The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-07-06


Judge the mass of our pastors do)
who actually "solemnize," appropri-
ately, the union of the applicant for
membership with the church; and
many, no doubt, instruct them in
doctrine and in membership duties.
I am sure that on the part of some
there is great remissness in these re-
spects. How easy it is for a pastor
who treats the act of joining the
church slightingly, or who belittles
it, as in some cases it has been done,
to play sad havoc in congregation
where his predecessor may have spent
his most earnest efforts for years, it
may be, to create that love and devo-
ton which leads the members of the
congregation to consecrate their lives
to the work of the Master by taking
that decisive and important step
known as "joining the church,"
How easy it is for the undevout pas
tor to freeze out all right ideas con-
corning church forms and ceremonies
and make them meaningless! Also
to discard doctrines!
I have known large numbers OF
men and women to be taken into
membership in our churches who had
no proper knowledge of either our
doctrines, or of the meaning of MEM
bership. And for the most part this
was all there was of it. Many OF
these seldom darkened the doors Of
the church again except when some
eloquent and magnetic preacher, or
some other big meeting was an
nounced. These candidates for mem
bership had never been rightly in
structed, either in doctrine or duty,
and gave no evidence after joining
that they were striving to be better
men or better women than before.
And there have been cases where
the preacher has placed such
trifing estimate upon the importance
of membership that l am inclined to
believe that the conduct complained
of by DIR. Stocking is Legitimate out
growth of the way of sighting church
membership. If am wrong | trust
some one will point out the real cause
for I certainly do not wish to cast any
unjust reflections upon any one and
do not write this for any reason save
the good of our church. But as evi
dence bearing upon this matter l
have recently read of one of our
pastors who advocated throwing down
the bars between members and non-
members, thus making all members
of the congregation members of the
church!
"Like priest like people" And
unless our members are given some
thing to do and made to feel that
they should interest themselves in
the vital work of the church and the
reforms of the day it is easy for them
to tire of the church and drop out,
feeling that after all they have but
little interest there.
The fact is that we get our acces-
sions to both the pulpit and the pews
from all quarters of the theological
heavens, SO that often one pastor
spends several years in undoing what
another has builded with great ear
nestness and Christian devotion. Of
ten many Of those who have been,
early in life, held to the church
through fear of the beyond, when
they find there is no endless hell,
swing to an opposite extreme which
units them for religious teachers.
We say this in all kindness, for we
can sympathize with their feelings.
But nevertheless it behooves our
church, and all who love our church,
to see that some plan or policy shall
be outlined and agreed upon by our
pastors, or by our State and General
Conventions, that will reduce to the
minimum the difficulties and irregu-
larities here complained of. There
certainly should be less haste exer-
cised in receiving into our pulpits,
as well as into membership, those
who are not known to be well ground
ed in the faith of our church and
loyal to the work it is called to do.
What we need now most of all is
constructive work. And unless we
have definite work to do, and wise
plans to work by, our church will al
ways be handicapped and fail of real
izing what church is for. To this
end should there not be instituted in
all our churches confirmation classes,
where such as may be thinking of en-
tering into church membership, or
upon the life and duties of pastor,
shall be instructed in, not only the
doot,;nas and the obl;0ot;one c,rou,;rr,