By the time most of you read this, the OPC
membership interviews will have already begun. Over the next several months
members of our congregation will meet with a committee appointed by the
Presbytery of Southern California in preparation for reception of our entire
congregation into the Orthodox Presbyterian Church later this year. A number of
you have expressed some anxiety about the interview process, and I am happy to
discuss the process, help you “prepare,” and do what I can to put your mind at
ease.
Most of you who feel intimidated are imagining
this interview as being more than it really is. It is not an interrogation. It
is not a theological examination. It is simply a conversation. The OPC does not
require members to be Presbyterian in their convictions. You do not have to
believe in Calvinism, covenant theology, or infant baptism. You do have
to be a Christian. The membership vows are intended to ensure we believe in the
God of the Bible, trust in Christ, are repentant, and will endeavor to serve
the Lord faithfully. You do not need to be concerned about having the “right
answers” to the committee’s questions; you simply need to give them honest
answers.
This process is unfamiliar and a little
frightening because so few have ever been in a well-ordered, biblically
shepherded church. Many of us have come from churches that did not have formal
membership or whose membership standards were so low they basically amounted to
saying, “I believe in Jesus.” Of course, a Mormon or Muslim or Jehovah’s
Witness could make that claim, so it is important to ask what people
actually believe about Jesus, who he is, and whether they trust in him alone
for their salvation.
Think of these membership interviews like going
to the doctor for an annual check-up. (Don’t worry. There will not be any
bloodwork or invasive exams.) It can be a little intimidating to go into an
interview like this, but you are not there because there is a problem. You do
not have to be afraid of what the committee may say. Our elders have already
done their due diligence with regard to the membership of this local
congregation. These conversations are to demonstrate to the OPC that we belong
and to satisfy their duty to be diligent. The committee is there to welcome and
get to know us, not to terrorize or judge us. These are brothers in Christ and
friends.
How important are processes like these? I would
argue they are very important. We have seen in this congregation’s own history
the problems that develop when people are received into membership (or
leadership) without a credible profession of faith. The committee is simply
doing what the elders of this local church already do and will continue to do
in the future: ensure that to the best of our knowledge the people we receive as
communicant members are believers in Christ and endeavoring to be faithful to
him. None of us can know perfectly what is in another’s heart, and each of us
is responsible to God for our own salvation. But as shepherds of the flock, our
elders are responsible to know, feed, guide, and protect the sheep (Acts 20:28;
1Pet. 5:1-4). Not every true church is well-ordered, healthy, and faithfully
shepherded, but being part of such a church is truly a blessing and a joy. –JME
