Not a Church Building. Please cite this incident correctly.

This incident was reported in the Blogosphere by several people who did not care to confirm their stories before pushing it to the Internet. If you search for this report, you will notice that it was not carried by the Main Stream Media but by different blog sites. The owner of this property is a very close friend of ours who has been a seasoned Christian for many years. He is not a pastor and there is no church on the property. He works with an Oil & Gas Company in Bonny. He bought the property from another friend who bought it from Ugwuaji people in Enugu State. There is a church adjacent to his own.


THE TRUTH

 He decided to do a dwarf wall fence around the property to secure it. However, some unidentified people went and pulled one side of the fence down for reasons yet to be resolved. No activity was going on at the site. The water tank used by workers was still left at the site and his work supervisor wrote his phone number on it in case other people developing their property around the place would need his services. One day, the supervisor called him that the Police asked him (the supervisor) to come and claim his water tank. He didn't understand what concerned the water tank on site and police calling him, hence he decided to investigate before going to answer the Police. That was when he discovered that there was an incident that some corpses were discovered under the pulled down fence. Meanwhile by this time, the story was all over the place about "corpses found under a church foundation", which our friend also read, not knowing that it concerned him. He engaged the services of two lawyers who started working with the police before his arrival.  He planned for the trip and took leave of absence for two weeks. When he got to Enugu, he went to the station with his lawyers, as usual, he was charged for all kinds of unprintable things. To cut the long story short, the Police discovered that he was innocent. The case attracted the interest of high profile Police officers in Enugu State. He was released after about a week while the Police continued their investigations. His lawyers later told him that the Police had arrested the culprits in Nnewi and they confessed to the crime. We do not have details of their confessions, you can obtain that from the police if you need it.

The concern of the EvergreenWord Team is because of the the way the church is being scandalized and people are spreading lies ignorantly. Why will these reporters not visit the Ugwuaji community to confirm this story before breaking it out this way? Why won't reporters call the police to confirm what happened? We recently saw another picture of a so-called pastor arrested as the suspect for this. Most likely, the picture has no connection to the incident. Christians need to be aware that some people peddle lies and use false pictures and videos on the Internet for different purposes including propaganda. Our goal is not to say that the church is perfect, but Christians, especially leaders need to know the truth because some of them refer to this incident during their preaching. Over the weekend, a respected Christian leader referred to it as if the story about "corpses found under a church foundation" is correct. PLEASE THE INCIDENT HAPPENED BUT IT IS NOT A CHURCH.

We do not yet have the consent of our friend to share the phone number of the lawyers who handled this case. But it is a simple matter that any serious-minded person can confirm since Ugwuaji is along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

The Lord Jesus Christ said "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it". Matt 16:18 NIV.

Calvary Ministries (CAPRO) Pastors and Ministers Forum - Global Trends in Church Growth & Missions

It was the Calvary Ministries (CAPRO) Pastors and Ministers Forum organized by Port Harcourt Chapter. Church leaders, Bishops, Pastors and Teachers from different denominations gathered to seek God’s face on Global trends in Church Growth and Missions. it held in Golden Tulip Hotels, Port Harcourt. Our brother, Dr. Chinedu Oranye, CAPRO International Mobilization & Media Officer, shared with us some of the things that God laid on his heart. This is just the highlight of the meeting.

He started by saying that the church is supposed to be connected to and in tune with global trends. Any church or church leader that refuses to recognize the global trends will not be able to strategically plan and will eventually lose out. Many things for example are happening to Christians around us and around the world but Christians and pastors go through church services and the motions as if nothing is happening. Issues are not taken up as prayer points in our services and members are not informed just because church leaders are not in tune with what is going on. Brother Chinedu shared what he called the Trends 3-3-3.

3 Current Global Trends that are with us today

1. The growth in fundamentalism and heightened persecution of Christians. There is a dangerous rise in all sorts of religious persuasions. These include African Traditional Religion (ATR), Fundamental Islam, Militant Hinduism, Animistic practices, Secular Humanism ETC. The clear line between animism and some Christian practices today is becoming blurred. Most current Christians join in traditional practices that their Christian fathers rejected. We must teach our members of this global reality. We must teach them on how to survive in hostile environments. Persecution will come but we must be prepared. 
2. Population explosion. Reproduction rate is on the rise in many nations and the youths form greater part of this population. Our strategic planning must take cognizance of these facts. Any church that is not putting youths and the younger generation in the forefront is losing out. The tendency is that church leaders feel threatened when young men begin to appear in the scene. Instead of helping them and giving them the platform to manifest, we tend to fight them and either derail them or pursue them out of our churches. However, the reality is that young people form greater part of this generation currently.  In his words, “we must push them up instead of pushing them down”. The crisis of young men going astray is because nobody cared to draw them close at the beginning. Many of them have no leadership cover. Because of population explosion, if we do not mentor these young men, they will grow to bring disgrace to the church. There must be intentional discipleship. 
3. Migration. It is a phenomenon of the 21^st century. Entire communities, sections of countries are being uprooted. In Nigeria, many northerners migrate to the south because of problems. If we do not take the opportunity, it will remain a threat to us. Many Christians among them do not even find a place of acceptance in our churches in the south. They do not find community among us. Europe is not ready for what is happening to them today but yet churches are taken the opportunities. Churches are filled up by migrants. We need to train and empower our people on how to reach the Muslims. (CAPRO has a training course on this called OASIS. You can contact them to run it for your church members 08034594878 Rowland, 08055457305 Brown). We must equip the church on how to take the opportunity of migration.

   

   Dr Chinedu Oranye Ministering

3 Things to note on Church Growth.

1. There is the reality of church explosion. People fill our churches and church programs. Massive church explosion. Whether the people in the church are Christians is a different thing altogether. It is a segregated growth that is one sided. Even in Islamic centers, there is growth too. This growth gives us a potential to turn out armies for God. Church growth must not just be in numbers but to make men who are relevant to the kingdom.
2. There is constant Church division.  This is a time we must be united but unfortunately, we fight each other.
3. There is so much harvest and opportunities but we are embroiled in competition and in-fighting because we have lost the sight of the global trends.

3 Things to note on Missions

1. Everybody is doing missions forgetting the Macedonian people, the Unreached/Forgotten Peoples.
2. The non-priority of mission opportunities. we must send men and also send resources. we must do educational and social projects etc. The church must have budgetary allocations to missions and offer prayers for missionaries and missionary work.
3. Non effective Church and Mission Agency partnership. There is rivalry and absence of synergy between them.

3 Opportunities

1. Missions Partnership. Acts 16:9-10.
2. Operation Joshua or Short term Field Visits. Sending a team of leaders and young people to the mission field.
3. Restoration of correct doctrine.

CAPRO contacts can be found here or you can contact us to link you up with the Port Harcourt office.

We will be sharing later what our churches can do strategically in response to what God is saying to His Church. Remember to drop a comment or write us if you require further information. God bless you.

Translators Martyred in Middle East

Four national translators were martyred for their work of sharing God’s Word with their people in the Middle East. The location is not being mentioned for obvious security reasons. Wycliffe Associates, the missionary organization the slain translators worked for, said that the office was ransacked, books burned, and all equipment destroyed, including the Print On Demand (POD) system used to print precious copies of Scripture.

The joy is that the computer hard drives containing the translation work for eight language projects was not destroyed. "The remaining translation team has decided to re-double their efforts to translate, publish, and print God's Word for these eight language communities," the ministry said in a statement as reported by Christian Persecution India. To make donations to Wycliffe Associates for the work to continue, click here.

"Ask the Lord to mend the wounded hearts and physical injuries of the surviving translation team members, and to bring greatly needed comfort to loved ones who are now grieving over the sudden loss of the slain workers. Pray for Him to strengthen and equip the other translators as they rise to the challenge of continuing with the eight language projects so that this tragedy will in no way restrict the Gospel from going forth throughout the Middle East. Also remember the perpetrators of this crime, praying that their eyes be opened to the truth, as well as the seriousness of what they have done, so they will experience sincere repentance, forgiveness of sin and, ultimately, eternal salvation".

Boaz - "The righteous shall not make haste".

"Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning." Ruth 3:12-13 NIV.


In our previous post here, we looked at the high moral strength exhibited by Boaz and how every Christian, especially leaders have to take it up as a challenge and resolve to live above board. We concluded in that post with the words "Don't give up. Fight and win because your purity is God's will. You can make it. This is meant to encourage all men to pursue excellence and purity in their relationships; pursue purity in their thoughts and conducts. We can win; we can overcome if we believe, no matter what is going on around us today". In the midst of the moral decadence we are experiencing today, you can still remain a Christian if you want. You can live a holy live if you want.

We are not yet done with the life of the man, Boaz. We want to highlight the self-control he showed and his willingness to follow the established rules, even though he had the opportunity to violate them with bold face. After he listened to Ruth, he asked her to "stay here for the night" and the record continues "So she lay at his feet until morning" Ruth 3:14, and yet she left him that morning still intact the way she met him. God will help us to begin to live in ways that will restore trust and moral integrity that Christians are known for. God will help us as leaders to model this kind of moral strength to both our children and our congregations who watch us day by day. Moral failure can deal a great blow to the faith of our children and those we mentor, even when we have sincerely repented ourselves.

Look at the passage above again and observe how Boaz was ready to wait for the kinsman-redeemer who was closer to Ruth's late husband than himself to make up his mind on whether he would marry Ruth or not. Imagine that if the man was interested in Ruth, Boaz would have missed the opportunity to marry her. He would have lost out despite all the help he had given to her, yet he did not mind. The help he gave to her had not attachments. The attitude was "if she is mine, I will definitely have her, but if she is not  mine, let the will of God be done". "...he that believeth shall not make haste" Isa.28:16b KJV. This fundamental Christian attitude is scarce today among us. We violate ethics, break codes of conduct and oaths of office because of our ambitions. Christian leaders who compare themselves with others push the church member unjustly so as to get the kind of financial wealth they desire; 'no time to waste', 'now or never'. In fact, today if you pray "Lord let your will be done" some people will look at you as if you do not have 'faith'. Boaz was ready to wait for the right thing to be done, even taking a step that makes him vulnerable.

Finally another thing to learn from Boaz is his carefulness to avoid scandal from something he was doing with his whole heart. He made effort to ensure that onlookers did not misunderstand him, even though his heart was free and he did not commit any sin. Ruth was made to leave very early in the morning before anyone could be recognized and he told her "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor". Though he did not have anything to hide, he was still concerned not to have a scandal around his life. There are many things that can be out of our control, however, we are expected to play our part in things within our control. When I hear some arguments put up by some Christian leaders who travel alone with a member of the opposite sex for programs and conferences, some leaving their spouses behind at home, I cannot help but to really wonder where we learned such carelessness from. We allow and even engage in careless jests and relationships and when scandals eventually break out, we are left only to start explaining and defending ourselves. In most cases, scandals move faster than your explanations. Careless lifestyles can cause us problem when we allow them and they will affect the effectiveness of our Gospel testimony.

Boaz was indeed a man of honour. Let's learn from his life. In part 3 of this series, I will be sharing a few lessons from the life of the kinsman-redeemer.
God bless you as you celebrate the Good Friday.

NATIONAL CHRISTIAN ELDERS FORUM (NCEF) - A PRESS RELEASE

CONFLICT OF IDEOLOGIES AS THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO PEACE, UNITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,

A few weeks ago, the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) issued a statement titled THE NEED TO PRESERVE THE PEACE AND UNITY OF NIGERIA. Of concern to the Christian Elders is the deteriorating state of national security, the free fall state of the economy, the inflammation of religious tension through the misappropriation of state powers, a worrisome foreign policy that is evidently skewed in favor of Islamization, as well as the increasing impunity of the Fulani herdsmen, amongst many other issues.

The National Christian Elders Forum was established by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to make statements in defense of Christianity in Nigeria, as well as promote peace and unity among Christians and Nigerians, as a whole. The NCEF is made up of Christian Elders from the six geo-political zones in the country.

.....

4. ISSUES OF CONCERN

In the build up to the 2015 elections, majority of Nigerians expressed great hope that there would be CHANGE in the nation. However, ten months after the new government was sworn into office, credible apprehension can be expressed given the policy direction of the new administration. We hope that the buildup to these policies do not result in full blown Sharia which President Muhammadu Buhari had promised Muslims in Nigeria.

A number of worrisome issues readily come to mind:

a)      The apparent disregard for the Constitution, by Mr. President in many instances. For example, N900 billion was released in bailout package for states without Appropriation, the government was run for five months without a Cabinet, international commitment are being made without recourse to the National Assembly. All these are acts violating the Constitution.

b)     Including Nigeria in the Saudi Arabia Military Coalition of “Muslim/Arab” nations would appear that the Foreign Policy thrust of the present administration is to make Nigeria a satellite state of Saudi Arabia. The strengthening of the nation’s democracy and security for all should remain the greatest priority of Government. This we see to have been negated by the President’s fiat/unilateral decision to enlist Nigeria in the 34 nations Muslim/Arab coalition. Given the emotive and sensitive nature of this unilateral Executive decision, it should have been handled by Mr. President in line with our democratic culture through popular discussion and participation by the citizenry, or at the very least, through the National Assembly.

c)      Attempt to fund deficit in the 2016 Budget through issuance of Sukkuk loan which is a “Sharia compliant loan.” Nigeria is not a Sharia compliant nation.
d)     The consideration of establishing “free visa” arrangement with Islamic D8 nations. These countries are: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, and of course, Nigeria.
e)      The apparent Islamization of key security positions in the country.
f)       The apparent disdain and contempt of Mr. President for Christians in Nigeria as demonstrated during his interview on Al – Jazeera on the objection of Christians to Nigeria’s involvement in the Saudi led Military Coalition to fight ISIS.

We wish to remind Mr. President that he was brought to power through the votes of Nigerians, Christians inclusive. Mr. President should kindly remember that the over 50% non-Muslims in Nigeria did not vote for the nation to transmute into a Sharia compliant nation. Mr. President assured Nigerians that he is “a convert” to democracy but we are disturbed by the direction of his administration.

We are aware that there are presently Islamists in Government prepared to execute the Islamization Agenda. Any nation in which Islamists believe that they are sufficiently strong to exercise influence rarely experience peaceful cohabitation amongst the divergent groups within it. This is the current situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the Sudan. Islamism thrives on injustice, inequality and unfairness. We urge Nigerians to remain circumspect so that the Islamists do not drag the nation down the path of destruction.

5. KADUNA STATE RELIGIOUS BILL

We wish to express tremendous shock at the proposed Kaduna State Religious Bill. The proposed Bill contravenes Section 38 (1) of the 1999 Constitution. We should remind the Government of Kaduna State that religion is personal and no one has the right to legislate on how individuals worship. We call on the Kaduna State Governor to retrace his steps from this ill-advised venture.

 ...

See the full text of the Press Release here.

Boaz - The moral challenge

"Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning." Ruth 3:13 NIV.

The passage above was Boaz's response to what we may call Ruth's 'marriage proposal' to him. There are many things we can learn from the life of Boaz which I believe is a challenge to us as Christians today. Ruth was there alone with him in the field, in the middle of the night, but he did not touch her. He was a rich man and was qualified to claim Ruth to himself, but he exercised self-control. He had been showing favour to Ruth since the harvest started. She had gleaned from his field severally, but he did not exploit the situation as it presented itself. To say it in our modern words today, he helped Ruth and Naomi to have something to eat. He helped her to have something to do temporarily. However, he did not allow these to make him to exploit the vulnerable woman. "Lie here until morning", he told her but never touched her.

Many people have thrown morality to the winds. Many men can no longer be trusted with the opposite sex no matter who the woman is to them. We have had cases of people sleeping with their best friend's wife or fiance. What of those who sleep with maids who serve them in the house? We seem to see every woman as a sexual figure without considering the stories behind these figures we see. We have a generation that has bought into the worldly deception that sex is the high point of happiness. Sex is now a god. Everyday, sex is being advertised and sold to us through the means of the TV, Print Media and the Internet as if you are missing the whole world if you do not engage in it. If a girl says that she is a virgin today, her friends will squirm and make her feel very awkward.

The churches are not a 'safer place' any more. A lot of stories of pastors abusing the privilege God gave to them abound. Every now and then, you hear stories of one moral failure or the other among church leaders. We are indeed in a big moral crises. Our children are confused because we do not model purity to them and cannot answer the questions they are asking based on the sensual information they are exposed to.

But, is it possible to live a holy life today? YES IT IS! Is it possible to show the kind of moral strength Boaz exhibited in the passage above? YES IT IS! That moral strength is what we need today.Boaz was a man of honour and integrity.

This is not meant to condemn or discourage anyone struggling to come out of a moral failure. Don't give up. Fight and win because your purity is God's will. You can make it. This is meant to encourage all men to pursue excellence and purity in their relationships; pursue purity in their thoughts and conducts. We can win; we can overcome if we believe, no matter what is going on around us today. We once shared A Letter to Christian Men by the wife of Tim Challis on this website and we still think that every man should think seriously about it. We can be different from the world. We can make a covenant to be the Boazs of today.


Write me if you were blessed or have any need for counselling. Drop a comment. God bless you.

Something is fundamentally wrong with "Health and Wealth" Theology

I do not intend to dig very deep into many Bible passages today to confirm that "Health and wealth" theology is fundamentally wrong. What I intend to do is just to draw our attention to a few things that are happening around us and compare them with a few happenings in the Bible and ask us to continue to pray for the church.

As we speak, Christians are going through persecutions all over the world especially in China and many Islamic nations. Even nations which are not necessarily Islamic are experiencing a huge increase of Moslem attacks on Christians. Just look at this report on Uganda and notice the number of Christians that have been attacked and killed. Remember it was in Uganda that Bishop Umar Mulinde, a 37 year old sheikh turned gospel preacher was attacked with acid after a preaching engagement. We issued the prayer alert here. Thank God that Pastor Mulinde survived but never the same physiologically but still strong in the spirit.

In China, there is a revival of attacks on Christians. Many pastors and church members are being arrested and put in prison without any court process. Crosses and worship centers are being destroyed. One significant thing is that even the so-called approved churches, the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council (CCC), are not left out this time around. Amazingly, the church has grown from about one million in 1966 to about one hundred million strong at the beginning of the 21st century.

In Nigeria, almost on a weekly basis, a major attack is carried out on Christians and perceived Christian communities either by the dreaded Boko Haram or the Fulani Herdsmen. Christians that stand on righteousness are discriminated against,in some cases are oppressed where they cannot help themselves.

All these seem to agree with the Bible passages "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" 2 Tim 3:12; "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 2 Tim 2:11-12; "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33NIV. The Book of Acts is filled with stories of how the church grew in the midst of attacks and persecution. We are encouraged to pray, identify and support those who are subjected to suffering due to persecution.

Now how do all these agree with the prevalent preaching that if you are a Christian, everything will be working for you; you will not suffer; you will become rich and wealthy; you will not get sick; any enemy that stands in your way will die etc etc? Is this not the reason why there is no difference anymore between us and the world? As Christians many of us compromise everywhere because we do not want to suffer any inconvenience and want to remain in the same boat with our peers and friends. We do not want to offend anybody so that we are not called names. We care less about the persecuted brethren and often think that it's their fault. Most church leaders accumulate wealth, caught in the competition web, and become so rich that you wonder whether they have the desire to go to heaven; yet so rich in the midst of very poor brethren who are being encouraged all the time to continue to contribute for the welfare of the church leaders. One of the tests for correct interpretation of Scriptures is that the application of such interpretation can cut across cultures. For example, a correct interpretation of a Scriptural passage cannot mean a different thing to a Christian in America and a different thing to a persecuted brother in Uganda. Even though cultures are different, ways of application may differ, but basically, the passage means the same thing. Anytime a Scriptural passage is interpreted in different ways, there are only two possibilities, either one is wrong or both are wrong. Definitely both cannot be right.

Let us begin to bring our churches back to the Bible. Pray for pastors and teachers of God's Word for boldness and sincerity in teaching the truth. Pray that emphasis on faithfulness may come back to the church. Pray for revival in our churches, that we may experience the move of God in our time. God bless you.

Shafqat and his wife Shagufta sentenced to death for trumped up charges of blasphemy

Shafqat and his wife Shagufta, the parents of four children, were Rescue Christians, The couple lost their phone a few months before and reported the incident to the Police. Later the stolen phone was used by unknown persons to send texts which the authority considers blasphemous.

sentenced to death for sending "blasphemous text messages". according to Keith Davies of

Shafqat and his wife Shagufta are from the city of Gojra, Punjab, in eastern Pakistan. Even though there was no sufficient evidence in support of the charge, the prosecutor and the judge were pressured to render them guilty of sending the "blasphemous text messages" for fear that they themselves might be killed. Shafqat is crippled and their children also are threatened.

Please pray for this couple's release. Pray for their children for protection. Also pray that inspite of all these threats that the Gospel may continue to move mightily in Pakistan and all the Islamic nations.

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." Hab.2:14.

Watch the video here.

NO UNITY AT THE EXPENSE OF TRUTH

Issued by Christian Concern

News Release

For immediate release

17 February 2016

‘No unity at the expense of truth’: a response to Justin Welby’s Presidential Address

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern and a member of the Church of England’s General Synod, has issued the following statement in response to the Archbishop Justin Welby’s Presidential Address to the General Synod on Monday (15 FEB):

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s presidential address at Synod addressed the aftermath of the recent Primates’ gathering in Canterbury, in which a compromise was reached between two diametrically opposed groups: those who hold to the Bible’s teaching on marriage and sexuality – and those who do not..

Real unity can only grow in the soil of truth. No amount of institutional scaffolding can substitute for healthy soil...

The underlying issue is whether the churches will submit to God’s Word.

An approach to unity which, as long as the institution is upheld, allows an ‘agreement to disagree’ on Scripture’s authority, is counter-productive and doomed to failure.

Unless there is a shared submission to God’s Word, we are not on a shared journey to a shared destination, and no amount of institutional scaffolding will take us there..

He is right in reminding us that Jesus came to set us free. Yet true freedom is freedom from sin, which is found in repentance and the surrendering of human desires to the work of the Holy Spirit. It is not freedom to continue holding to disobedience of the Word...

he Archbishop spoke of the picture of humility that Jesus painted through the washing of His disciples’ feet. But in that humility and servant-heartedness, we must point people to truth. Archbishop Justin failed to speak of truth or of objective revelation from God. It is as if truth has been relegated to a ‘process of discernment’ not a matter of scripture, canons and creed.

This is a capitulation to the ‘spirit of the age’, not the Spirit of God who has spoken in Scripture.

Please read more here.

Qualification for church membership –The Scripture and some practiced models

Recently, one of the churches in Niger Delta area of Nigeria is having crisis because their pastor is insisting that everybody must pay some token for membership in order to be recognized as a member and qualify for the privileges accruable to members.

Some people have kicked against the move emphasizing that it is ungodly and unbiblical no matter the amount of money involved whether big or small, and that they will never pay money to belong to their church. Others have insisted that the pastor is right as it is the church doctrine and tradition; in fact someone even said that those who refused to pay the money for membership should leave the church. This rule has been applied during the election of the Leadership of the Men’s Fellowship and many were declared ineligible either to vote or to be voted for. Many men in the church are grumbling. The pastor has also promised to apply the same rule during the Council elections coming up later in the month of February.

Now because the church in question is an Anglican Church, we have made efforts to research into both the church’s history to see whether this is an apparent deviation or what the church really teaches. Hence, we will have two-pronged approach to this discuss: the first approach is from biblical point of view, are you supposed to pay some money before you are made a member of a church? What are the requirements? Secondly, from the Anglican Church practice and history, must you pay some money before you can be a church member?

Biblical qualification for church membership

First of all, it is important to say that it is a difficult task trying to separate belonging to the universal church of all nations to which every believer belongs irrespective of his denomination and belonging to a local church. This is because, inasmuch as it is repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that makes you a member of the body of Christ, there are very clear commands in the Bible that the saved person is not supposed to operate alone in isolation. It is a group of those saved people that gather together to form a local church.  John Piper gives five New Testament evidence for church membership here. The idea is that the picture painted for us in the Bible is such that for you to function properly, you must belong to a body of believers. It is God’s plan. Dr. Piper summarizes the five reasons as follows:

1. We should take responsibility to discipline those of the body who do not repent from public sin that brings reproach on the name of Christ.
2. We should declare ourselves part of the body so that if we are wayward, we ourselves would be liable to such exclusion.
3.  We should take our position under the leadership and authority of a particular group of elders. 
4.  We should declare ourselves part of a group who expect to be watched over and cared for by a particular group of elders.
5. And we should find our place in the organic whole as a body part—a member—of a local body of Christ.

 Each local church is a living organism with different members joined to each other to fulfill different functions, all working together for the purpose of expressing the universal body of Christ. Exclusion from the body, either by the leadership or by personal decision, is a very serious matter.

The membership of the body of Christ is a covenant membership brought about by a spiritual birth. Also, membership of the local church is a resultant effect of a spiritual birth. When one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is in the church that he is taught and nourished in order for him to have a healthy growth. Every local church is a body. It is within the context of this body that the new believer joins with other believers in fellowship for mutual edification. The different gifts distributed to each believer in Christ are for this mutual benefit. (1 Cor.12:7).

Water Baptism

Now you cannot discuss biblical church membership without discussing the meaning and implications of water baptism. The instruction to go and preach goes together with the instruction to conduct water baptism.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt.28:19-20 NIV.

We can see three commands in this Scriptural passage:

1. Go and make disciples 
2. Baptize the disciples you make
3. Teach them to observe the commands of the Lord Christ

Water baptism is not optional for New Covenant believers. It is how Jesus taught that we should express our faith in Him. It is connected above as the first experience a disciple should have as he is taught the commandments of Jesus. In fact, it is part of your faith expressions as you enter into Christ. (Col.2:11-12; Gal.3:26-27). It is the initiation that makes you identify with the death and resurrection of the One who died for you and was raised from the dead. That initiation into the body of Christ also makes you a member of the body of believers that helped you come to Christ. They are all interwoven together. It is in the context of this local church that all these commands are obeyed and the activities carried out.

Qualification for membership of an Anglican Church

From the foregoing discussion, it is clear that belonging to a local church is not and should not be thought like belonging to a select club or social groups driven by privileges. The only qualification we see in Scriptures that makes a person eligible to become a member of a body of believers is the faith he has in the Lord Jesus Christ, his willingness to submit himself to water baptism and the commands of Jesus.  

Now what does the Anglican Church teach about church membership? Look at the Article XXVII: Of Baptism

"Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but is also a sign of Regeneration or new Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ".

The Anglican believes that baptism is what grafts you into the body of Christ. From the Electoral Roll of the Church of England,

(2) A lay person shall be entitled to have his name entered on the roll of a parish if he is baptised, of sixteen years or upwards, has signed an application form for enrolment set out in Appendix I of these rules and declares himself either -

(a) to be a member of the Church of England or of a Church in communion therewith resident in the parish; or

(b) to be such a member and, not being resident in the parish, to have habitually attended public worship in the parish during a period of six months prior to enrolment; or

(c) to be a member in good standing of a Church which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity (not being a Church in communion with the Church of England) and also prepared to declare himself to be a member of the Church of England having habitually attended public worship in the parish during a period of six months prior to enrollment.

The model above stipulates that what makes you a member is your baptism and signing of an application form. What qualifies you is never because you subscribed with money; instead emphasis is laid on subscribing to the doctrines and teachings of the church. This makes sense within the context since those who occupy positions of leadership in the church must understand the basic Christian doctrine. All the conditions for vestry meetings, constitutions and canons for almost all the Episcopal and Anglican congregations assessed during the period of this writing agree with the model above.

Conclusion

Having gone through this discuss one may now ask, where did the pastor get his model from? Obviously not from the Bible. Are there some laws in his Diocese from where he is drawing his authority? If there is, obviously that law must be an aberration from what the Church of England practice and what the Bible teaches. It is not Anglican tradition. If some people ever practiced it, it is certainly out of ignorance and misinformation. Errors are not supposed to be copied and practiced but discarded.

The purpose of this paper is to bring biblical and historical perspectives into the discussion that is currently going on in the particular church, and to strengthen truth. It will also stir up those who may want to research further into the topic. The focus is for the Church of Jesus Christ to be what He wants it to be. You can comment on the website or write me at: evergreenword@gmail.com. You can download the document here.

 

May God bless His church as we continue to live in obedience to His Word. Amen.