Augustine’s Process for
Receiving New Members
The ancient church had no
“membership” like modern denominations have, but it did have a process of
taking candidates into the church and members in the church and catechumens
knew who was who. It may be helpful to outline the process for a person
to become a fully functioning “member” of the church at Augustine’s time—about
400AD as a mean of examining our own process of receiving members and preparing
them for baptism. The membership methods of the North African Christian
churches Augustine led provide a handy platform for discussing membership today
(and provide arguments for both those who wish to “raise” or “lower” membership
standards, so it is an excellent platform to discuss membership matters).
STAGE ONE: Examination and initial rites
This initial stage involved a four step process.
1. Interview by a
“catechist.” A catechist was a gatekeeper of sorts and the first person
processing someone interested in joining the church. The interview asked why
the person wanted to be a Christian and be baptized. Was it because of
another Christian or a dream they had? Had they experienced a miracle or
healing or was it because of Christian literature they’d read? The question was
not intended keep people with mixed motives but for clarification.
Augustine argued that the catechist should presume the best and trust that the
grace of God will use the catechist to turn a feigned “conversion” or a
“conversion” for improper motives into a real one.
2. Introduction to
Christianity in a single well crafted speech The second step was hearing the Christian narrative from Old and New
Testaments in a prepared speech that closed with an exhortation about last
judgment, resurrection of the body, and warning about the “chaff” in the
Church. The warning about the “chaff” in the church was to encourage the
prospective member look for the wheat in the congregation, but not be
discouraged by those in the church who were not living full Christian lives.
Augustine compared this speech to the idea of one friend taking another friend
through a tour of a beautiful country.
3. Accepting the basic Christian Narrative. After
the narrative speech the person was asked directly if they accepted this basic
Christian message.
4. Initial rites: sign of
the cross, laying on hands, & salt. If
the person accepted the basic Christian message they experienced the initial
three rites—the sign of the cross on their forehead, a laying
on of hands, and a taste of salt on the tongue. By this rite, they were
now Christians and counted as “catechumen members” of the Church. Augustine
taught that Baptism gave new birth, but this initial rite signaled a person’s
conception in the Church’s womb.
STAGE TWO: “Catechumen”
1. Multi-year
“Apprenticeship” in Christian Living
Once the person had receives
the initial rites they entered a 2-3 year apprenticeship in Christian living
before they could apply for baptism and they were considered a
“catechumen.” While initial rites had cared for belief matters, this
process addressed lifestyle. Augustine put it thus: “What is all that time for,
during which they hold the name and place of catechumens, except to hear what
the faith and pattern of Christian life should be?” The catechumen needed
both instruction in Christian living and time to
implement the lifestyle of the Christian. So, where did they get this
instruction?
2. Attending church
One might assume that there
were special “catechism classes” for the catechumens at this time but that is
not so. The “classes” were the regular “Services of the Divine Liturgy.” They
joined with the regular congregation for worship, heard and pondered the
Scriptures as read, sang hymns and listened to sermons. However this was
more than “come to Sunday worship a couple years” in Augustine’s day—the
Service of the Divine Liturgy occurred four times a week or more—they expected
serious commitment for a couple years. During these several years the
catechumens only stayed for the first part of worship—all catechumens were
dismissed soon after the sermon and before the Eucharist. The liturgy of the
Eucharist was kept a part of the “secret” second part of worship and reserved
only for baptized Christians. At every service all attendees know who was
not yet a full member of the church—they left before the Eucharist.
This exclusivist practice
seems repugnant to modern equalitarian Christians but it was the practice of
the ancient church—not just by Augustine but across the ancient church. But it
was not without its own problems then either. Many catechumens never
proceeded beyond this step. They continued in the catechumen stage for
years or even to near the end of their life. Some wanted to avoid the
rigorous penitential discipline that was next required, and some simply wanted
to “sow more wild oats” before
taking the final plunge. Augustine acknowledged that many catechumens
lived at a lower standard, but his conventional wisdom was: “Leave him alone,
let him do it; he is not yet baptized.” Apparently it did not frustrate
Augustine that so many had taken the first steps of faith but refused to “go
on” and become fully devoted to full membership.
STAGE THREE “Petitioner for Baptism”
The third stage began when a
catechumen, after having been a faithful catechumen for several years wanted to
become a full member of the church. The catechumen was urged to apply for
baptism. Usually before the season of Lent, Augustine would rally all his
catechumens and exhort them to apply for baptism. While the initial rites was
considered a “conception” into the church’s womb of sorts the third stage was
seen as giving birth
1. Rigorous Training—40 days of Lent
For those prepared to go on
into full membership (called “petitioners”) the 40 days of Lent were a time of severe preparation beginning on what we call
“ash Wednesday.” Each petitioner was expected to fast each day until
2. Handing Over of the
Creed—two weeks before Easter
Two weeks before Easter,
Augustine would recite the creed “handing it over to the petitioner” and he
gave a sermon explaining and expounding each of its phrases (we have these
sermons). Over the next week, the petitioners were expected (with the help of
others) to completely memorize it. One week later Augustine would test each
petitioner next “giving” them the Lord ’s Prayer.
3. Exorcism—eight days
before Easter
Usually eight days before
Easter, the petitioners spent the entire night praying and singing psalms
together. Then one by one they would be led before the assembled faithful. An
exorcist came forward and invoked the name of Christ, cursed the Devil, and
then breathed on the petitioner so “the hostile power of the devil might be
knocked out of them.”
4. Breaking Fast and
Bathing—Holy Thursday
On what we now call “Maundy
Thursday” the petitioner broke their fast and bathed the first time since
beginning the intense process of moving toward baptism.
5 Handing Back the
Creed—Holy Saturday
On Holy Saturday the
petitioners stood before the assembled faithful and recited the creed from
memory. After this, Augustine delivered a sermon on baptism. There would be
prayer and worship especially focused on anticipating the resurrection of
Christ.
6. Baptism, Chrismation, and Eucharist—Easter Sunday
Early Easter morning the
petitioner would receive a white baptism robe and be baptized among the
faithful, then they would receive the “chrismation”
(anointing with oil signifying the sealing of the Holy Spirit) and finally
(after several years) they would be able to take their first communion—the
Eucharist at the Easter service.
7. Follow up Instruction
The entire following week
would be spent in further instruction, helping the newly baptized person
understand more fully the events, rituals and symbols of baptism and Eucharist.
______________
Following this rigorous
multi-year process the catechumen became a fully received member of the
church. He or she could now participate fully in the church including
staying for the second part of regular worship where the Eucharist was served.
The process sounds made up to
modern church members. We say, “well, who would even join the church if
it took that much to get fully in?” We are astonished that they would
exclude people from even watching the Lord’s Supper take place. We can’t
imagine anyone would consider joining the church could be so important as to
suffer this process. But this is how it happened in Augustine’s time.
Of course Augustine’s
membership training methods are not inspired any more than Rick Warren’s or
Joel Osteen’s methods. But they are methods of the ancient church and do
give us a platform to talk about membership methods today. What issues
does it raise for you?
So what do you think?
During the first few weeks after the posted date below you can click here to comment or read comments
By Chris Bounds and Keith
Drury
Chris Bounds is Associate Professor in Theology at Indiana Wesleyan University where he teaches theology courses.
Keith Drury is Associate Professor of Religion at Indiana Wesleyan University where he teaches practical ministry.
SOURCES: Augustine’s
The First Catechetical Instruction, T.M. Finn’s Early Christian
Baptism and the Catechumenate: Italy, North Africa,
and Egypt - Message of the Fathers 6- (Collegeville, Minn.:Liturgical
Press, 1992), T.M. Finn’s “It happened One Saturday Night: Ritual and
Conversion in Augustine’s North Africa,” in Journal of the American Academy
of Religion 58(1990): 589-616, and William Harmless’ Augustine and the Catechumenate (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press,
1995).
ART: Gozzoli’s Augustine above. From
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine/gozzoli3.jpg
