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3 Reasons Why Local Church Membership Is Avoided · The Reformatory

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: What do you got for me?
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  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do, but I don't know what to do
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  [SPEAKER_01]: As long as I'm not for me, we're going to have the benediction right there, that was so good.
• 0:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: What's going on everyone and welcome to the Reformatory of Modcast for the local church and by the local church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And I am one of your hosts, Josh Loftus.
• 0:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: It is good to be with you all as you can probably tell.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: It's just me today.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And there's many reasons for that.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: The main one being that particularly my schedule this past week was absolutely atrocious So I'm not going to throw my co-host the captain under the bus.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is not something that is of his doing.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: He was ready to record multiple Times during this week faithfully and I was the Shlob that had to keep calling and canceling because you know sometimes you just have
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: a week where a lot of local church stuff pops up and it takes up the time slots that you have for other things.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's just how it went this week.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But that's okay.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Didn't want to leave you guys without something to listen to, however.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So what I did was I took the audio from a video that I put out earlier, I think was later last week regarding reasons individuals have issue with church membership and kind of got into some of the reasons behind
• 2:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Some of the things that I've heard of why church membership is avoided by a lot of Christians that may even attend their local church's faithfully.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But for some reason, have an issue with the joining the membership of that church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So, wanted to share that on the podcast feed here as well, because I know some of you guys don't follow us over on YouTube, and that's totally okay.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: You really should though, because
• 2:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: the video versions are just more fun.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They just are.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's just, you know, you can actually see the instant grams as well as listen to the instant grams.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: It's just a good time over on YouTube.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: You guys should highly consider it.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But that's neither here nor there.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Either way, you're getting it to your audio feeds here as well.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So just wanted to share that with you.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And hopefully you find it insightful.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: It's probably going to be reviewed.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: It's
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps have individuals in your own church that you know are struggling through considering whether to join the membership hopefully some of these thoughts might give you the ability to help care for them in more specific ways than you are currently able to so hope that it's encouraging hope that it's insightful to you and hope that you are encouraged not only in your own commitment and love for the local church but loving those that the Lord has put in front of you
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Just like Jesus does, that's what we do for one another, so I appreciate all of you guys listening.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for joining us here and looking forward to getting back to regular scheduled program next week.
• 3:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Here is three reasons.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Many people avoid membership within the local church.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why aren't people becoming members at their local church?
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's an important topic, and an important question to ask, especially in the context that we find ourselves post-COVID 2026.
• 3:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: We look back and we see the turmoil that the local church was in, not even five years ago.
• 4:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: It feels a lot longer, but there was only about five years ago that we were dealing with all this.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And the question remains, even being that far removed from those events,
• 4:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why is membership in the local church declining and why aren't we seeing Christians who are faithful attenders not become faithful members?
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's no shock to anyone that lives in the Pacific Northwest.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm sure other parts of the country as well that getting people to commit to things is a challenge, whether it be through the technology or social media.
• 4:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: We live in a culture that demands that we put ourselves first and focus on ourselves first.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: This is just a reality.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, we as,
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  [SPEAKER_00]: humans don't need any help doing that.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So it makes the problem even greater when we already have a propensity to put ourselves first and to not view putting others first as greater importance.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: We now live in a society that not only
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  [SPEAKER_00]: encourages that, but provides the tools for that to happen.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: It makes sense that we're going to see those effects, not even just in our own lives, but in the lives of our local churches.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And especially those of us that are leading the local church have seen the effect that that has on the membership.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: I think there's a lot of reasons, both personal and societal as to why that is.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: I would like to focus on three primary ones that I have found to be very true, three reasons why church membership is avoided by many individuals that are even faithfully attending the local church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: The first reason that I have found is that you have a lot of individuals these days, especially in the area where we do minister here in the PNW.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: who have very tumultuous backgrounds in the local church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They're dealing with a lot of pain.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They're dealing with a lot of bad experiences, whether that be a disqualified pastor, utilizing their platform and their influence to advance their own agendas.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Instead of advancing the kingdom or unhealthy church practices or unhealthy church polity that has resulted in lack of health
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  [SPEAKER_00]: the commands that we have to love one and other as Christ has.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: For one reason or another, we have a lot of people entering into local churches these days with what many would call church hurt.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: There are many individuals that are coming through our doors that have had some really bad experiences in the local church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And this can cause
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  [SPEAKER_00]: a hesitancy when it comes to wanting to get plugged in, wanting to get to know folks and to be known by folks and a biblical understanding of membership and what membership is and what it requires of us insists that we do all those things and insists that we get plugged into the church and insists that we commit to knowing our brothers and sisters and being involved
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  [SPEAKER_00]: their lives, and it insists that we, as individuals, see that we are a part of something here that is bigger and greater than us, and it requires us to be vulnerable.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: It requires us to be transparent, and that could be scary, especially when they have had experiences where they have allowed that to happen in the past, and they've gotten burned by it.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So, when we are dealing with individuals that are hesitant to join a local church and wanting to become part of the membership, that's always a good thing to look into is what have your experiences been with the local church up to this point?
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Have you been a member before?
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  [SPEAKER_00]: How did that go?
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  [SPEAKER_00]: What have your relationships been with your pastors and elders in the past?
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  [SPEAKER_00]: What has your commitment and service looked like in the local church in the past and you can start digging into some of those things that might be causing That hesitancy to jumping back in again.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: That's something that I have found is quite often the case
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  [SPEAKER_00]: The second thing that I have found to be very true, especially here in Washington, is that you have the vast majority of individuals that will come into the church, but have no biblical understanding as to what membership is.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: who it's for, why we do it, and why we see it as an important act of obedience as Christians.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So when we see these individuals that are coming through our doors but seem to have no desire or interest whatsoever in joining the members above a church, something that we should be asking is, okay, do they understand what membership is?
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Do they understand why it's important?
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Something that I found is that a vast majority of people view church a lot like a Costco membership.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They have their their card and they pull it out and use it when they need it.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And then when they aren't in need of it anymore, then it goes back in the back pocket.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They don't think about it until they need it again.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: That's how a lot of people view membership.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Some people view it as their entrance just into some sort of country club.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And they're a card carrying member of that church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And they really don't understand the commitment.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: and the biblical principles that lie behind this understanding of membership.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So there are great opportunities for shepherding and discipleship with these individuals because leading someone into the membership of a church and seeing the light bulbs go off as to, oh, this is something that's really important.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: This is something that has great value for me and an ability for me to be an asset and a value to my brothers and sisters.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: that's so encouraging and something that we should be willing to take the time to do.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, there's a third observation that I have found when dealing with those that are either hesitant or downright antagonistic toward joining the membership of a local church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And that is that
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  [SPEAKER_00]: they simply do not want the accountability that comes from being a member at that local church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'll preface this one by saying this.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: When someone comes through the doors of our church and has no desire to join the membership of the church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: As a pastor, I am making sure that I guard myself against jumping to option three before considering options one and two.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: in other words, if someone's dealing with hesitancy toward joining the church and joining the membership, I'm going to assume first until proven otherwise that the reasons for that is either.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They've had some very bad experiences in the past that's causing that hesitancy.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: That's something to be shepherded through kindling with grace.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Or they are biblically illiterate of what membership is and why it's important, which again gives that opportunity to shepherd them with grace and humility, and I'm fine with either of those taking as long of a time as needed.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But dealing with a third option is a different story.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Because you will have some coming into your local church who have that spirit of individuality that permeates the area that we're in here specifically in the PNW.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But wherever one is their own authority, it's very difficult to get people to agree to be a part of something if it causes any amount of inconvenience toward them.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And you have individuals coming through the doors of your church that do not want to be accountable to anybody.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They want to be their own authority.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They don't want to be subject to any elders.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They don't want to have to invest into the lives of other people.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: They don't want to be known because being known is uncomfortable.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And it is.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: It's uncomfortable for all of us.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But a biblical understanding of membership requires that we are known and that we seek to know our brothers and sisters and first some people that is something that they are simply not willing to do.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's where we get to the very difficult part of those that are attending our local church, but not desiring to join the membership is that there will come a time where you have to have a conversation with that individual and pose the question to them whether or not it would be a good idea for them to move on and perhaps find a place where they would be comfortable joining the membership of the church.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: because that should be our desire for everyone that comes through the doors is that they would be joined to us in membership that they would be joined to to one another in the bonds of covenant.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: That is what we should want as pastors.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And there are some individuals.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: that simply do not want that, so we need to make sure to take the time to shepherd them and to guide them and to have those meetings, to have those phone calls, and and to feel those questions, especially when those questions are coming from ignorance or pain.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes, that process can take a while and that's okay, that's not a bad thing.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But if we get to the end of that process, we realize that this individual simply wants
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  [SPEAKER_00]: to gain something from the church and not to give, this simply wants to be fed but not to feed, and they simply want to be invested in, but they don't want to be committed to their brothers and sisters, that does require that a hard conversation happens.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: and out of love for that individual because my disposition for that individual has not changed.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: I still want that person to find a local church that they can be a part of, and that is not out of a spirit of join us or hit the road.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Our way or the highway, that is out of a desire of truly wanting that person to experience the membership of the local church and the blessings that come from it.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's obvious that this is not the place for them.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's okay.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's really hard conversation that a lot of pastors don't want to get to and I'll be honest, it is an uncomfortable one, but it's worth it.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Because I want a church that is filled with people that are committed to one another.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And we should be very willing as pastors to take the time to walk those roads within individuals that have questions that are seeking understanding, that are processing pain.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: But if it gets to the point
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Does not want to join the membership then I want that person to be somewhere where they do want it.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Those are just some thoughts on
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  [SPEAKER_00]: membership of the local church whites important and how we should shepherd those that are seeking membership or perhaps have questions about it again.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm by no means an authority to this, but those are the three main ones that I have found to be prevalent at least here.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: And I would love to hear from you guys regarding some of the instances or reasons that you have heard in your local church for why some folks might be hesitant.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: toward local church membership and how you have sought to shepherd them through those things.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that'd be a very worthwhile discussion.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: So I hope this has been encouraging and I appreciate you guys watching.
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  [SPEAKER_00]: I hope that you have a blessed week and we will catch you later.