INTERVIEW WITH DAVE REIMER

Did the church you were baptized in tie baptism and membership together? Did you (do you) ever question your church’s approach?
Dave paints a great picture of what it means to be baptized and grow in community with three (four?) separate lists describing it. Do these describe your church experience? If not, was that your choice to hold back from participation or did (does?) the church not have a place or space to support this kind of growth?
Can a person only participate in all the things Dave lists if they are formally accepted as a member? Is it possible to enfold, support, build up, teach, give service opportunities and so on, to anyone who is consistently present, with or without formal membership? What does formal membership provide or set in motion that doesn’t reliably happen without it?

Real, functional membership