Tim Luimes

I believe that ship has sailed some time ago.  Denominational loyalty is virtually irrelevant to young people today.  The comment about seeing what is said and what is done is so true.  This was already hinted at a long, long time ago in a short story by James Schaap.  If memory serves, it was about the worship wars going on in a church where the anger over opinions of right worship flared to the point where one person on the committee hollered, "If I had a dime, I'd quit this committee!"  Whereupon a young person who up until now had sat silently amidst the arguments, stood up and slapped a dime on the table and walked away.

I enjoy the network and the new look.  I'm also one who browses occasionally, but usually find at least one thing of interest.

I agree that "membership papers" may be a thing of a past generation, but the fact is we still have them in the CRC Church Order.  Does anyone have a better approach?  What can be done in such a transient society where denominational ties are weakening and where moving to other communities seems inevitable?  I would doubt the CRC is ready to drop the concept of membership at this point.

I believe that ship has sailed some time ago.  Denominational loyalty is virtually irrelevant to young people today.  The comment about seeing what is said and what is done is so true.  This was already hinted at a long, long time ago in a short story by James Schaap.  If memory serves, it was about the worship wars going on in a church where the anger over opinions of right worship flared to the point where one person on the committee hollered, "If I had a dime, I'd quit this committee!"  Whereupon a young person who up until now had sat silently amidst the arguments, stood up and slapped a dime on the table and walked away.

Until such a time as we meet another extra-terrestial being to ask them these kinds of questions, isn't this a lot like asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

I would argue that confession is still necessary for the soul, however the perfunctory and typically generic or casual time of confession that is so often included in the order of worship without much careful thought is not necessary.  We need worship leaders to give some careful thought to our practices and make them richer expressions of confession and worship.  In some ways, I think the Catholiic tradition of confession is meaningful in that people are held accountable to someone, but the practice of absolution after a few hail Mary prayers lacks the integrity.  The epistle of James says, "confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed."  I suspect there is something of accountability built into James' admonishment. 

The days of expecting to have impact on a family's spiritual life by visiting "once a year" are long gone, if they ever truly existed.  Did a once a year visit ever truly communicate that the church cared?  What speaks care and concern for spiritual life of people is not the perfunctory visit, but regular genuine communication.  I would strongly argue that the best approach to basic pastoral care is through small group ministries which are developed as part of a church's overall plan for pastoral care.

The article seems to suggest that there are more steps of screening that will reveal who past abusers particularly for those who have not been convicted. It would be helpful to know what those steps are if indeed they exist. The perfect screening procedure does not exist. Will reference checks (presumably supplied by the volunteer) or personal interviews reveal something more?