Missouri Baptist Convention (IV)

Matt Schmucker brought the right after lunch message on membership / church discipline. Matt did an OK job in a tough timeslot. This is tough stuff to deliver a sermon on so to speak so it came across as more of an academic address than it did a message aimed at motivation to change.

Gary Scott Lamb has a good roundup of the address over at his Thoughts And Adventures blog.

I'll highlight here Matt's twelve step recovery program to recovering biblical discipline and church membership:

1. Regularly proclaim the Gospel
   
2. Use a congregationally agreed upon statement of faith
   
3. Require membership classes
   
4. Interview your potential members
   
5. Think before baptizing and admitting children to church membership
   
6. Realize that admission to membership is an act of congregation
   
7. Publish membership directory
   
8. Give active pastoral oversight to the members
   
9. Create a culture of discipleship in your church
   
10. Limit some activities to only members
    
11. Consider reviving practice of church discipline
    
12. Recover the grandness of God's blessing