Faith Fact- Members vs. Communicants in Good Standing

1) In The Constitutions and Canons of The Episcopal Church, Title I Canon 17 Section 1(a) says this about Membership:

"All persons who have received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism with water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, whether in this Church or in another Christian Church, and whose Baptisms have been duly recorded in this Church, are members thereof."

In other words, everyone who has been baptized is a member of the church. Period. No other qualifications.

2) The Canons also specify the definition of Communicants in Title I Canon 17 Section 2(a):

"All members of this Church who have received Holy Communion in this Church at least three times during the preceding year are to be considered communicants of this Church."

These are the people who attend church on a, one would say, semi-regular basis at least. Notice it says three times, so to be a Communicant, you have to attend more than just Christmas and Easter.

3) Further, there are Communicants in Good Standing. Title I Canon 17 Section 3 states:

"All communicants of this Church who for the previous year have been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God, are to be considered communicants in good standing."

These are the people who regularly attend worship and are active in the parish. One might even say these people are the backbone of the parish.

Communicants in Good Standing are called to do two things, (1) be faithful in worship (missing only when prevented by good cause) and (2) help spread the Kingdom of God. The latter is done in 3 ways:

       A) We can do lots of works in the world to spread the Kingdom of God. This is what Evangelism is: spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ through word and deed. It's not just about doing good deeds for others, but doing those works in such a way that Christ Jesus is manifest to others. The same is true for our words- they need to convey the love of Jesus to our fellow people.

       B) Prayer is another important way we help spread the Kingdom of God. You can read more of my thoughts on prayer by clicking here.

       C) Giving can take many forms. One of those forms is through money. Giving financially is an imperative to those who have much just as it can be a burden for those who are struggling financially. Giving can also be in the form of gifts or other treasures which might not always be money. This could be in the form of objects we have or the use of our talents in art and other creative pursuits.

Baptism is the only thing we need to make us a member of the church, but consider taking the next step and become a Communicant in Good Standing. Whoever you are and whatever your gifts may be, the church needs you. That's a fact.