Adult Sunday School: Members' Meetings are Sacred Gatherings

The Sacred Nature of Members’ Meetings

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for this morning. I pray that you would bless our time Considering the nature of your church and what your word says about it in Jesus name. Amen. All right today we're gonna teach Sunday school or I'm gonna teach Sunday school that I've wanted to teach for a very long time.

I've wanted to collect a bunch of things about members meetings and how People should approach members meetings and I've never gotten around to this, but finally I have. So here is Let me go ahead and help pass this out.

Actually if I can get a kid to help here. There you go.

I'll take one. All right. So like I said, I've wanted to teach us for a long time.

We do get questions occasionally about about what is appropriate at members meetings. And so. Yeah, let's go through some of this. So first of all. A couple of weeks ago. I did go through the significance of members meetings.

The.

Theological Context the authority of the congregation to make judgments about the nature of Christ's body. So just to go through some of these again, but specifically those texts that show that members meetings are sacred gatherings.

Okay, they are. They are Special times where the authority of Christ is. Specifically a lot of people look at members meetings. Typically, they're often called business meetings, right. Because they're they're where the you know, the club or whatever does business.

So.

Nothing wrong with calling them business meetings because business does get done. But when people hear business a lot of times they think something mundane something earthly something not heavenly. Right, but but members meetings are not mundane.

They are. They are special times Matthew 18 20 says for where two or three are gathered in my name there. Am I among them? Okay, so the special presence of God Dwells when his people are gathered and remember in context in Matthew 18, this is talking about excommunication.

So it's not talking about just a workplace prayer meeting or anything like that. It's talking about. It's talking about Christ's authoritative presence so that his church can make judgments and declarations about his body.

Matthew 28 19 through 20 similar thing go therefore make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold.

I am with you always to the end of the age. So when Jesus says that he is with his disciples always and specifically in the context of them Baptizing this is them adding to the church. So Matthew 18 was about them authoritatively removing from the church.

Matthew 28 is about them authoritatively adding to the church. And so Christ's presence is there To give them that authority. This is something special that happens when the people are gathered and we see this again in 1st Corinthians 5 once again speaking of excommunication.

Making judgments about Christ's body when you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus. You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that a spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

Okay, so all of that Has implications for how we think about members meetings. They're not Mundane considerations are not mundane times they are Times when the Spirit of Christ is with us in a special way that we might make authoritative judgments if we treat worship as a special time when Christ's presence is with us and the angels are present with us as it says in Hebrews 12 and That dictates that the certain kind of reverence ought to be observed, etc.

All that that's true in worship is also true in members meetings. Okay, the presence of Christ is there to give us power to make judgments and that is a That demands some kind of reverence it demands a list of four things here humility gratitude zeal responsibility.

You know humility in that this is a This is a very serious undertaking that has been given to God's people. Who? Do not deserve the Do not deserve the status that we have to be able to make these judgments on Christ's behalf.

It should be approached. Recognizing it is an incredible responsibility that demands us a humility. We should approach it with gratitude. A lot of people look at Members meetings as being something that is a chore, right?

It should not be looked at as a chore, but something that it's an incredible privilege to be part of. Requires zeal from us if we are making judgments about Christ's body. That is something that is. Those pronouncements have significant Meaning, you know, whatever you loose on earth will be loose in heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. These are things that Christ cares very much about. We should therefore care very much about them and responsibility, so not just a responsibility to Not just the weight in the meeting itself.

Where you feel that it's on your shoulders to make the right judgments. But even before the meeting knowing that this is a this is a regular task that you will be called on. That will be required of you as a member that you should Yeah, exercise that responsibility to be ready to make judgments as needed.

Matthew 16 19 says I'll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you Find on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. The keys of The kingdom are what are being exercised in members meetings is a Incredible privilege.

It's an incredible responsibility to wield those keys. Not everyone gets to do it. But if you are gathered together with the body you have the capacity to do that. Okay, so all of this is just setting up.

Why why there would be? Special considerations about members meeting etiquette. You know, you don't. Of course any kind of situation requires etiquette but you don't necessarily think of every kind of gathering every kind of group as requiring some sort of serious reverence and consideration, but member me members meetings do.

Just as much as as worship meetings. Because the presence of Christ is with us and I'll make one more connection to worship when we gather for the Lord's Supper. Okay, that's something that we have to be gathered together to do because it declares the unity of the body we have Christ's presence to Declare who it is that is part of the body.

Okay, the Lord's Supper is not something you can do over zoom the Lord's Supper is not something you can do in a small group apart from the rest of the body and Why is that it is because it is only in that context that you have Christ's authoritative presence.

To declare who belongs and this is this is exactly what's happening in a members meeting, right? So These things are not so distinct. It's not oh, this one's very serious and solemn and religious and this one's very mundane and ordinary.

Okay, they're both they're both serious sacred gatherings.

All right.

Okay, so what does this imply. We're gonna break this up into several sections. One is just going to be in general.

Then.

Beforehand at the very end. We'll talk about after the meeting talk about arriving at the meeting listening speaking and voting. Okay, so let's see. Let's see itinerary here.

First.

First in general is to Good to know the Constitution of the church. If you go to sbrbc .org slash Constitution That information is there now. It's not as important to know the Constitution as it is to know the Word of God.

But it can be helpful in members meetings if you know how they are supposed to be run. A lot of times People ask questions that will indicate they don't necessarily Understand how it's supposed to be run and it can make everything more orderly and smooth if you if you do understand these things.

Secondly if we're going to be making judgments together about Christ body.

About.

What the church is and who the church is it is important to know the Word of God clearly so that you can make those judgments. I've noticed that when I. Because I tend to lead the members meetings. When I lead the members meetings a lot of times I make the mistake of assuming more shared context and the Word of God Than I should.

Right and so that's a that's a fault on me. But it's also a fault on others to sometimes right like it's fault on me and that I'm as a teacher I'm not picking up on the things. I need to be picking up on on what people need to hear.

Right and as a congregation. The fault is in not being ready with the Word of God to have the shared context that we all need. Right, so it's important to know the Word of God. In order that we have as a body a shared context from which we're making these decisions.

You could imagine that if let's say we merge with another church, right we merge with an Armenian Church or.

I.

Don't know just imagine some church of a very different tradition, and then we got together and we and we tried making judgments on things whether or not it be you know adopting a theological statement or Removing a member over some case of sin.

If we don't have a shared understanding of the Word of God because we're Because we're coming from different theological traditions. It's going to be very difficult to arrive at the same judgments now imagine you do come from the same theological tradition, but Some are very heavily invested in understanding the Word of God well and others are less.

Once again, I mean you're going to you're going to find difficulty Coming to agreement if there's not shared understandings of what the Word says now part of the Part of the beautiful thing about members meetings is that it does it kind of it's a forcing function on that.

Right it requires that we that we Bring up and call to mind Matters of the Word of God that that ought to be considered and so On one hand you want unity in and an under shared understanding of the Word of God so that you can Make those judgments together on the other hand having to make those judgments together push us toward Having a shared understanding of the Word of God, so that's it's very beneficial.

Next is to be reconciled to one another. Romans 12 18 says if possible so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all if there are ever Disagreements about things in the church because there really is nothing more important than matters of church life.

When there are disagreements there is ample room to ample room for offense. Because they are such important matters, and that's on one hand. That's very reasonable that You know if you're going to take offense about anything you would think it would be you know the most important things.

So if that's the case if you know unity is at stake, and there's a lot of opportunity for offense that means that It's far better to come into members meetings already being Unified with one another so that if anything arises that causes offense, etc it's not getting added to a backlog of Concerns or it's not getting added to a backlog of offenses that need to be dealt with.

But rather that it can be dealt with freshly so this is this is something that's just Important to keep it's important to keep short accounts with people so that in any kind of difficult circumstance You're ready for that rather than being being surprised and having a backlog of things to deal with with others.

So that'll make sense any questions on the in general section here, okay? All right, let's go on to beforehand beforehand when the agendas get sent out go ahead and Read the agenda actually. Now I'm realizing that I had a I had a paper on my desk that had extra notes on all of this that I had Scribbled in here, and I don't have that on me, so I'll try to remember some of the things that I wrote down.

Yeah, read the read the agenda and considered the motions. Proverbs 14 8 says the wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way to consider matters beforehand not just last-minute.

Yeah in the moment so for example you know we One of the things we always do is we accept the minutes from the previous meeting as being accurate. That's very helpful. If you just go ahead and read the minutes of the previous meeting Beforehand so that you're not reading them for the first time then a lot of times people will point out Issues that they only just noticed because they only just are looking at it.

That's uh It would be helpful to get those those edits in beforehand, but then when it comes to more serious matters of church life You know adding members removing members things like that is important to to consider to consider the matter beforehand.

The only kinds of things that we don't Put on the agenda that would be.

Let me.

There are several things that we don't put down explicitly on the agenda if there is a matter of Discipline that is very sensitive that we wouldn't want to just put on the on the agenda and then mail out without an Ability to explain it.

You know Proverbs 18 17 says that That the one who states his case first seems right until the other comes and examines him right. It would not be it would not Appropriate to announce some things without actually being in the context where it can be discussed more fully.

And so that would be an example where something of something that we don't put an explicit detail in the meeting up front.

But.

We do always make. But if we were to do that we would not be voting on it there. And then as some surprise thing right it would be we'd be voting on it later, so there still is there's always Opportunity to consider matters beforehand.

Okay, nothing nothing that we vote on is ever like a surprise at the meeting all right ask questions ahead of time. Hebrews 13 17 says obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to Give an account let them do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be of no advantage to you.

Okay, so When we have motions that are put forward In almost every circumstance is the elders who are putting the motions forward and it's our role to teach why this is Why this is a matter that we should vote on if this is something where?

You don't are not just why we should vote on why why you should vote positively. Why you should vote yes? Yay to whatever the the motion is. If you see something in the agenda that does not Does not resonate with you you think you're going to need Some time with the elders to understand it or to be convinced then go talk to them beforehand.

Don't. Yeah, don't wait until the meeting in order to Yeah in order to have all of these things talked about and settled now it is the case that You know we do announce some motions we announced beforehand right and we have a meeting to discuss them and then eventually the At the meeting afterward we'll actually vote on it.

So if that's if that's the kind of thing that's happening You know it's totally appropriate to go to the meeting and to hear the elders presentation right and not have everything explained to you beforehand.

But if it's a matter where the meeting That is upcoming is going to be one where there's a vote or there is something that's going to be discussed that is more urgent. These are times when you should when you should go and talk to the elders and make sure that you Are on the same page as much as possible?

Also Just having one quick discussion is not necessarily due diligence in these circumstances. You know if you if you meet with the elders or an elder and you find that You still have lots of questions or a lot of lots of misgivings about a particular thing.

Consider whether or not there's still a lot of room for for follow-up in order to yeah in order to understand more also Husbands are to lead their wives in considering motions amos 3 3 2 2 walk together unless they have agreed to meet this is said in a list of You know proverbs that are Kind of like yeah, they're just simply true.

It's obviously true that Two don't walk together unless they unless they are agreed to go in the same direction unless they're agreed to meet together. It is important for husbands and wives to be on the same page about important things in life and Church matters are important things in life.

So husbands should recognize that if their duty is to lead their wives. It's their duty to lead their wives in considering motions. So if you are a husband if you're a man of the family Do not wait until the you know, and you're on the let's say you're on the same page about whatever.

The motion is don't just assume that your wife is as well, right? Go ahead. Talk to her about the motions make sure you all are united on everything run through everything beforehand and Your wife doesn't understand something.

It's your job to To teach her if you don't know then it's your job to figure out. Okay, any questions about any of that keep going. All right arriving at meetings. Yeah, check the calendar beforehand.

That is available. You can find it in the footer of the website. There's a lot of I have gotten the comment before that there are a bunch of pages on the website that people didn't know that they exist.

Almost all of those are linked in the footer of the website. There's just a whole bunch of them including the members meeting schedule so if you. Yeah, if you go there, you can go see all the the schedule for the next two years, basically.

In the past the past two or three years probably three or four years we've been meeting on Monday nights for regular meetings we just We've decided recently that we're going to start meeting on on Sundays after the after the afternoon service.

Originally, we had the concern that would be too taxing but then at the same time. If people have things going on every other day of the week. We wouldn't want anyone to be disenfranchised and not being able to come and Sunday is a day that we've set aside for the worship of the Lord, so it's good that we would meet on that day to be able to Decide these matters.

Okay. So if you look at the if you look at the schedule all the all the regular Members meetings are going to be on on Sunday from starting in 2025.

So.

Less need to check the calendar beforehand because hopefully your work schedule is not conflicting with that but.

Still.

Still reason to check calendar beforehand in case you may have scheduled a vacation. Over one of these meetings that you would definitely want to attend.

All right.

Next is arrive on time. This is kind of a an obvious thing to Point out but and I understand that like there are There are difficulties a lot of times the ladies will be trying to get the kids settled in the training room or something Before the meeting and I under.

I understand all that but Given that we need a quorum in order to start there have been a number of times. Where? The meeting time has come and we're sitting here waiting for just one more person To show up to see if we can start the meeting.

Right, and it's like 50 -50 whether or not if we wait 10 more minutes. Are we going to be able to have this meeting or not?

So.

Yeah, good reason to show up on time now if we're having this Sunday after the after the service a lot of these concern gets to go away, but. But yeah, just something to consider. Yeah, I mean there was a time.

I mean it was only what four or five months ago. We had a meeting scheduled where we just didn't have the meeting because there weren't enough people to have the meeting. Quorum is one-third of the membership body by the way, if anybody wanted to know.

Yes. That was your question. All right, yeah, it's one-third and right now we are 39 members, so that would be 13. Yes. That's just what's in our Constitution. Yeah typical quorums are. One half. I think that is like the the standard one if you just like are starting a new organization.

Yeah part of the difficulty is that. We don't have like a distinction between. It's hard to make a kind of distinction between those who are transferring etc. So a lot of the members may not even be around to be part of the meeting.

You know now that we're doing it on Sundays. It might be might be easier to do one half, but. Yeah, anyway, that's the that's concern. All right listening listening during meeting obviously. Listen don't interrupt raise your hand speak.

No side chatter. James 1 9 says know this my beloved brothers. Let every person be quick to hear slow to speak slow to anger. It is a time of teaching. You might not think of it that way, but it is is teaching just like this.

You know just like you understand here. You know it's right to listen and pay attention. Same is true at the Adam members meeting. Because the elders are teaching on the matter at hand and how it is to be voted on.

All right. Secondly do not be anxious. Opium's four six says do not be anxious about it anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication. With Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

All right.

So.

It's been a while since we used to do it this way, but before about five years ago or so We had not started the pattern where we would take one meeting to discuss a matter and then Continue discussing at meetings until the matter had been had been taught on sufficiently to go ahead and vote on it.

So.

That means that basically there's there really is no reason to To be anxious about something. It's not it's not an emergency situation. It used to often be an emergency situation because the meeting where it was first discussed was the meeting where it was Where it was going to be voted and so I understand.

There's a little more reason to feel or a little legitimate or illegitimate there is more.

More.

Reasons in play why someone would feel feel anxious, but you should not be anxious. This is not something to get panicky about. Yeah, anything that is going to be voted on. The only things that we vote on at the first meeting where we discuss it are Adding new members and then approving dismissals and transfers, right?

So they're pretty the pretty standard things that are not. That don't have Controversy now if there is if there is some kind of controversy about them Then go ahead and come talk to us beforehand. If if there needed to be a special meeting to discuss we would we would have.

That we just usually don't schedule those multiple. We usually don't have multiple meetings to address those simple membership items because we don't want to block people from membership for multiple quarters just to.

Yeah, just to discuss.

All right.

Also be reserved with points of order. There were there was a time when we were kind of Improving our use of Roberts rules. And so people would observe frequently when things weren't done the way they used to be done or something like that.

And they would you know, just real frequently. Oh, aren't we supposed to do this? Aren't we supposed to do this? Yeah. Sometimes that can be helpful. Sometimes that can be useful. Make sure make sure you Have good confidence for what you're what you're pointing out.

My kids and family worship. It's very frequently I will read a chapter especially when we're in the prophets because a lot of the prophets the chapters sound very similar one after the Other right my kids will really frequently point out.

Oh, we just read that chapter last time. We read the chapter last time and they won't necessarily know. It can get it can get a little frustrating to me because I Because you know, I try to write down notes and then I'm I'm Trying to figure out like did I read this last time?

I don't know. And yeah, I feel like it's a 50 -50 whether or not they whether or not they really remember or whether or not they have. You know ghost memories that are coming about because there's a vocab word that they're seeing that they had heard last time.

You know, and that's all there is to it. Okay. So anyway, yeah just be Be reserved with points of order, you know, don't need to correct everything everywhere.

All right.

Speaking. Speak graciously. Do not assume motives. Comma a. I don't know what comma a means but. Do not. Yeah do not assume motives. Colossians 4 6 let your speech always be gracious. Season with salt so that you may know how you ought to answer.

Each person in Context. Colossians is talking about speaking to unbelievers, but this is true for believers as well. First Corinthians 13 7 says. Love bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all things a.

Standard verse used to Address the issue of assuming the best about others. Yeah, there's a. It's very it's very easy to. You know want to interpret motives when you hear other people speaking. But you should not operate on those motives.

You should give people a chance to explain themselves. All right. Speak biblically not pragmatically. Proverbs 3 5 through 6 says. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways.

Acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.

A.

Stereotype that exists in Congregational churches and you know, if you read books on congregationalism, they'll usually mention the stereotype is the lawyer who is there and is. Whenever something about the Constitution is being discussed.

He has all kinds of very lawyerly points to bring up but. About how things should be phrased etc, right now. All of that is very useful information outside the meeting. But when we're at the meeting because it is a matter of discerning Biblical truth.

It's important to be biblical about our considerations of things. Ultimately, we're voting. When we vote we are voting on whether or not something accords with God's Word.

Not.

Whether or not is most pragmatic. You know, we elders are very open to hearing considering any kind of pragmatic concerns outside the meeting, however. Ultimately once something is put forward and to be voted on and even when it's being discussed beforehand at the meeting the appropriate Basis for conversation for discussion is is biblical concerns.

Biblical concerns. All right. Let's see, okay speak prudently. Earlier when I talked about beforehand, you know doing due diligence talking to the elders beforehand, etc. If this is something that you have not done if you ought to have Had discussions that you did not have.

Do not decide that the meeting is going to be the place where you're going to have that discussion, right? That's not that's not a great way of going about it and Proverbs 17 28 says even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise when he closes lips.

He is deemed intelligent. That's that's not the point in time where you want to be Broadcasting ignorance, right? That's a point in time where you want to just remain silent and next time make sure that you Get get do that due diligence beforehand.

All right speak harmoniously. I couldn't. An example of speaking prudently. Right when you've not done due diligence right, so there's a lot of there's a lot of questions that Could be. Okay, so let's say let's say you're on vacation.

Let's say we're gonna vote on a constitution change. We have a meeting to discuss it. We have a meeting to vote on it. Right. Okay. Let's say you were on vacation while we had the meeting to discuss it.

You show up at the meeting to vote on it now all that time you could have you could have come talk to you. I'll just say hey, I won't be at this meeting. Could you give me a quick rundown of the reasonings?

You know, etc. Right and you choose not to do that. You don't do any of that due diligence. You show up at the meeting and there you decide to ask all your questions state all your objections, etc. Right at that final meeting to vote that would be an example of having not done due diligence and then using the meeting inappropriately to To speak in a way that is not not prudent.

All right, so that would be that would be one example. So, yeah There's lots of opportunities for for due diligence to making sure that you have all the information you need to have before a meeting. Where a vote would take place and and if you haven't done that then you should Be very very reserved with anything you might ask or say.

All right.

Speak harmoniously, I don't. I don't know if this is the best adjective or adverb rather, but I could not think of a different adverb. There is no reason to voice. There's a lot of things that don't don't need voicing disagreement.

Now it is it is right for okay, so for emotion that is where you're going to biblically object. You know if we if we say well we're gonna point this, you know woman as a pastor, etc, right. During the discussion for that vote.

It would be totally appropriate to raise a biblical objection to that motion, right?

Now.

Like I said pragmatic concerns don't need to be raised but now think for things that are not motions for things that are not being discussed Or things that are not biblical. What purpose does Raising objections have okay.

So let's say it's a let's say it's a motion and you have a Pragmatic reason why you think this is a bad idea if everybody is going to vote together on A biblical basis then what is what is the point of raising pragmatic concerns?

It is to suggest to people right if you're doing it publicly in front of others, right? It's to suggest to people that maybe this should also weigh in their mind in addition to the Word of God, right?

Now like I said those those concerns are totally appropriate to bring to the elders beforehand because the elders are the ones tasked with the responsibility of considering those Those pragmatic concerns anything else right that may might play into how we put a motion forward, etc That would be that would be totally appropriate but the only reason to speak disagreements Pragmatically publicly would be to have that compete with the Word of God in the minds of those who would vote, right?

So there's nothing there's nothing accomplished by that. Now. Let's let's talk about non motions. Let's say it's something that the elders are announcing. It doesn't it isn't a matter of voting, right?

It's not it's not a new membership. It's not a Not eldership not a change to the Constitution, etc, right? It's just here's here's an announcement the elders are deciding to do. Let's say you disagree with that.

It is.

What once again, what is the purpose of? Voicing disagreement publicly in the meeting so that so that others can hear. There would be no purpose other than to Get others on your side. What is the purpose of getting others on your side if it's not a matter for voting?

Then there would be no no good purpose for getting others on your side, right? Like if this is not something that people can change or should change right then it's not This is not something where you want to get people others on your side.

Once again, it's something to talk to the elders about Elsewhere if a matter were so Significant. Yes.

All right. I'll go ahead and feel a couple questions Emmanuel. Yeah, well you could I mean you could meet with one of the elders.

That's fine, too. I mean it depends on the depends on the issue. But but my point is that my point is that non motions There there's no. There's no profitable aim in disagreeing with non motions, right?

Cuz they're not something that we're gonna be voting on we're gonna be deciding this is not if it's not a motion. Then it being brought up as an announcement is not for us to decide together. Right, and so there's really no there's no purpose to disagree with it publicly, right?

What's that? So the way that we this is not in our Constitution, but the way that We elders informally approach. This is we require unanimous consent among us before any changes are made. Okay, so we don't if there is now there are sometimes we're not in perfect agreement.

But one of us is willing to go along with it, right? So well, we'll still move forward but each one of us elders has veto rights over any kind of change. So there's not a case where we put something forward a meeting where we aren't all on board.

That just doesn't exist. Yeah. No, okay, right. Right. Yes. Well, okay. So discuss is one thing, right if people have questions about what the change is, etc. Like oh, what are we gonna be doing at this Wednesday prayer meeting?

That's all that's totally fine. The point is This is if it's not being presented as something that we are going to decide together. Then what's the point of disagreeing with it publicly, right? Like as though it were a matter of debate, right if you have an issue and even a biblical issue, right?