Is this person able to give any sign of profession themselves? Even Baptist churches accept very young children as members provided they are able to give a credible profession of faith.

I think care must be taken to not generalize this topic. The church and its leaders often fear dealing with people with special needs...especially adults with special needs.

Is it really accurate to generalize that it is impossible to discern understanding or commitment of ALL adults with special needs?

Does your counsel give permission to this elder to not do what may be uncomfortable? That is: to sit and talk with this man and find out what he understands...to make sure that his church attempts to teach this man as much as he is able to comprehend and enjoy...to accept his presence in worship, smile at him (from a distance), pity his mother, and stick his head back in the sand.

I think you are right on Matt. The elder has some difficult conversations ahead. God will give him grace to shepherd effectively and carefully. He should probably disciple the parents and maybe the congregation more fully as to their understanding of membership and its implications.
This could become a very emotionally charged issue. God has called us to be compassionate towards those with "special needs" and if he comes across as not being compassionate...well, that could go very badly. These parents think membership is a right and could probably draw others to their position by playing the "our pastor has no compassion" card.

While the debilitating effects of the fall may make some unable to profess Christ in a discernible way—which is what you addressed – I don’t think this covers every situation. Other mentally-handicapped individuals, depending on their emotional and intellectual state, may very well be able to profess Christ , bear fruit, and even serve in edifying ways in the local body (I take it, that this is Kyle's point).

In these cases, the church body may in fact miss out on including this child-like Christ follower in their membership. If the mentally-handicapped man or woman can express the tender love of Christ and affection towards him, then I think there are observable grounds for inclusion. In other words, I think in context your explanation is helpful, but needs further elaboration.

Further, the inclusion of mentally-challenged men and women in the church befuddles the watching world and extols the unfathomable grace of God. Likewise, if the mentally-challenged is able to demonstrate characteristics of the new birth, they need membership, just like the rest of us.

So, I think to balance your counsel, it is important to consider those mental-handicapped who express child-like evidences of dependence, love, and joy in the things of God – e.g. joy in hearing the gospel, anticipation to read (or hear) the Word of God, delight in singing praise to God – that they too can and should be members of the local church. In doing this, is not the church fulfilling the instruction of 1 Cor 12:23, honoring the less honorable? At the same time, it proclaims the gospel to a watching world that the gospel is for all kinds of people, even for people who the world would disregard or abort.

In sum, I think whenever the church can—and as your caution rightly points out, this is not always possible – they should try to include mentally-handicapped men and women who show enduring affections for Christ and who desire membership.

Thoughts?

Dave

As a dad who has a teenage son who is significantly disabled and cannot give a 'credible profession of faith' I find myself struggling with that question as well. Here are a couple of thoughts: Membership in our church requires a commitment to the core beliefs of the church and a covenant to fulfill certain responsibilities - including voting on budgets, the call of pastors and the like. My son cannot fulfill those kinds of responsibilities, and thus should not be considered a member in the legal sense of the word. I'm ok with that.

But he most certainly is a member in the relational sense - he is known, he is loved, his needs are considered, the church invests a number of volunteer and pastoral resources into him without regard to his 'paying back' in service or finances. They make God look very big and strong and kind by how they treat my son and our family.

So, I would ask the question of the dad of this young man, what does he feel membership provides for his son? Does he consider it a sign of disrespect that a man with disabilities could not be received into membership? Is his church communicating that disrespect somehow, even unintentionally? If that is the case, membership isn't the issue or the problem, it is that church recognizing the inherent, God-given dignity of that young man and how valuable he is. Have they embraced 1 Cor. 12, which says that those who appear to be weakest are indispensable?

My guess is that the church is doing a number of things right for that dad to want his son entered into membership. And the pastor should also remember, that family has had to advocate for EVERYTHING for their son for 30 years, and advocates sometimes aren't always the most diplomatic in how they communicate things. Life is hard raising a child with a severe disability, and God is good to provide for all our needs. Loving that family through this may be one of those times in a church's life where many other things become clear in what God intends for them to do and to be. I know it certainly encourages greater dependence on God for me, a very good outcome indeed.

I am not dogmatic on this at all and I could be way off, but I believe that for the very same reasons that you are giving for not extending membership are the exact reasons for extending membership. The burden for discipleship is on the church, not the ability or perceived inability to grow. If this person can glorify God and be encouraged to do so, or be restricted from those things that hinder their ability to glorify God, why cannot this be measured (perhaps even more easily) on someone who is mostly or totally dependent on others?

But it really comes down to the why of membership. If it is a "right" then there are some red flags going up. Maybe someone wants some assurance that this person is going to heaven and this is their way to get that assurance. Or some other improper motive.

I would say this in conclusion: I think that the local church needs special needs people as members more than special needs people need to be members of their local church. The weak will shame the wise put in full view for all to see.

We have this same issue at our church with an 18 year old. Here's how we figure it:

No Jewish family ever had a baby whom they thought was a Philistine. Jewish families had Jewish kids. Sometimes those kids grew up to be Baal worshippers, and proved that they were not faithful Jews after all. But we don't admit only the elect to the visible church, because we don't know who's elect. We do our best at making a decision.

If it is impossible to know, as in this man's case, exhort the family to raise him and train him in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Remind them that the Word of God does not come back void, even in the case of the disabled, and that Jesus loves the little children (e.g. those who don't have the ability to speak like adults). Then admit him to full membership, sing with him, read him the Scriptures, and if he should ever need it, bring him under church discipline.

You wrote, "We're not saying he is not a Christian; we're simply saying it is nearly impossible for us (the church) to discern."

That's actually true for everyone. Seemingly faithful brothers have left their wives and the faith. Why did we let them be pastors and elders and Sunday school teachers? Because it is ALWAYS impossible to discern with CERTAINTY. We're ALWAYS just doing our best. Sometimes that's easy, and sometimes that's hard. But it's better to, with the best of intentions, allow an unbeliever to the discipline and sacraments of the church then to keep a true Christian away from the font and the table forever. It would be better to go swimming with a millstone around your neck.

What a difficult question. I think this would require a great deal of discernment on the part of the elder/church leader, and perhaps some consultation with a mature, Christian person who works with special needs individuals.

I'm reminded here of Jean Vanier and the L'Arche Community, in that those ministries live with those who have mental and physical disabilities, and learn patience, love, and presence. By living with these persons, all come to a greater understanding of the nature of God as truly and deeply loving. Might the membership of said church be enriched by receiving such a person into membership, even if they cannot recite a formula or assent to a creed? Might that person, as they are received to follow Jesus along with us and are placed under a common discipline, help us along the way as we help them along the way? By not receiving this person as a member of the body, even in such a limited capacity, might be to the impoverishment of us all.

I'd be very careful giving the advice you gave to this pastor. If his church is in a condition where most or all members would not understand this position, then you're putting him in a dangerous position. In In some churches this may rise to the degree of people wanting to fire the pastor. So the particular church really needs to be taken into account in formulating advice.

On the other hand, if his church understands biblical membership, and its only the parents of this individual who need some help, then I think you are on the right track.

We also need to be clear that its not the pastor's decision to grant or not grant membership. The pastor can recommend here, and certainly exert influence in one direction or another, but ultimately it is the church who must decide.

In many churches, because of years of unbiblical membership practices and lack of teaching, it may be best to accept a less-than-ideal answer to this specific question to avoid major conflict.

Two thoughts:

1. Despite being able to communicate the gospel, does he show signs of having believed and expressed it?

2. It seems one part of this is the parents' pressure and anxiety. It would help to find out why they are anxious, if they think membership is some kind of assurance of salvation. They should be counseled about what membership really means biblically -- and what you've already said about the church's ability to discern salvation in a situation such as this.

Tom