I’ve attended several Masses at my local Catholic Church, but am not feeling fulfilled, and sometimes, it almost feels like I’m not even welcome. There is another Catholic Church one town away that I’m thinking about trying to attend. I’m wondering if this would be wrong because then I wouldn’t be supporting my local Catholic Church. Is it OK to join a Catholic Church in a different town than where I live?

The latest 2022 census of Religion in Scotland shows that there has been an increase from 28% of non-religious people in Scotland (in 2001) to 51.1% (in 2022). The largest decrease has come mainly from Protestant denominations with the Church of Scotland having lost 1 million followers since 2001. The census shows that 2,780,980 persons who participated self-identified as having no religious beliefs (51.1%). The total of all the Christians in Scotland who participated in the census is 2,110,405 (38.8%). My specific question relates to the Church of Scotland (which is Protestant) and why 1 million have left the church since 2001. Is there any documentation to explain why this has happened? General apathy and secularism cannot be the reason that the decline in membership is much steeper in the Church of Scotland than in the Catholic Church, for example.

I am a Roman Catholic, baptised when I was a child and later confirmed and have received communion. The Roman Catholic Church is the “default” church in my home country. I have now moved to the United Kingdom and find myself attending mass in a parish of the Church of England — quite “High Church”, although I don't think it matters. (I could reasonably attend mass in a Catholic Church, but the community + practical reasons make me feel better in the Anglican church.) I would like to take an active part in the parochial church council. For this, I shall enroll in the church's electoral roll, and declare that: > I am a member in good standing of a Church (not in communion with the Church of England) […] and also **declare myself to be a member of the Church of England** […] What does the Roman Catholic Church say on its members declaring themselves (also) members of another Church?

How does the Catholic Church define who a Christian is? Is a Christian, according to the Catholic Church, someone who 1. is baptized, 2. a member of the Catholic Church or Mystical Body of Christ 3. something else?

We know that Calvin wrote on church membership: 4.2.8 > But as here full certainty was not necessary, he has in its place substituted the judgment of charity, by which we acknowledge all as members of the Church who by confession of faith, regularity of conduct, and participation in the sacraments, unite with us in acknowledging the same God and Christ. 4.2.9 > Such persons we do not approve by our suffrage as members of the Church, but we leave them the place which they hold among the people of God, until they are legitimately deprived of it. I saw a friend write: > Calvin was inconsistent on his position on church membership. They were included and then excluded from various versions of his Institutes. My question is: **Was Calvin's statements on church membership consistent across all his versions of the Institutes?**

On several occations I have seen terms used for _active_ vs _inactive_ Jehovah's Witness church members. I have also seen inactive ones referred to as _passive_ or even with both monikers together as _inactive passive_. Based on other experiences with JW's, I imagine these terms have fairly specific definitions. I just don't know what they are. This makes me wonder exactly how membership is defined and what makes the difference between an active an a inactive member? What officially defines a person as one or the other, and what is the process and result of an official status change?

My friend recently became a member of the local Baptist church. When she and her mother wanted to join, they went to the preacher and he told them there would be a vote among the congregation members to determine whether they would be accepted into the church. She and her mother had to stand before all the members, and with a show of hands, the congregation agreed to their joining the church. It struck me as odd because it never occurred to me that there was an acceptance process for the Baptist church. Is this true of all Baptist churches? And what is the scriptural basis for this process?

When I have been looking for a church to congregate, I have found that there are different ideas about **membership**. Some churches require a *letter of transfer*. Other churches need to see my behavior for a while. I must **sign** and agree with the distinctives and the statutes (a set of rules or responsibilities). I've come to think that is too much of a bureaucratic process. Some people say that as a member, you can participate in the decisions of the church. Where does the Bible support the concept of membership? Where is it indicated that this is how things were in the first century church? ***Note: A Baptist perspective is sought.***

I realize that many conservative Presbyterian churches (PCA, OPC, etc.) have fairly basic standards for membership, not requiring much more than baptism and a basic affirmation of faith, although stricter doctrinal requirements are placed on people who become office-holders. What I'm wondering is, how involved would someone who is an Amyraldian 4-point Calvinist be allowed to be? (Or someone who denies double predestinarianism, for that matter.) Could someone who holds those beliefs comfortably attend a conservative Presbyterian church if they hold other Presbyterian beliefs (infant baptism, spiritual presence view of Communion, etc.), or would they be better off in a different denomination?

According to the PCA 's _Book of Church Order_ and any other relevant material, should members wishing to join a Reformed church (PCA) be required to adopt its doctrines or should they be allowed to join if they do not accept the doctrines? On what doctrinal issues would somebody be denied membership, and on which might variance be allowed?

I am a free will gospel Minister, if I join a Baptist church, do I have to ordained again?

What must faithful Christians do if the vast majority of the members of the Church here on earth, including those comprising the hierarchy or even the Pope, profess heresy (and are thus excommunicate)? --- This question is seeking a Catholic answer, specifically, one from a sedevacantist perspective.

I grew up around the Amish, and Mennonite communities. However, my family was half Protestant half, well.. Not religious. I am a 21 year old dairy farmer, and not baptized. It was always left open to me to find what I believed, and follow that. I've always looked in to the Mennonite religion, with strong desire to learn more. However where I live now, there are no close-by Mennonite churches. I agree strongly with the way things are viewed in this religion and I'd like to follow the church as well as the lifestyle. I believe it's time. And its something I take seriously. My question is, would I be welcomed as a visitor in a Mennonite church? And if so, could I become a member if I truly decided that's what I want?

The Roman Catholic Church is a massive organization, with members in nearly every country numbering over 1 Billion individuals. With such massive numbers and such extensive influence in the world, it is difficult to guess and estimate where tomorrow's Roman Catholics will come from. I can think of four distinct possibilities: 1. Most of today's converts are from the missionary work done in lands that have little Christian influence, such as many parts of Asia, those being mostly Hindu, Islam, and Buddhist. 2. Most of today's converts are from the missionary work done in lands that have much Christian influence, such as Europe or the Americas, which focus on persons not claiming to already be Christian. 3. Most of today's converts are from other Christian denominations. 4. Most of today's "converts" are the newborn children raised in the Faith who do not leave it when they become adults. So I wonder if there are studies that show the numbers for the Roman Catholic Church. Are there studies that can show me how many people convert, and where they are from, and what they believed/followed previously? I would like to see a breakdown of conversion numbers by continent, or country if possible, and which category they fit into. A superb answer would include numbers for those who leave the Faith.

Is it true that the Southern Baptist denomination marks no distinction between member and non-member, Christian or non-Christian, in that *everyone* is encouraged to participate in the events (sitting in the sanctuary during worship service, engaging in Bible Study groups, participating in charities, going to Sunday school, donating money to charity programs, etc.)? Or does this behavior vary from congregation to congregation (since the entire denomination operates on a congregational level by direct democracy), where some congregations may be more open to outsiders and some congregations may only reserve activities for believers or for members only, but the only difference between a member and non-member is that the member is allowed to vote and assume leadership? So, a person can be a regular churchgoer, hearing the sermons every week and sending the children to Sunday school, and not really become a member or become baptized until the person chooses to assume leadership in the church community? I suspect that it all boils down to the Baptist belief that baptism is the outward sign of inward conversion. Therefore, a person may choose to remain unbaptized or not officially become a member, unless the person wants to assume leadership roles, such as deacon.