Becoming a member of a church

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say pastor, do you mean like Catholic or like a giant “nondenominational” Christian church where clergy don’t have actual divinity degrees? Responses will vary based on that answer.

Maybe yours didn’t? All of mine had at least one divinity degree.

In non-denominational churches pastors can just invent themselves - be filled with the spirit. No advanced degree necessary. As long as they can build a congregation, they can rake in the dough.

I don’t know where you get this from. Every pastor at my nondenominational church has at least one degree. It’s a requirement.

Maybe you’re thinking about charismatic churches?

At your non-denominational church, maybe, but not all of them.

There are a wide range of churches that fall under the “nondenominational” umbrella.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say pastor, do you mean like Catholic or like a giant “nondenominational” Christian church where clergy don’t have actual divinity degrees? Responses will vary based on that answer.

Maybe yours didn’t? All of mine had at least one divinity degree.

In non-denominational churches pastors can just invent themselves - be filled with the spirit. No advanced degree necessary. As long as they can build a congregation, they can rake in the dough.

https://seminariesandbiblecolleges.com/qa-do-pastors-of-non-denominational-churches-need-seminary-degrees/#comments
"Do Pastors of Non-Denominational Churches Need Seminary Degrees?
Non-denominational churches do not have a denominational body that governs their decisions; they are “independent” churches. Therefore, whether their pastors need accredited seminary degrees is entirely up to each individual church.
...
Theologically, very few churches – especially non-denominational churches –require a seminary degree for ordination. After all, Jesus never attended a modern-day seminary. Seminary is simply the most common, and often most efficient, means that churches have to train pastors."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say pastor, do you mean like Catholic or like a giant “nondenominational” Christian church where clergy don’t have actual divinity degrees? Responses will vary based on that answer.

Maybe yours didn’t? All of mine had at least one divinity degree.

In non-denominational churches pastors can just invent themselves - be filled with the spirit. No advanced degree necessary. As long as they can build a congregation, they can rake in the dough.

I don’t know where you get this from. Every pastor at my nondenominational church has at least one degree. It’s a requirement.

Maybe you’re thinking about charismatic churches?

At your non-denominational church, maybe, but not all of them.

There are a wide range of churches that fall under the “nondenominational” umbrella.

I’m well aware. Which is why it’s odd that the poster seemed to lump all of them together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say pastor, do you mean like Catholic or like a giant “nondenominational” Christian church where clergy don’t have actual divinity degrees? Responses will vary based on that answer.

Maybe yours didn’t? All of mine had at least one divinity degree.

In non-denominational churches pastors can just invent themselves - be filled with the spirit. No advanced degree necessary. As long as they can build a congregation, they can rake in the dough.

My pastor husband really raked it in when he was making $10,000….a year. 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say pastor, do you mean like Catholic or like a giant “nondenominational” Christian church where clergy don’t have actual divinity degrees? Responses will vary based on that answer.

Maybe yours didn’t? All of mine had at least one divinity degree.

In non-denominational churches pastors can just invent themselves - be filled with the spirit. No advanced degree necessary. As long as they can build a congregation, they can rake in the dough.

My pastor husband really raked it in when he was making $10,000….a year. 😂

Your husband didn't make a lot of money, but some pastors do.

Was your husband seminary trained? How long ago was he a pastor?

[Anonymous]

OP, I would use this as an opportunity to stand your ground (whatever you're comfortable with) and see if it's agreeable-enough. For me that would not be, no one-on-one pressure. For me it was stating, "no I won't be attending a one-on-one meeting with you. I enjoy attending church when I do. That is occasionally. When I do, I give generously to the collection plate. It feels like the right thing to do to show my appreciation for the experience."

[Anonymous]

DD was a member of a church. Actually the only family member to go through the process to become a member. When she was in college, they dropped her from their rolls. Sent a form letter that since she hadn't attended recently and hadn't contributed $ recently, they had dropped her. She was away at college!

[Anonymous]

OP at some churches, there is a class or a group where you can find out more about that church (or denomination's) history, values, or beliefs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say pastor, do you mean like Catholic or like a giant “nondenominational” Christian church where clergy don’t have actual divinity degrees? Responses will vary based on that answer.

Maybe yours didn’t? All of mine had at least one divinity degree.

In non-denominational churches pastors can just invent themselves - be filled with the spirit. No advanced degree necessary. As long as they can build a congregation, they can rake in the dough.

My pastor husband really raked it in when he was making $10,000….a year. 😂

Your husband didn't make a lot of money, but some pastors do.

Was your husband seminary trained? How long ago was he a pastor?

Yes, he has a Master’s degree from a top seminary. This was about 3-5 years ago, he made that for about 2 or 3 years. He is still a pastor just at a different church.

There’s one PP who (I suspect over several threads) likes to take “one” or “some” and make it sound like all. It would even be helpful to provide a sample size. For example, “I went to ten nondenominational churches in dc and none of the pastors had a seminary degree” is more convincing than “in nondenominational churches pastors can just invent themselves” which is obviously not true over a larger sample size. (Though the latter is certainly more inflammatory.) I know far more seminary trained bivocational pastors than full salaried pastors. And I know none that are making celebrity pastor salaries. As you can imagine I know a lot of pastors.

[Anonymous]

Joel Osteen like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say pastor, do you mean like Catholic or like a giant “nondenominational” Christian church where clergy don’t have actual divinity degrees? Responses will vary based on that answer.

Maybe yours didn’t? All of mine had at least one divinity degree.

In non-denominational churches pastors can just invent themselves - be filled with the spirit. No advanced degree necessary. As long as they can build a congregation, they can rake in the dough.

My pastor husband really raked it in when he was making $10,000….a year. 😂

Your husband didn't make a lot of money, but some pastors do.

Was your husband seminary trained? How long ago was he a pastor?

Yes, he has a Master’s degree from a top seminary. This was about 3-5 years ago, he made that for about 2 or 3 years. He is still a pastor just at a different church.

There’s one PP who (I suspect over several threads) likes to take “one” or “some” and make it sound like all. It would even be helpful to provide a sample size. For example, “I went to ten nondenominational churches in dc and none of the pastors had a seminary degree” is more convincing than “in nondenominational churches pastors can just invent themselves” which is obviously not true over a larger sample size. (Though the latter is certainly more inflammatory.) I know far more seminary trained bivocational pastors than full salaried pastors. And I know none that are making celebrity pastor salaries. As you can imagine I know a lot of pastors.

People here are not statisticians and this is not a survey, thus do not expect a sample size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD was a member of a church. Actually the only family member to go through the process to become a member. When she was in college, they dropped her from their rolls. Sent a form letter that since she hadn't attended recently and hadn't contributed $ recently, they had dropped her. She was away at college!

What effect, if any, did that have on your daughter's religious beliefs?

[Anonymous]

What is wrong with becoming a member? It would be less expensive than giving generously when you visit. You can stop being a member if you decide you don't want to be a part.

Do you also make a habit of imposing on your neighbors like they are restaurants and hotels?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with becoming a member? It would be less expensive than giving generously when you visit. You can stop being a member if you decide you don't want to be a part.

Do you also make a habit of imposing on your neighbors like they are restaurants and hotels?

There are many difference between imposing on your neighbors and going to a church. One is that churches expect you to drop by a few times before joining and neighbors never expect you to join anything, Being a neighbor is all about proximity and church is mainly about choice.

[Anonymous]

I disagree that part of being a member means you must contribute financially. You can, but it has certainly never been an obligation at any church I’ve attended. I volunteer at our church a fair bit and contribute a little financially, but not on any systematic basis.

OP, only join if you want to. Unless it’s a church full of not-nice people, you can attend as long as you want without joining.