Becoming a Member

Becoming a member at Churchland Baptist Church is an intentional process.  A prospective member's first indication of interest in Churchland is likely to be casual, not formal.  Casual interest in Churchland may be expressed to present members through questions about the church or by attendance at Sunday School, Wednesday night dinner and services, or Sunday worship. During the year we plan a luncheon following Sunday morning worship for those interested in learning more about our church.

Church membership is taken seriously at Churchland Baptist.  Churchland is open to all who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and choose this congregation in which to continue their faith journey and service.

We encourage persons who desire to join our church to speak with one of the ministers about their decision.  We also encourage those who wish to join to do so as a part of our Sunday morning worship, during The Hymn of Response/Commitment.   In this setting, the decision is seen as an act of worship and the congregation at large is able to affirm this decision.

A person may join our church by:

• Profession of Faith and Baptism – A person shares for the first time one’s decision to follow Jesus and to be baptized to demonstrate this commitment.
• Transfer of Membership – An individual transfers membership from another Baptist church
• Statement of Faith – A person who is not currently a member of another Baptist church may present themselves for membership on the basis of their statement of previous experience.  
  
  • This statement speaks to one’s prior conversion experience.
  • This experience would have been one in which the individual chose for himself or herself to become a Christian, rather than a moment such as infant baptism.
  • In keeping with our appreciation of other faith perspectives, we do not rebaptize those who transfer into our church after having been baptized or confirmed in other denominations, unless the individual so requests.
• Associate Membership – Christian who wishes to affiliate with our church, but who wants to retain their membership in their home church (often because of temporarily living in our area) may join as an associate member.  Associate membership is understood to include all the duties and responsibilities of membership, including serving on elected committees and leadership groups, although not as chair or team leader.

New Member Orientation

During the year we sponsor an orientation session for new members that reviews our basic beliefs, our history, how to connect with others in our congregation, as well as an introduction to spiritual gifts and ways of serving in and through Churchland.