Ministry is -- contrary to the way it is sometimes portrayed -- in an important sense very open towards different backgrounds, beliefs, customs, practices, and so on -- especially in the pot pourri which is the city. This is how the handbook Evangelical & Congregational describes it:
"In any church there will be problems which arise because of immature Christians, new converts and awkward sheep. But no church should ever impose conditions which turn it into a private club. The New Testament is plain. All believers are members of the Body of Christ, of the Church. A local church is bound, therefore, to accept as members all those who are Christ's redeemed people."OBSERVATION: For the full text, one may click on the link above. It seems a strange paradox -- because effective ministry in some ways sets demanding desiderata. At the same time, though, it incorporates people of the broadest description -- and both sheep and goats, up to a point. Not all would agree. A fraternal colleague showed me fifty pages of text one should accept before joining his Church.
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