here is your church located?” Theexpected response to this question likelywould be a street address where abuilding is located. But a church is not a

building. A church is a fellowship of peoplewho live in many different locations … a veryspecial kind of people.

Who Should Be a Member of a Church?

Baptists have used various terms to describe theirconcept of church, such as believer’s church,regenerate church, gathered church, voluntarychurch, born-again church and fellowship of theredeemed.

Whatever term is used, the meaning is basicallyalways the same: A church is a fellowship of personswho have voluntarily followed Jesus as Lord andvoluntarily associated with one another under hislordship and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Thus Baptists believe that only saved persons shouldbe members of a church. Baptists also believe thatsaved persons ought to be members of a church.While becoming a Christian is an individualresponse of faith, growing as a Christian isenhanced by fellowship with other Christians. TheChristian life was designed not as a solo endeavorbut as a fellowship experience, with a church beingthe primary fellowship.

The New Testament concept of church focuses on alocal body of baptized believers in Christ. However,in a few New Testament passages the word“church” also refers to the redeemed of all the ages(Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:23-32; Colossians 1:18).

Although Baptists believe that churchmembership should include only the redeemedin Christ, they encourage and welcome allpersons to attend various activities of thechurch. For example, worship services, Bible studiesand ministry events are open to all persons.

Why Should Only Believers BeMembers of a Church?

For Baptists the Bible is the sole written authorityfor faith and practice. Baptists believe that theBible teaches that only persons who have beenborn again should be members of a church. Thisnew birth does not come by merely reciting factsabout Jesus but by a genuine experience of faith inhim (John 3:1-21).

The New Testament speaks of a church as beingmade up of persons who have experienced salvationthrough faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Thebook of Acts states about the church in Jerusalem,“And the Lord added to their number daily thosewho were being saved” (Acts 2:47 NIV). In boththeir salutation and content the letters of Paul in theNew Testament to various churches indicate that achurch is to be made up of persons who have beenredeemed (1 Corinthians 1:2;12:12-31).

The ideal of a born-again church membership has notalways been achieved, even in New Testament times.Although a pure born-again church membershipmay not be possible, it is nevertheless a goalworth pursuing. Therefore, Baptist churches

endeavor to accept as members only personswho have been redeemed.

How Do Baptist Churches AcceptMembers Into Their Fellowship?

Membership in a Baptist church is always to bevoluntary. Therefore, persons request to bemembers. They are not compelled to bemembers. Baptist churches strive in several ways tomaintain a born-again membership by how theyadmit persons to membership.

When a person who has never been a member ofany church requests membership in a Baptist church,he or she is asked to give evidence of having trustedin Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior.Furthermore, Baptist churches require that a personexperience believer’s baptism before becoming amember. Therefore, a person seekingmembership is asked both to make a professionof faith in Christ and to be baptized.

When a person who is already a member of aBaptist church seeks membership in another Baptistchurch, normally the person is accepted on the basisof that prior membership. At one time some Baptistchurches issued actual “letters” indicating that aperson was a member and the person took the“letter” when moving to another church. Today, theterm “coming by letter” usually indicates that thechurch receiving the member will contact the otherchurch about the transfer of membership. The term“coming by statement” normally means that thechurch of which the person was a member nolonger exists or that for a variety of reasons therecord could not be obtained.

But what if a person seeking membership in aBaptist church is a member of a church otherthan Baptist? Baptist churches, beingautonomous, respond in various ways. Theresponse depends both on the churchbackground of the person seeking membershipas well as on the policies of the church.

Generally speaking, if such a person has not beenbaptized by immersion as a believer in Christ, aBaptist church will require that he or she indicatefaith in Christ and be baptized before becoming amember. If the person has been immersed as abeliever, but that baptism was considered necessaryfor salvation, most Baptist churches will require theperson to be baptized before becoming a member;this is done in order to make clear that baptism,while important, is not necessary for salvation.

If the person has been immersed as a believer andunderstands that it was a way to testify symbolicallythat he or she had been born again, some Baptistchurches will accept such a person into membership.Other Baptist churches will ask the person to bebaptized in a Baptist church.

Although a few Baptist churches may accept asmembers persons who profess faith in Jesus Christ asLord and Savior whether or not they have beenbaptized by immersion as believers, most do not.The vast majority of Baptist churches take veryseriously the importance of believer’s baptism byimmersion.

What Are Other Factors Related toMembership in a Baptist Church?

Churches differ on whether persons should bebaptized and admitted into membership immediatelyupon their profession of faith or whether thereshould be a delay. Some baptize persons very soonafter they have made a profession of faith. Othersrequire persons, especially children, to go through aprocess of counseling before being baptized.

Some churches require all persons seekingmembership to be counseled concerning theirexperience of salvation and commitment to churchmembership. Some also expect persons to attend aclass for new members. Many do neither.

Baptist congregations vote on a person’s request formembership. The congregation is not voting onwhether the person is saved or not. That is a matterbetween the individual and God. Rather, the churchmembers are participating in Baptist congregationalgovernance under the lordship of Christ.

Conclusion

The belief in a regenerate church membership isa basic Baptist conviction. This concept is part ofthe recipe of beliefs and polities that makes “aBaptist a Baptist.” The next article will discuss whythis Baptist distinctive is important and ways in whichit is being tested.

For further information on regenerate churchmembership, see www.baptistdistinctives.org.

“W

Wanting to share information about Baptist distinctives, Noble Hurley, shortlybefore his death in 2004, established the Jane and Noble Hurley Baptist IdentityFund for the purpose of publishing this series and asked William M. Pinson Jr. andDoris A. Tinker to prepare the articles. © (Article 9)

“Although Baptists share many core convictionswith other Christian groups, our insistence on a

regenerate church membership is one of ourhallmarks.”

Warren McWilliams in Defining Baptist Convictions