Who Is a BCA Member?

It’s subjective, arbitrary, complicated, ill-defined, yet easily recognizable.

How else can I describe the Byzantine process by which BCA and the local temples grapple with the issue of “Who is a member?” And yet, we all have an innate understanding of who in our temples is there to seek the Dharma, to share in our Sangha communities, and to continue Shin Buddhist family traditions. Aren’t they all members?

Here are a few thought-provoking questions:

• How does your temple or church count its members? Is it based on a “payment”?

• Does it matter how much an individual offers as a “payment” to be a member?

• Should it matter that the “payment” is offered as a membership fee; a “pledge”; a donation; or a contribution to the maintenance of the temple/church?

• When you greet an individual who regularly attends temple services, what prevents you from considering that individual a member?

• When has your temple, or resident minister, not provided services to someone in need? Is it based on membership? If services are provided, are they a member?

• Why are not members of Fellowships and Sanghas not counted as BCA members?

• What might be the protocol to count individuals who are members of more than one temple/church?

Membership and membership growth have been high on the list of issues facing the BCA.

For those attending the 2024 National Council Meeting in Sacramento, BCA President-elect Glenn Inanaga presented a scenario analysis of our current temples and what declining membership numbers forecast about the risk of a temple shutting its doors.

Like most other religious organizations, membership numbers have been on a downward trend. But is that the only metric by which we can assess our effectiveness in allowing the Dharma to be shared?

I also offer anecdotally that there has been an increase in interest in spirituality. What might be the implications of less interest in religious institutions while increasing interest in spirituality, and what is that difference? What does it mean for Shin Buddhism?

Within the BCA, the membership discussion has been integrally tied to the temple dues assessments. It has been viewed as a “tax” on the temples and churches. This has automatically set up a contentious relationship between the census count from temples and the need for BCA to set up an equitable system of monetary support from each temple. It can also be a disincentive for temples to grow and report increased membership due to the perception that there is a concomitant increase in dues. 

This article is not intended to offer new perspectives on this tangential aspect of membership (i.e., temple dues assessments), but rather to focus on the essential discussion of membership itself. 

BCA leadership has recognized that our ability to disseminate information to all who are interested in Shin Buddhism is limited by the decisions that local temples and churches make on who should be listed as “members.” 

There is so much to disseminate about the vibrancy and energy of our local temples and churches and the learning opportunities provided by the Center for Buddhist Education and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Why would we not want to allow a broader audience of “members” to receive this information?

BCA leadership is developing an approach to encourage local temples and churches to provide addresses and email addresses to all who might be interested in receiving this information. 

We understand that privacy concerns will be an issue. We also understand that an opt-in system or an opt-out system will offer individuals a choice in the matter. If we can increase the numbers of recipients of both print and digital communications from the BCA by a small percentage, imagine the benefits of this increased information flow to many more who are interested in Shin Buddhism. How many others might be encouraged to find a local temple and discover the value of our Nembutsu teachings?

I encourage the discussion of who is a “member” to be held at each of our temples and churches. In the end, the BCA only exists because of each and every member who belongs to a local temple or church. A member at a local temple or church is a BCA member. It is BCA’s responsibility to ensure that its actions and efforts align with the needs of members at the local level and create value and benefit for those members.

Let us expand our definition of a “member” and increase the size of our sanghas. Let us not conflate member status with temple dues. In so doing we can change the trajectory of membership in the BCA. 

As our 2024 and our 125th anniversary theme states, “The Time Is Now.” The time is now to change our old practices and definitions. The time is now to move forward to a future where Shin Buddhism is a flourishing Buddhist tradition in America and throughout the West sharing the Nembutsu teachings guided by an engaging ministry where inclusive communities cultivate peace, understanding and compassion for everyone, and where everyone is a member.