers (unless your teacher just preaches for an hour), challenge each other, grow, and, reach out. Small groups or Sunday School groups are part and parcel of who we are.

Neither have I understood how you can say, "I'm a believer," and yet live completely contrary to Hebrews 10:24-25, which, among other things, says that we should "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together." I do think the writer of Hebrews had in mind that we be together more often than Christmas, Easter, and perhaps Mother's Day.

I have never understood this "non-resident member" thing. I just don't believe people worship in a place they do not live. Salt in a shaker hundreds of miles away isn't very usable. Neither is a light. I suppose with streaming internet from some churches, it could be a bit more true today than years back.

And, by the way, there is likely no other question that tells you any less about a church than "How many members y'all got?" What if they fight like cats and dogs? What if none of them are new believers? What if none (or only a few) are becoming more like Jesus?