Church Membership and Daily Defense

Sometimes it is suggested in a Church of Christ, Scientist, that membership should be open to anyone who chooses to affiliate himself with Science, and that if such a one is engulfed in sin of some kind, he can overcome it after he becomes a member. The question members need to ask is: What is the purpose of this church? What do we expect it to accomplish? If the purpose is only to please its members, and if the members expect only to encourage one another in their efforts to heal their own ills, the requirements for membership are largely a matter of compatibility.