There seem to be many differing notions on what it means to be a church member.
Some people think they are church members because they have a childhood church connection.
They were baptized as infants, or confirmed as teens, or once attended a church school. Some think membership is a birthright. Memories, as pleasant as they may be, are always past. Healthy church life, while informed by the past, lives in the present and in the future. I look for ways to involve people in church because I believe that a Christian fellowship has a great deal to offer those who realize that life's burdens are easier when they are shared.