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Importance of Membership Audits in Organizations

This document explores the need for membership audits within organizations, contrasting them with financial audits. Conducted by G. T. Ng, PhD, it highlights why assessing membership accuracy is crucial for effective governance and the integrity of the organization. Membership audits ensure that records reflect true membership, enhance accountability, and support strategic decision-making. By addressing this often-overlooked area, organizations can improve their engagement, support services, and overall mission fulfillment.

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Importance of Membership Audits in Organizations

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  1. MEMBERSHIP AUDIT

    G. T. Ng, PhD General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
  2. Why is it that we have financial auditors but never membership auditors?
  3. WHY SHOULD MEMBERSHIP AUDIT BE CONDUCTED? Church membership record has become bloated through the years. There is great disparity between membership and attendance.
  4. WHERE SHOULD MEMBERSHIP AUDIT BE CONDUCTED? At the local church level, only.
  5. WHO IS SUPPOSED TO DO MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? The primary person responsible for membership audit is the local church clerk with help from the church pastor.
  6. HOW IF THE LOCAL CHURCH CLERK DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO DO MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? The local church clerk and the pastor must first be trained.
  7. WHO IS TO TRAIN CHURCH CLERKS AND PASTORS? The conference/mission/section/field executive secretary.
  8. WHAT IF THE CONFERENCE/MISSION/ SECTION/FIELD SECRETARY DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? The union executive secretary needs to train him.
  9. WHAT IF THE UNION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY KNOWS NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? It is the responsibility of the division executive secretary to train him.
  10. HOW OFTEN SHOULD CHURCH MEMBERSHIP BE AUDITED? At lease once a year.
  11. IS IT TRUE THAT MEMBERSHIP AUDIT IS AN EASY PROCESS? It is a deceptively simple but long and painful process.
  12. WHAT IS THE REAL PURPOSE OF MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? The ultimate goal is to redeem missing and lost members.
  13. WHY THE GNASHING OF TEETH IN MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? 1. Administrative resistance 2. Secretariat fatigue 3. Indifference 4. Failure to read the Church Manual
  14. WHAT IS THE BASIC ISSUE IN MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? Leadership integrity. (members tend to snicker when they look at membership figures)
  15. IS MEMBERSHIP AUDIT AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY? No, not at all. Almost all divisions have done it and are continuing to do so. It is an ongoing process.
  16. WHEN WILL MEMBERSHIP AUDIT END? It will end when Jesus comes.
  17. HOW TO BEGIN MEMBERSHIP AUDIT? Begin with prayer. Pray for grace and endurance. Study the Church Manual.
  18. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
  19. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Church membership should be entered seriously. It involves “serious, solemn obligations.”
  20. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 2. “Only those giving evidence of having experienced the new birth, and who are enjoying a spiritual experience in the Lord Jesus, are prepared for acceptance into church membership.
  21. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Candidates should be given “thorough instruction in the fundamental teachings and related practices …before being baptized and received into church fellowship.” (CM, 29) * They should be carefully instructed. (CM, 30, 31, 32)
  22. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Baptism is a prerequisite to church membership (CM, 29) * “Baptism is a most solemn renunciation of the world.” (6T, 91-92)
  23. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 5. Candidates should be examined before church board or board of elders. (CM, 31)
  24. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Candidates should affirm their acceptance of the baptismal vow.
  25. STANDARD BAPTISMAL VOW 1. Do you believe in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit? 2. Do you accept the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of men, and believe that through faith in His shed blood men are saved from sin and its penalty? 3. Renouncing the world and its sinful ways, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, and do you believe that God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven your sins and given you a new heart? 4: Do you accept by faith the righteousness of Christ, recognizing Him as your Intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary, and do you claim His promise to strengthen you by His indwelling Spirit, so that you may receive power to do His will?
  26. STANDARD BAPTISMAL VOW 5. Do you believe that the Bible is God's inspired word, and that it constitutes the only rule of faith and practice for the Christian? 6. Do you accept the Ten Commandments as still binding upon Christians; and is it your purpose, by the power of the indwelling Christ, to keep this law, including the fourth commandment, which requires the observance of the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath of the Lord? 7. Is the soon coming of Jesus the blessed hope in your heart, and are you determined to be personally ready to meet the Lord, and to do all in your power to witness to His loving salvation, and by life and word to help others to be ready for His glorious appearing?
  27. STANDARD BAPTISMAL VOW 8. Do you accept the Biblical teaching of spiritual gifts, and do you believe that the gift of prophecy in the remnant church is one of the identifying marks of that church? 9. Do you believe in church organization, and is it your purpose to support the church by your tithes and offerings, your personal effort, and influence? 10. Do you believe that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that you are to honor God by caring for your body, avoiding the use of that which is harmful, abstaining from all unclean foods, from the use, manufacture, or sale of alcoholic beverages, the use, manufacture, or sale of tobacco in any of its forms for human consumption, and from the misuse of, or trafficking in, narcotics or other drugs?
  28. STANDARD BAPTISMAL VOW 11. Knowing and understanding the fundamental Bible principles as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is it your purpose, by the grace of God, to order your life in harmony with these principles? 12. Do you accept the New Testament teaching of baptism by immersion, and do you desire to be so baptized as a public expression of your faith in Christ and in the forgiveness of your sins? 13. Do you believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the remnant church of Bible prophecy, and that people of every nation, race, and language are invited and accepted into its fellowship? Do you desire membership in this local congregation of the world church?
  29. ALTERNATIVE BAPTISMAL VOW Do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, and do you desire to live your life in a saving relationship with Him? 2. Do you accept the teachings of the Bible as expressed in the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and do you pledge by God’s grace to live your life in harmony with these teachings? Do you desire to be baptized as a public expression of your belief in Jesus Christ, to be accepted into the fellowship of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and to support the church and its mission as a faithful steward by your personal influence, tithes and offerings, and a life of service? (The alternative baptismal vow was introduced in 2005. It originated with the South Pacific Division branch of the Biblical Research Committee.)
  30. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Candidates should be given certificates of baptism following baptism. (CM, 34)
  31. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 8. The church body votes their acceptance into the church, subject to baptism. (CM, 35)
  32. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 9. The church clerk records the names of the baptismal candidates on the church record book.
  33. WHEN A MEMBER MOVES…
  34. WHEN A MEMBER MOVES… 1. When a church member moves to a different area, the clerk of the church holding the membership record should write to the secretary of the relevant conference/mission/field and request that a pastor in the new locality make a pastoral visit to the individual. (CM, 36)
  35. WHEN A MEMBER MOVES… The visiting pastor should facilitate membership transfer. A church member who moves from one locality to another for a period of longer than 6 months should make immediate application for a letter of transfer to a church near his/her new home. (CM, 36)
  36. WHEN A MEMBER MOVES… 4. If the new home is in an isolated area with no church within a reasonable distance, the member should apply to join the conference/mission/field church. (CM, 36)
  37. HOW TO TRANSFER MEMBERSHIP?
  38. HOW TO TRANSFER MEMBERSHIP? The member writes to the church clerk of the church he desires to join. The church clerk sends the request to his home church clerk. Upon receiving the request, the home church clerk brings the request to the pastor who brings it to the church board. (CM, 36)
  39. HOW TO TRANSFER MEMBERSHIP? The pastor brings the recommendation to the church: first reading & second reading. If voted, the church clerk prepares a letter of transfer and forwards it to the church clerk of the new home church. The clerk of this church passes the letter to the pastor who brings it to church board.
  40. HOW TO TRANSFER MEMBERSHIP? H. When voted, two things should happen: *The clerk of the new home church adds the member’s name and date on the church membership record. *The clerk of the old home church deletes the member’s name and date on the church membership record.
  41. CAUTIONS
  42. CAUTIONS Church letters of transfer are granted only to members who are in regular standing. The membership of a member who is under discipline should not be transferred.
  43. CAUTIONS The church board does not have the authority to transfer membership. The pastor does not have the authority to transfer membership.
  44. CAUTIONS 5. Membership transfer should not be done without the consent of the individual concerned.
  45. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
  46. GENERAL PRINCIPLES Each church should keep a membership record. Each church should have but one membership list. The church record should contain the names of all members.
  47. GENERAL PRINCIPLES Each name should have a serial number which does not change. Names should be added to church record only on the vote of the church by profession of faith, baptism, or letter of transfer. Names may be deleted through death, dropped, or missing as voted by a church business meeting.
  48. PROCESS 1. Distribute membership list to church members and have them identify missing members. 2. Members return with information of the whereabouts of individuals on the list. 3. Redistribute the list 3 months later. Clerk rechecks clues. 4. Pastor organizes teams of elders and deacons to get in touch with missing members through: --Personal visits --Telephone, e-mail --Personal letter
  49. 5. When all attempts fail to locate missing members, the pastor recommends the names to the church board. No person may be dropped or transferred in or out of the local church membership by the church pastor. 6. The church board recommends the list to the church business meeting. No church board can drop, or transfer any name but should recommend action to the church in business session 7. The church business meeting votes to delete names. The meeting should be duly called and have quorum. 8. The church clerk sends the updated list to the mission/conference.
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