First and even more important than being a member of this church is to be a member of God's Kingdom.
There is nothing to do to earn membership and there are no dues. The price has been paid in full by Christ when he died on the cross for your sins.
All that is required is that you trust him by faith and receive the forgiveness that is freely given by God. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
So the first step is to trust Christ personally. If you have just done this for the first time, please let us know so that we can help you in your new journey of faith. After trusting in Christ as Savior and Lord, it is good to join a local church. A church is a local gathering of believers who have been baptized and are committed to serving Him together.
In Acts 2:38-41, we see that the members of the first church were people who: repented of their sins and trusted in Christ for forgiveness, were baptized by immersion as evidence of their faith, and have the Holy Spirit. Peter says that this promise is for all kinds of people – “for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord God will call.”
Here at Grace Fellowship, our membership requirements are simple. A member must know Jesus personally and have been baptized by immersion as a believer. Also he or she must agree with the Baptist Faith and Message.
Therefore, there are three ways to join our church:
Baptism - The Greek word "baptizo" means to "submerse or dip under the water." In the New Testament, we are commanded to be baptized as the first step after we trust Christ. Baptism is the way to tell the world that you are now a follower of Jesus. If you have only been baptized as an infant, then it is necessary to be baptized again as a believer by submersion to proclaim your faith in Christ and to identify with the other members of the church.
Transfer - This means that you already know Jesus personally, and you have already been baptized as a believer by submersion. This also means that currently you belong to another Baptist church. Your membership is easily transferred by postcard from your old home church to this one.
Statement - This means that you already know Jesus personally and you have already been baptized as a believer by submersion. It means that you do not currently belong to another Baptist church. In this case, you join by making a statement confessing your faith in Christ and attesting that you have been baptized as a believer by submersion.
If you are interested in learning more, ask about our “Connections 101” class.
In each of the above cases, after you speak with a spiritual counselor from our church to be sure that we have answered all of your questions, you will be presented to the church for membership. You are invited to let us know about your decision, either to trust Christ or to join the church or both! You will have this opportunity during the "song of decision" at the end of the service, or you can let one of our members know at any time!
Please know that even if you have never formally joined Grace Fellowship, that we want you to think of this church as your home church and our pastor as your pastor for as long as you attend.
Please feel free to let us know if there is every anything we can do to assist you or your family.