Abstract

BASSON, Enrich F.. The assimilation of church members into the local faith community. Herv. teol. stud. [online]. 2010, vol.66, n.2, pp.1-6. ISSN 2072-8050.

In this article, the assimilation of members into the faith community is discussed. When a church has found its identity in being a 'missional faith community', the outcome is growth. Growth cannot take place if the church is unable to assimilate new members into church life. People are only assimilated into the faith community when they are interconnected through relationships, and experience a fundamental sense of belonging. This article discusses aspects of membership assimilation, namely intention, active participation, and culture. A model is proposed whereby leaders can evaluate the functional worth of people for the faith community at any level of assimilation. This model can also assist leaders in creating processes to assimilate members more effectively.

Keywords : membership; assimilation; growth; integration; participation; culture; values.

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