A NEW DEPARTURE IN CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5651, 27 December 1879, Page 7

A NEW DEPARTURE IN CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

Tas ,V<7uchtt'zr Guardian fays :—A moreCent of coi.sHerable importance, probably, 'Bit 3 bearings on the practical relations to other of members of the various Kvanhelical denominations was iniiiatcdon Tuesday the opening of the new Baptist Church WBovrdon. fiy a clause in the trust deed of we property provision is made for the adjjivion to membership of Plvangelical tkrist'ans of all denominations. Such Ste®be r s—that they imy fully preserve their consistency as Presbyterians, Episcopalians. Wetlejanp, &c.—are to be styled con-Oenominational members and, in order that the Church may maintain its distinctive principle intact, they are not to or vote at church met tings upon matters baptism or other recognised points QiiTicrence among thenuelvcM and the depominatioD. No doubt, if the plan here -'ere generally upon, there ould be found in many localities one strong aa vigorous Church, instead of three or four ■ A^ a Sohng denominations. The advocates of i «ai3 nev/departure, as it may be termed, in ■ e igous matters poiut out that various importam societies are maintained by persons • ®P»esentin'«r all sections of Evanglical Chris* think that in Church matters 1 ® euer ° ,ua co-operation may be secured aifc P ereo " s whose poiuts of agreement ofdift^ cr an ; l ™° rc important than those latter av° e? frank recogaitioa of the Pen Ws^® neral Cous 2»t to treat them as