So you want to be a member

[Salty]

Starting a new thread - so as not to derail this one.

So a person gets saved, yet he has been and still in some questionable activities.
(Friday night drunk, shacking up, homosexual, ect)

Of course, we are excited over their decision to accept Christ as Savior

BUT - WHAT ABOUT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

First - some churches will want to baptize you within seven days - and make you a member of your church. - regardless of your on-going sin -
good - bad - indifferent

So should there be a period of time to insure this new life is actually genuine
If so - how long?

Should there be a time of New Member Classes.

Or do we tell the individual - we will baptize you and make you a member - but if you stay in that sin - you go on the inactive/discipline membership list.

Do we treat different sins (such as examples of the ones I gave in the second paragraph) differently?

Open for discussion

 

[matt wade]

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

[InTheLight]

I think the church needs to tell prospective members what it expects from them. This could be done in classes (though sometimes this can get too lengthy) or simply communicated during a meeting. Warnings should be given in case of un-Christlike behavior.

 

[Salty]

I think the church needs to tell prospective members what it expects from them. This could be done in classes (though sometimes this can get too lengthy) or simply communicated during a meeting. Warnings should be given in case of un-Christlike behavior.

For a new members class - how many sessions would you recommend ( assuming one per week).
At what point, would you say it would become excessive.

As a teenager, our church had a 13 week class before baptism.
By attending this course, my baptism meant much more to me.

 

[Van]

"So a person gets saved." Does that mean they were compelled by irresistible grace to profess Christ, or could they be a deceived (even self deceived) person, professing Christ without a heartfelt commitment to walk through fire to follow Him?

If a person is born anew, and only God knows, then they are members of the "general assembly." But how are we to discern that at least they appear to actually be born anew. Remember we are not to try and rip out the tares.

 

[Salty]

"So a person gets saved." Does that mean they were compelled by irresistible grace to profess Christ, or could they be a deceived (even self deceived) person, professing Christ without a heartfelt commitment to walk through fire to follow Him?.

Excellent point! How many people have waked the aisle and not really knowing what they did - or just "repeated" a prayer

If a person is born anew, and only God knows, then they are members of the "general assembly." But how are we to discern that at least they appear to actually be born anew. Remember we are not to try and rip out the tares.[/QUOTE]-
Very True and attending such a class may help clarify ....

 

[Tom Bryant]

We separate baptism from church membership. Baptism, for our church, is the way they outwardly profess that they have trusted Christ as Savior.

Membership is different. They ought to know what is expected out of a member - attendance, financial support, ministry, etc. Part of helping a new believer grow is to talk to them about the purity of their lives. This has nothing to do with the reality of their salvation. This has everything to do with living in a church family.

 

[InTheLight]

For a new members class - how many sessions would you recommend ( assuming one per week).
At what point, would you say it would become excessive.

As a teenager, our church had a 13 week class before baptism.
By attending this course, my baptism meant much more to me.

I think the expectations of church membership could be handled in one 3 hour session. Thirteen week class prior to baptism? That's way excessive! An hour's worth of explanation should do it. There were no baptism classes in the New Testament.

 

[Zaac]

We separate baptism from church membership. Baptism, for our church, is the way they outwardly profess that they have trusted Christ as Savior.

Membership is different. They ought to know what is expected out of a member - attendance, financial support, ministry, etc. Part of helping a new believer grow is to talk to them about the purity of their lives. This has nothing to do with the reality of their salvation. This has everything to do with living in a church family.

:thumbs::thumbs:

 

[Salty]

I think the expectations of church membership could be handled in one 3 hour session. Thirteen week class prior to baptism? That's way excessive! An hour's worth of explanation should do it. There were no baptism classes in the New Testament.

1) I valued all 13 classes
2) neither were there any baptisteries in NT times

 

[HankD]

1) I valued all 13 classes
2) neither were there any baptisteries in NT times

Salty, here is something that surprised me.
There were baptistries but they were called mikvahs.
There are several reasons for which they were/are used and a "new" committment to the Lord/Torah or a new personal teacher (rebbe) is one of them.

Total immersion is practised.

They are still used in Judaism:

http://www.congariel.org/mikvah

Here is one from Jesus times (scroll down the page a bit).

http://www.jewishmag.com/93mag/herodian/herodian.htm

HankD

 

[The American Dream]

Delays in membership to attend some type of indoctrination, communicants class or to go before deacons/elders is unscriptural. In Acts, as the church they were received the same day and teaching/training was done later. The delay is a concept of the Roman Catholics, not the Bible, and I would not attend a church that practices it.

 

[PreachTony]

First - some churches will want to baptize you within seven days - and make you a member of your church. - regardless of your on-going sin -
good - bad - indifferent

So should there be a period of time to insure this new life is actually genuine
If so - how long?

Philip didn't seem to wait until the Ethopian proved his "new life" before baptizing him...

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

 

[Salty]

Delays in membership to attend some type of indoctrination, communicants class or to go before deacons/elders is unscriptural. In Acts, as the church they were received the same day and teaching/training was done later. The delay is a concept of the Roman Catholics, not the Bible, and I would not attend a church that practices it.

Question # 1- Does Scripture REQUIRE immediate baptism/ membership?
Question # 2- Does Scripture PROHIBIT time of instruction before baptism/membership?
BTW, I don't care how the RC does it. If what they do is not a good ideal, I wont do it, if what they do is good, I will do what it good.

Philip didn't seem to wait until the Ethopian proved his "new life" before baptizing him...

Me thinks that the Ethiopian understood what baptism was all about; especially since he asked about it.

 

[PreachTony]

Every church I've been a member of has typically performed baptism after our summer revival services. Other than that, baptism is performed at a time convenient for the candidate's family to be there to enjoy the service. Sometimes a week can go by, sometimes a month. I was saved in late June, but not baptized until late July.

But I wasn't counting on the baptism to save me. :smilewinkgrin: