August Guillaume

Discussing what comes 'next' even though there is no indication the virus is receding and there is no cure is not a wise use of words.  It indicates things are improving or safety can be lessened, simply because we want it.

Personally, I try and avoid being influenced by appeals for my gifts by cleverly worded appeals. I keep a list of worthy causes and when I open the document, the software chooses one in the list for me to give. Quite often an organization shows up which does not give daily requests for donations. I like it that way, so I am not influenced negatively or positively by requests for donations. I can safely deletes all such emails.

The church I belong to decided when it started to rent facilities rather than own them. This frees space for others and we only use electricity when we use the building. Of course it is up to the building owner to be a wise steward.

Canadian CRC churches usually keep membership records. This comes from our Dutch background where geneological data were kept by churches after the reformation. Likely the same reason US CRC churches still do that.

How long we will keep doing this is anyone's guess.

A web site can be compared to a church building. Most of the suggestions and advice show how to build a simple cathedral with fancy doors to attract non believers. How about a web site like a house church with limited funds?

Consider: http://fellowshipcrc.awardspace.com/
Cost: $0.00
Accessibility: From any type of computer linked to the internet including slow dial up.
Update process:
-- Any html editor such as Microsoft Word
-- Edit files on own computer
-- upload files by browsing and clicking

"dull"? yes, if you consider text dull.

We use google sites to generate a secure site for members to house directory , e-mail information etc.

New members? well, not likely via the web site but hopefully via invitation by members and signage.

 Fellowship CRC Edmonton has attempted to follow the model as described. 

Notes:

1. Many of our offerings are based on organizations our members are actively involved with.

2. Our congregational prayer consists of members's prayer requests heard by everybody.

3. Opportunity is provided for members to share their experiences.

4. Support for short missionary journeys are individually supported.

5. The church itself has minimal number of projects organized by its leaders and/or members. 

6. The above can only be done if the church is located in an active caring community with many good organizations.

-- in our case there has not been a need to quit the church to be a church!

I believe it is OK to ask for vaccination status. Vaccination is to protect others, not only oneself. If someone comes to Church who is not vaccinated, the person may be a threat to others! If the church does not want to ask for vaccination then other members may not want to come to church!

I believe asking is fine since it is done in love.  Vaccination is done also to protect others, not just onesself.

In the past, when Churches started splitting from the Catholic Church every new church wanted to know who their members were.  A membership list is handy to report to Head Office and know the commitment.  What Christ wanted was one church. Now church membership seems very fluid. When you see them - or not! rather than all the paper.

Perhaps during this pandemic situation where churches can't all be in one place, rules for communion can be adjusted to stay biblical and stay to be a blessing.  What are the Catholic churches doing now?

We use gmail to send messages.  Having about 125 addresses, we first had problems with hotmail accounts, then all of a sudden gmail sent the messages back generally because we tried and send too many emails at once.  Now we use the google distribution service which after some tweaking works pretty well.  Members first have to accept the invitation to join the distribution list, then a message is moderated, that is checked for appropriateness before approving it to be sent.  Where members have trouble joining, you can force the approval.  A google email address is only needed for the manager who maintains and operates the system. A nice feature is that the person who originates the email is the one who receives the replies, not the manager who approves the message.

We find that asking members to do various things to be sure emails are accepted does not work very well.  Social media is being used almost more than email and so things need to be as simple as possible. We have a policy that emails for activities and matters pertaining to members are accepted, but matters from third parties are denied. We have Sunday bulletins for such information. I guess each church would decide what type of messages to accept or not.

Hi Rob:

There are various ways to be ordained in the CRC. See https://www.crcna.org/candidacy/journey-toward-ordination

It does take some time since the church and local Classis will be involved.  Even if a minister takes courses at Calvin Seminary, the local Classis gets involved before the person is officially ordained.  Hopefully  that is one way to avoid really bad ministers to get ordained, although there is no guarantee.  However it does take some time so the process should start about 6 months or more before the lead pastor goes on vacation!

August Guillaume