tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9901815.post116789856268043528..comments2023-06-04T14:47:02.324+01:00Comments on a sideways glance: New year, continuing conversationssimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13470335172330595542noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9901815.post-1169032640947654672007-01-17T11:17:00.000+00:002007-01-17T11:17:00.000+00:00simon - leaving aside the issues sourrounding open...simon - leaving aside the issues sourrounding open and closed membership in Baptist churches, on the whole area of belonging I'd recommend a read of Joseph Myer's books, "The Search to Belong".Brodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17281646240199549001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9901815.post-1167996603904172862007-01-05T11:30:00.000+00:002007-01-05T11:30:00.000+00:00Hi SimonGlad that you had a good break. Re, baptis...Hi Simon<BR/><BR/>Glad that you had a good break. Re, baptism, at the moment I am really throwing out some things for discussion and comment.<BR/><BR/>I have enjoyed following the discussions on your blog re membership, covenant, community etc as I think they are so pertinent to everyday as it were church life.<BR/><BR/>As these discussions have been going on and as I have tried to make sense of my own thinking I guess there is an underlying thought that I am wondering about:<BR/><BR/>Should our practice be determined by that which is pragmatic from the point of mission (understood as evangelism understood in terms of an increase in numbers) or should it be guided by an underlying theology.<BR/><BR/>E.g. an open membership Baptist Church may make sense from the standpoint of mission (KBC is open membership) but in taking this approach are we in the long term effectively damaging something important re the place of Baptism and its function in the witness of the Church?Stuart Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08107195255166362803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9901815.post-1167905438737324912007-01-04T10:10:00.000+00:002007-01-04T10:10:00.000+00:00Hmmnnn... baptism or belonging? Which one shall I ...Hmmnnn... baptism or belonging? Which one shall I comment on? I think I will pitch for the ongoing theme of community, although I would be interested in a link to Stuart's blog to see what is being discussed there.<BR/><BR/>I am interested to know how you plan to organise your lunch time family meeting on Sunday. Are you envisaging people sitting round their tables but having a meeting that is still chaired from the front or a hubbub of simultaneous conversations, perhaps with some pauses where each table is expected to feed back (to avoid them talking about the weather, East Enders and anything but what it means to belong)?Wulfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122559314286527166noreply@blogger.com