Receiving New Members

Unfortunately ours is like The Price Is Right - "Come on Down". About a year ago a lady joined the first time she ever visited, never did understand that.

 

My church requires the person to speak and go over doctrines/practices with either Pastors or Elder, to attend a 6 week membershi class, and IF not batized as adult believer by immersion, request them to be done again in water baptism!

We do honor adult believer immersion baptisms by other churches/groups, IF in agreement on essentials, as My baptizism in theAOG was regarded as being legit!

 

First time I have heard AOG, COC, and Foursquare described as mainline. I always thought mainline denominations were Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, etc.
Our SBC church accepts baptism by immersion from other churches providing they have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. To us, baptism is associated with salvation, not with church membership.

 

We would hols similiar views on tjhis, as we would say that any believers baptism done in a church that is teaching and holding to essentials of the faith, regardless if baptist or not, would qualify!

 

Our church as a general rule accepts the baptism of churches of "like faith and order," whether they wear the name Baptist or not.

There are a few churches in our area which are Baptistic in doctrine. We would likely accept members from those churches.

Several years ago, a young couple asked for membership who came from a church we weren't familiar with. At our request, they supplied us with the church's doctrinal statement and by-laws. We granted them membership.

We would not accept Presbyterians, Lutherans or Methodists, etc., since we do not consider their baptisms (sprinkling or pouring) as scripturally valid. We would require them to submit to immersion and give their salvation testimony.

Some interesting history. Fifty years ago, we would not accept letters from members of Independent Baptist Churches. They were doctrinally similar, and to some extent of similar order. But a couple of the new IFB churches were aggressively going after some of our members--we called it "sheep-stealing."

Eventually attitudes softened and we began exchanging letters. (I"m assuming that's a familiar term). And one of those Independent Baptist Churches is now affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

 

I'm grieved to hear that brother.

 

If a person comes from another church our church seeks a letter of recommendation from the former church.The idea is was this person in good standing in the church.Sometimes a person is under church discipline and tries to get out from under it and sneak in unawares to the next church down the street.

we had an adulterous couple who were put out of the church under discipline for unrepentant sin....do this very thing and were eagerly accepted into the next church...who were so loving

 

It's shameful they wouldn't just get it right and repent. But then again we have some on here, Baptists even, that see justification for this.

To attempt to prevent this, when a couple come to join, we separate them and get their info. Same address and unmarried = let's get that thing Biblical first.

 

Would My AOG believers water baptism be honored as valid in your church then?

 

Years ago my wife and I joined a SBC church by letter. The church did not accept the baptism in a non-SBC church but accepted out letter from a SBC church that did accpet baptism by immersion. I was baptized by an Independent Baptist pastor in the non-denominational church we were going to. My wife was baptized in the Pacific Ocean by an Evangelical Free Church Pastor.

Funny how a church will accept a letter from a church does not agree with their belief on membership and baptism.