Does a man with severe disabilities have the right to become a member of a church? That isn’t a hypothetical question. The 9Marks blog dealt with that question yesterday.
9Marks is a great organization that “wants to help local churches re-establish their biblical bearings and re-think their ministry methods.” Matt Schmucker, their executive director, I have met only once, but I have seen the fruit of his work and appreciate his God-centered heart.
Here is what he wrote yesterday on the subject of membership:
I took a call from an elder in a church yesterday asking about membership for one who has “special needs”, who is apparently severely limited in his ability to relate and converse, to the point of an inability to convey the gospel in any meaningful way. The parents of this 30 year old man are anxious to have him received into membership. This family lives in the southern part of the U.S. and, as the elder described it, believe membership is a “right.”
This is one of those times where I don’t want to be an elder/pastor. These situations break one’s heart and cause sleepless nights — am I doing the right thing by admitting or denying membership?
At some point you have to make a decision. As difficult as it is and given the severity of the applicant’s condition, I counseled the elder to view this situation as analogous to a child who was too young to communicate a credible profession of faith and therefore not grant membership. We’re not saying he is not a Christian; we’re simply saying it is nearly impossible for us (the church) to discern. But of course the church should extend care to him in every way possible.
I was asked for counsel on this matter and don’t have much more to go on then I have conveyed in this post. Can anyone give some guidelines in such a matter without getting into specifics?
As I’m writing this, my reply has not been posted, so I will include it here. It was one of those moments when I didn’t feel I had a lot of time to consider, so just let it fly:
As a dad who has a teenage son who is significantly disabled and cannot give a ‘credible profession of faith’ I find myself struggling with that question as well. Here are a couple of thoughts: Membership in our church requires a commitment to the core beliefs of the church and a covenant to fulfill certain responsibilities – including voting on budgets, the call of pastors and the like. My son cannot fulfill those kinds of responsibilities, and thus should not be considered a member in the legal sense of the word. I’m ok with that.
But he most certainly is a member in the relational sense – he is known, he is loved, his needs are considered, the church invests a number of volunteer and pastoral resources into him without regard to his ‘paying back’ in service or finances. They make God look very big and strong and kind by how they treat my son and our family.
So, I would ask the question of the dad of this young man, what does he feel membership provides for his son? Does he consider it a sign of disrespect that a man with disabilities could not be received into membership? Is his church communicating that disrespect somehow, even unintentionally? If that is the case, membership isn’t the issue or the problem, it is that church recognizing the inherent, God-given dignity of that young man and how valuable he is. Have they embraced 1 Cor. 12, which says that those who appear to be weakest are indispensable?
My guess is that the church is doing a number of things right for that dad to want his son entered into membership. And the pastor should also remember, that family has had to advocate for EVERYTHING for their son for 30 years, and advocates sometimes aren’t always the most diplomatic in how they communicate things. Life is hard raising a child with a severe disability, and God is good to provide for all our needs. Loving that family through this may be one of those times in a church’s life where many other things become clear in what God intends for them to do and to be. I know it certainly encourages greater dependence on God for me, a very good outcome indeed.
Even as I read my own reply, I see where I missed some opportunities. That man is an adult, for example, so making the situation ‘analogous to a child’ is dangerous language because individuals with disabilities are so often treated as children. He’s not a child; he’s an adult with disabilities. Given what I know of Matt’s heart, however, I know he was searching for ways to be helpful and not to cause harm or offense. I also missed the opportunity to encourage that man’s gifts, whatever they may be, to be used by that church, another thing that Matt would endorse.
What do you think? How can we help men like Matt and pastors dealing with situations like this? What would you have written?
The Works of God 
Another question comes to my mind too. I’m afraid it only further complicates a decision. Describing the man as “limited in his ability to relate and converse, to the point of an inability to convey the gospel in any meaningful way” doesn’t tell us whether he’s cognitively limited or physically limited.
If mainly physically limited, he may be understanding, believing, and fully committed to the beliefs and covenant of his church.
In that case, is his inability to participate and vote significantly different from a member who is homebound now and can’t be present to vote? (I know voting isn’t everything, but I’m just using that as an example.)
Yes, I see that the significant difference is that this man hasn’t been able to communicate his understanding, belief, and commitment. And so I would ask, if this is mainly a physical limitation, Is there no one to whom he communicates in his own way who can “interpret” for him?
I don’t have more advice, personally, but I am thankful for your response. If the man is, indeed, completely unable to communicate in any way regarding his understanding and belief in the Gospel, then I know that a paedo-baptist church would have no problem with the family speaking on his behalf as one would a child (though, you are right to question whether that is a good comparison). Is there nothing in the theology of those who are credo-baptist that could speak to the faith of a family unit, perhaps looking at Acts 10 and similar situations where an entire family is baptized though it is only clear that the head of the family has made a clear profession of faith. I am credo-baptist, but I read these passages and wonder how they fit into my credo-baptist beliefs. There might be some fruit there for the current conversation.
Justin S
I find this situation really intriguing, partly because of the issues regarding respect and inclusion, but also because it puts pressure on what local church membership signifies. My church ministers to a number of people with mental health and developmental issues, and I expect we will face similar questions in the near future.
At its most basic, I take a request for membership to be a desire to publicly associate oneself with a group that one identifies with and wishes to belong to. The group’s identity then determines what conditions they require for membership. Being a really big fan of the music or the church’s potlucks wouldn’t qualify a person for membership, because music and potlucks aren’t what the church is *about.* But being a part of the body of Christ together with the desire to officially belong would qualify a person.
It’s a difficult question as to how one can determine whether or not a person is part of the body of Christ when he/she has disabilities that prevent a clear statement of faith- but, for everyone, that’s really up to God to determine. As members (or deacons, or on the council, or what have you) of the local church, we look for evidence in the life of the person requesting membership- including, but hopefully not limited to, their statement of faith. If it were up to me, I would look at this individual’s life for evidence that he had opened himself up to the work of God, whatever that might look like given his situation. If I saw evidence to that effect, and it was clear he wished to officially belong to the church, I would extend membership to him. Jesus commended the widow’s (seemingly) unimpressive gift because she was willing to give all she had; I think a similar principle applies here.
This individual probably won’t be able to vote in an informed manner on a lot of issues, or carry out all of the duties typically expected of church members, but I would say it’s up to God to decide how He will work in him to benefit the church.
I think you (John and Liz) nailed the root of the issue. What does membership represent?
Like you said John, at Bethlehem membership comes with certain responsibilities, yet there is a relational aspect. Part of the rationale for becoming a member is so the shepherds know who the sheep are. But to be a sheep, you must believe. So in one sense, membership helps pastors know who they are pastoring. But in another sense, membership is a public declaration of faith and a commitment to the local body of believers.
I’m glad to be processing through this issue with people who are thoughtful and who clearly care about both membership and the disabled. Thank you (everyone) for your thoughts, I’m praying for wisdom and clarity.