active/inactive

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

just sharing a thought I had in the morning..

when we hear a person is inactive in church we think this means that person doesn't go to services , doesnt show up there ... but I also think that there are a lot of us that go to church every sunday, dont miss anything but only go there and sit, not paying tithing, not doing what is supposed to do according to the teachings, isn't that some kind of inactivity, u know just being pasive the opposite of active??

[dazed-and-confused]

I agree, unfortunately, and i love what Pam has on the bottom of her post messages, which reads...JUST going to church doesnt make you a christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. By and large, I think most people do go for the right reasons, lol, wait, how can I or anyone else presuppose that I/we can know their reasons in the first place.....ah, yes, we will know by their fruits. Well, there have been times when i wasn't fully present (tired or distracted by life), but I always feel better by going...and if I don't get that days message ON that day, I just may remember it and get it on another day......maybe they do to.

[LDSVALLEY]

In our Ward I think we tend to define it more the way you think. There are several members who don't attend due to health reasons for example. We don't classify them as inactive. And ones who show up for sacrament and nothing else we tend to think of them as semi active. To be fully active you need to do all you are able to do. It is sad that the Ward is short primary teachers and yet at a good guess 40% of the membership who are active in attending will not accept a calling. The statistic is worse for home and Visit teaching.

What is really funny is they are usually the first to complain when things don't go right because too few are trying to do too much. I let my investigator class know that simply being is not enough to be worthy they need to be doing.

[Snow]

just sharing a thought I had in the morning..

when we hear a person is inactive in church we think this means that person doesn't go to services , doesnt show up there ... but I also think that there are a lot of us that go to church every sunday, dont miss anything but only go there and sit, not paying tithing, not doing what is supposed to do according to the teachings, isn't that some kind of inactivity, u know just being pasive the opposite of active??

Yes - you have a very good point.... now if you can just provide the relevant list of names, we can all stone them.

[MichaelPAGuy]

Unfortunately, For some people they are only able to attend sacrament or maybe the first 2 hours of church. I know for myself, I would love to attend all 3 hours of church every Sunday, but my job does not allow me to. At least I get to attend 2 hours.

[Mercy]

Maybe but it could be their tiny thread of life line they are hanging onto while struggling with a trial. Add them to your prayers, say kind and loving words to them.

[lilered]

I have always thought that there are various degrees of activity which are not necessarily equal to ones faith, testimony of the gospel, nor knowledge. Many attend church, all their meetings, etc.. but perhaps won't do their home teaching, visiting teaching, visiting the sick, partake of their substance to aid the less fortunate, give of their time to help someone else, feed or go out with the missionaries tracting, etc.. That is why we need to use wisdom and care when judging others.

[Traveler]

Activity does not count for anything (see Alma 22:14). The critical point is covenant. Part of a covenant is a trial of loyalty to Jesus the covenant giver. The scriptures are clear that there will be a "separation" of the sheep from the goats sort of speaking.

Attend our meetings of covenant and serving in a calling is perhaps the least that should be expected of those that are loyal. Loving our fellow men (including those that fall short) is probably quite important.

The Traveler

[lilered]

Isn't the church definition of inactive when someone fails to attend Sacrement more than once a month.

[ztodd]

Isn't the church definition of inactive when someone fails to attend Sacrement more than once a month.

No. What gave you that idea?

There's not a clear line you can draw- there are varying levels of inactivity.

[LDSVALLEY]

as Ztodd said there is no clear line.

In our Ward we usually consider someone inactive when they have not shown up for sacrament for a quarter, we take them off the attendance role at that point. This is subject of course to knowledge of work interference, sickness, travel etc. Approx 50% of our Missionary effort is working with less or in active members to try and help them back to activity.

[Justice]

The Church doesn't even use the tern inactive any more. They use less active. I'm not sure how many times a month a person has to attend to be less active, but to me it's more like what is being discussed here. Sure, you can tell if someone is less active if they attend once a year, but they may have more pure motives than someone who only misses once a year.

But, in general, the church uses the term less active strictly by measuring attendance. If a person is going to improve their relationship with God, repent, and seek to be born again, it would begin with attending church, not end with it. Once they begin to attend they can become eligible for all the blessings offered by the church, including repentance through a Bishop.

[ztodd]

as Ztodd said there is no clear line.

In our Ward we usually consider someone inactive when they have not shown up for sacrament for a quarter, we take them off the attendance role at that point. This is subject of course to knowledge of work interference, sickness, travel etc. Approx 50% of our Missionary effort is working with less or in active members to try and help them back to activity.

I'm curious why do you take their names off? They are still members of your ward, right? Maybe it'd be good to keep them on there, to help keep everyone in rememberance. :)

By the way, it is expected of us to attend every week, in case that's not clear. We are commanded in scripture to "meet together oft", which we have been told means at least weekly. The most important part of meeting together every week is to renew our covenants and help gain forgiveness by taking the sacrament. We cannot get by without doing this weekly, if we want to remain close to the Savior!

.

[ztodd]

Yes - you have a very good point.... now if you can just provide the relevant list of names, we can all stone them.

Is this your response every time someone preaches repentance?

Are you feeling pricked in your heart Snow? :)

.

[LDSVALLEY]

I'm curious why do you take their names off? They are still members of your ward, right? Maybe it'd be good to keep them on there, to help keep everyone in rememberance. :)

By the way, it is expected of us to attend every week, in case that's not clear. We are commanded in scripture to "meet together oft", which we have been told means at least weekly. The most important part of meeting together every week is to renew our covenants and help gain forgiveness by taking the sacrament. We cannot get by without doing this weekly, if we want to remain close to the Savior!

.

I was speaking about the attendance role not the Ward list. We have an attendance list to count every man, woman and child by name who attend Sacrament. In our Ward we have 300 members on the Ward list but only have 120 average attendance which includes visitors and investigators. IF our attendance list was 300 names long it would waste paper, take much longer to do the attendance and be frustrating for the clerks to manage.

You are correct in we need to remember our members, one role the clerk is supposed to have is let leaders, including the mission leader, know when someone has not been attending so they can look into it.

The exact meaning of less or in active will vary from area to area and is unimportant. Trying to help them back is what counts.

[havejoy]

This thread makes me wonder what people thought of me as far as being active/inactive goes. I worked shift work so I only had 2 Sundays out of 5 off. Then, I was on vacation, out of town, attending a different ward for about 6 Sundays each year. Then there were the outages I had to work where I didn't get a Sunday off for about 6 to 8 weeks at a time. These outages happened once or twice each year.

Oh well, God knew what was going on all those years and what was in my heart.

[Justice]

The Bishop probably did too.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Justice

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

This thread makes me wonder what people thought of me as far as being active/inactive goes. I worked shift work so I only had 2 Sundays out of 5 off. Then, I was on vacation, out of town, attending a different ward for about 6 Sundays each year. Then there were the outages I had to work where I didn't get a Sunday off for about 6 to 8 weeks at a time. These outages happened once or twice each year.

Oh well, God knew what was going on all those years and what was in my heart.

this is what i mean,.. I dont wanna say that going to church makes you active there can be special curcumstances in which u can´t go and only our HF knows why and it might be that you were doing more good than other people that just went to church to sit and listen but didnt do any works.. anyways is not that these people shouldnt be going. I think going to church only to sit has its merits too.. lol not the best thing to do though,..

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

Yes - you have a very good point.... now if you can just provide the relevant list of names, we can all stone them.

may be I was the first one that got stoned..

guess who did it??

Edited July 7, 2009 by glow_inthe_dark_girl

[Hemidakota]

just sharing a thought I had in the morning..

when we hear a person is inactive in church we think this means that person doesn't go to services , doesnt show up there ... but I also think that there are a lot of us that go to church every sunday, dont miss anything but only go there and sit, not paying tithing, not doing what is supposed to do according to the teachings, isn't that some kind of inactivity, u know just being pasive the opposite of active??

Less active...we need to remember for some, Sunday is a work day and not by choice. As we have a lot of retired baby boomers and WWII folks who love to travel. I never considered them less-active.

Yes! I do believe you could use the term for those who go and do nothing.

[lilered]

Whether one refers to members as less active, inactive or some other term, the fact remains there are members of any religious denomination who would fall under catagories such as never goes to church, seldom goes to church, sometimes attends, attends most of the time, used to attend, hasn't been here for awhile, and regularly attends, etc.

In our church, I believe there are a lot of members who do not want to be labeled as inactive or less active because it has a negative conotation.

So I guess my question would be (rather than argue sematics), at what point would the ward leaders of your ward start to be concerned about your lack of attendance at church?

[Carl62]

What's the point of putting people in stupid categories like this? I know people who are considered "active" who have less than a Christ-like attitude, only obey those commandments that are convenient to them and are there for merely social reasons and I know people (one in my family) who have a Christ-like heart the size of the Grand Canyon and even pay their tithing faithfully because they feel like it will help the less fortunate and not so much that they are commanded to but still don't go to church, yet they are considered "inactive". Again, what good are the labels?

[Hemidakota]

Labels are given by those who assumed but failed to judge appropriately. I do agree with the last statement. I had watch members never reach the pinnacle of level which Joseph Smith received and served faithful. However, there is something wrong here. Why?

Yet, I have found a few who charity and faith is beyond the measure of the many, as the prophets and the Savior. For them, it is not relevant or important to hold leadership callings or place importunate on works will delivered them, or places ones work over the desire or the will of the FATHER. It is more than - I am serving myself vice in serving the Master.

[LDSVALLEY]

As with most things in life, labels or categorizing members can be good and bad. As an administrative tool it is useful to, on a broad bases, classify a level of activity to get an understanding for how well a Ward is doing with taking care of the Lord's flock. Like statistics it is simply a measure to help show development or lack of. When we slap that same label on specific individuals without looking at all aspects of gospel growth we easily throw our categorizing off.

The reason I use these terms is not to label an individual but to categorize them in order to know whom to try and work with as a higher priority and at what level. While I usually use less active vs active for attendance in things ( taking into account health issues, work etc) I also work with Ward Leaders to identify those who are physically present but not spiritually and work with those people as well.

The important part is what Lilered asked. when are leaders in our Wards concerned. For our Ward it varies with the Leader. As mission leader I tend to jump quickly and voice concern if I haven't seen someone for a couple of weeks in a row and don't know of a reason. Most of the time it is nothing, vacation, illness, work etc. But then there are times when it is something and people tend to respond well if they realize people do miss and care for them. I focus mostly on those who are new or recently reactivated but try and notice anyone.

It is actually one of the primary roles of the Ward clerk to pay attention to this, check with auxiliary secretaries and either bring it to the attention of the Bishop or have a secretary bring it to the attention of the proper auxiliary leader.

[Seanette]

I've been through inactive periods that would have been a lot shorter if there HAD been someone who cared enough to get in touch and find out why they hadn't seen me in a long time. A major reason for those downswings for me is when I don't feel like anyone cares whether I'm around or not anyway.