Article October 17, 1953 Issue

The Pupil and Church Membership

Membership in The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, or in one of its branches, or both, is a joyous privilege. It is attained not merely through desire but through spiritual readiness, as shown by the following statement, which in accordance with the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy (pp. 114, 116) appears on the forms provided for applying for membership in The Mother Church: "One who is not a member of any church, excepting a branch church of Christ, Scientist, who loves Christian Science, and reads understandingly the Bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Reverend Mary Baker Eddy, and other works by this author, and who is Christianly qualified and can enter into full fellowship with the Tenets and Rules of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., is eligible to membership." Sunday School pupils, when considering church membership, may need to be reminded that this progressive step is not to be taken simply as the result of a human decision but that it comes as the result of earnest prayer and spiritual growth.

Section 3 of Article IV of the Manual provides for accepting children into The Mother Church at the age of twelve, but branch churches make their own rules regarding the minimum age for membership. Some branch church bylaws do not designate a minimum age, but each application is considered on its own merits. Pupils when applying for church membership should be familiar not only with the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, but also with the Church Manual. Before approving a pupil's application one should be sure that the applicant has given special attention to Sections 1, 4, and 6 of Article VIII of the Manual and recognizes the need of fulfilling the duties therein set forth.

Although it is customary at intervals to make an announcement in the church service about applying for church membership, it is not customary to do this in the Sunday School, since the Order of Exercises for the Sunday School on page 127 of the Manual makes no provision for announcements. It is the privilege of the teacher to keep before the thought of the pupils the importance of the Church which Mrs. Eddy established. As the child understands more and more of our Leader's teachings and her mission, he naturally becomes imbued with a desire to unite with the Church, in order that he may thereby help to carry on mankind's redemption in accordance with her great discovery.

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