Membership

Why join Faith Baptist Church as a member?

1. Church membership is a biblical pattern that is established in the New Testament

• Acts 2:47 “… and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
• 1 Cor. 5:12-13 “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” “

The implication of the Acts 2 passage is that there was some kind of identification of those who were part of the church and those who were not. The Corinthian passage continues with this same thought by indicating and recognizing hat there were those inside the church versus those on the outside of the church. All this to say that church membership of some form was practiced from the very beginning of the church.

2. Another reason for joining a local church is that it means you have identified with a local body of believers .

By doing so you have indicated that you are willing to do three things:

• You are willing to be held accountable by them
• You are willing to help them fulfill their mission
• You are willing to support them in every way

3. The final reason for joining a local church is to indicate your commitment to them . Often people ask, “If I am part of the Universal church at my conversion then why do I have to join a local church?” Let’s consider two metaphors.

• A Marriage. If a couple is in love, why do they have to get married? Does a piece of paper change anything as far as their feelings or commitment to each other? Obviously not. However, both individuals would have misgivings if the other person did not want to make the relationship more permanent and public by going through an official service. Likewise, by joining a local church you are not changing your relationship with God. You are merely making it public and, humanly speaking, more permanent.
• An Adoption. If you have a foster child in your home and decide to adopt him or her that adoption would not change anything except from a legal perspective. Your love for that child would be no different and your concern for them would not change. The child would not get a better room in the house because they are now legally adopted, correct? But does the adoption change things within you or them? Absolutely! Likewise joining a church does make a huge difference in your relationship with that church.