What to Expect When Joining
What to expect when you wish to officially join our church as a voting member
Introduction
Formally becoming a member of a church is a big decision. Some wonder why it is a good idea to join, while others may confuse membership in a local church with membership in the universal church of Christ. Others simply want to know the steps entailed in joining the church. The following information has been prepared to help anyone considering formally joining the membership at First Baptist Church Simcoe. The information covered here is applicable only to First Baptist Simcoe, and if further clarification or information is required, please contact the pastor or a deacon.
Clarifications
It is important to understand that membership in a local church does not mean the same thing as membership in the body of Christ. We become Christians (part of the body of Christ) by faith. We acknowledge our belief in Christ and our desire to follow him. As Baptists we also believe that Baptism (in our case by immersion) does not save a person, but is an outward sign of the saving work of Christ in our lives, and a public witness to our faith. One never needs church approval to give their lives to Christ or be baptized, however one's faith should be shared with the fellowship.
It naturally follows that if someone is truly committed to Christ, a person will seek out fellowship with other believers and a local church family in which one can participate in mission and ministry. No one needs to be an official member to participate in the worship, activities or mission of First Baptist.
Membership does have a useful and critical purpose. By formally joining the church, a person can now participate in all the decision making of the fellowship. Decisions include financial matters, calling of a pastor, appointment of officers and boards. Membership also permits a person to serve in leadership positions that are not open to non-members. Membership is a clear demonstration of one's loyalty and a pledge to support the needs and ministries of the fellowship.
Three paths to membership…
According to our constitution, all who desire to join must follow one of these paths. In all cases, the membership of the church, as a whole, must vote to offer membership to anyone seeking to join.
1) Baptism. In a Baptist church family, anyone who has undergone “believer's baptism” either in First Baptist or another Christian church, can request formal membership. Believer's baptism means that you as an individual have made a personal decision to follow Christ and decided to be baptized. If someone has never been a part of a Christian church, they should request baptism first before seeking membership. Normally, Baptists do not agree that infant baptism meets this qualification but…see next paragraph.
2) By Letter of Transfer. If a person was previously a formal member of another Christian church, they may seek to transfer their membership to First Baptist church. This would include Christian traditions where a person was baptized as an infant, so long as the person was a former member and is in agreement with Baptist principles and practice. A person coming from another tradition who would like to experience believer's baptism before joining the membership may request baptism at any time.
3) By Experience. This particular way is to be used sparingly, but it does help in certain circumstances. Most commonly, the By Experience route is used for individuals who belonged to a church at one time that is now defunct, or the records have been lost for some reason.
Steps to Membership
1) Pray. Ask God if this is a step you should take, or pray about why you haven't taken this step.
2) Research. Learn what you can about the church's history, beliefs, and constitution to determine if you can in good conscience be a member.
3) Make your desire known to the pastor or a deacon. Ask any questions you may have or request any documents you would like to see.
i) If baptism is to take place before membership, the pastor usually meets with the candidate to prepare for baptism. The deacons will also visit to hear the candidate's faith story before baptism and membership will be assumed to be requested in this visit.
4) Deacons' Visit. Two deacons will be appointed to visit with you to get to know you and to learn about your faith. This visit can happen in your home, a coffee shop, or at the church; whichever is convenient for you. The deacons' visit is never intended to be a formal interrogation, but rather a sharing of your faith journey.
Some deacons' questions that might come up are:
- How did you become a Christian, and what has been your faith journey?
- Why do you want to join the church?
- If you are coming from another faith group, are you in agreement with our church constitution and Baptist principles?
- Do you have any questions about First Baptist?
- Are there any areas you would consider serving in as part of the fellowship?
- Is there anything you need assistance with?
- They will likely also pray with you.
5) Congregational approval. The deacons who visited with you will report back to the full board to discuss whether or not to extend membership. In rare cases they may deem that further follow up by the pastor or the deacons themselves may be necessary to clarify a person's situation. If the Deacons board decide to move ahead with formal welcoming into fellowship, a brief presentation to the congregation will be given (most likely on a Sunday) in which the membership will vote to accept the presented person(s) into membership.
6) Formal Welcome. It is the usual practice of First Baptist to hold a brief membership ceremony on a communion Sunday.
Baptism and Membership
Are you interested in being baptized or in becoming a voting member of First Baptist Church?Speak to Rev. Darrell Maguire to find out more.
