Free-Text First Friday: The Past and Future of Church Membership

The Rev. Brandt Hoffman, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church and School in Coos Bay, OR, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to discuss the topic of church membership. This special episode features a provocative discussion about the changing landscape of church membership and what it means to belong to a congregation. The pastors outline the modern view that casts members as volunteers, attendees, and financial contributors and contrast that with historic notions of membership rooted in confession and authentic community. They’ll also discuss the future of church membership. It is simply fading away or will there be a return to a more traditional understanding? Or perhaps there’s a third way to understand church membership.