The Purpose of Church Membership

Following the pattern of the early church, formally “joining” the membership helps to ensure a unity among the church body, which is made up only of those who have professed Jesus Christ as their Savior. (See Baptist Distinctives – “Saved Church Membership") Most positions of service, and all positions of responsibility carry the requirement of church membership. For an individual Christian to be obediently serving the Lord, we believe it is necessary to do so through the God-ordained means of a “local church.”

 

Another vitally important reason for church membership is to provide personal accountability.  The dispensing of the Word of God through preaching and teaching helps to provide reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness for the church “body.” (2 Timothy 3:16) When a person submits to the local church through membership, that person is willingly placing themselves under the authority of the Word of God through the local church as we strive to “admonish one another.” Often referred to as “church discipline,” this guidance is to the church member what family discipline is to a child: it is an exercise of, and evidence of, correcting love. When a parent disciplines his child, he is not a judge punishing a criminal; he is a loving father seeking to make his child a better person.

 

How to Become a Member

In the New Testament of the Bible, we read of only two basic requirements for those who were “added to the church.”   

 

        "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three                              thousand souls."  ~ Acts 2:41

  

At Tri-City Baptist Church, the prospective member must confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and must have followed the biblical command to be                                          . When an individual indicates a desire to become a member, that person is then interviewed by one of the pastors for the purpose of giving testimony of their personal relationship with the Lord.  Once that individual has been scripturally baptized by immersion, (or has record of doing so previously following their conversion experience) they are then accepted into membership by recommendation of a pastor before the congregation.  This congregational presentation takes place once every three to four months.