Proposed amendments

November 27, 2009
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When I first learned of the proposal to change membership conditions in the NAGCR I wondered why this is being done, and in spite of all the discussion that has taken place, I still wonder why.

The NAGCR seems to be doing just fine as it is, now serving four times as many members as it had at its founding, and having a great many more active towers and handbell groups under its wing. The increase in the number of towers is not the work of the NAGCR; it is due to the efforts of local individuals or groups, some ringers, some involved with churches or educational institutions, who wanted to have change ringing in their communities. This is as it must be, as no outside individual or group can go into a community and tell them they should build a tower and install change ringing bells. The NAGCR has probably assisted in some small way in providing contacts that were useful in getting towers and bands for them started. So IMO the membership conditions for the NAGCR have nothing to do with the expansion of change ringing.

Many of us belong to professional organizations or to unions, and so are familiar with the kind of organization that the NAGCR is: a collection of people who share common interests and skills. They have membership requirements far more stringent that those of the NAGCR, often requiring extensive study and passing of examinations, and include demonstrations that appropriate skills have been learned. And many have several levels of membership, again depending on the skills and knowledge that the members have acquired. I am not suggesting that the NAGCR should blindly follow such precedents, but some form of membership requirement does seem to be appropriate in order to maintain some commonality among the members.

So why the move to allow anybody and everybody to join the NAGCR? People who have a genuine interest in change ringing can join and be welcomed. But since it is a RINGERS organization, it is RINGERS who should make decisions about how the organization’s funds are spent and what programs and actions the organization should undertake.

The only effect of this whole matter as I see it is to create a nasty division in the NAGCR membership for no good reason; I am sad to see that.