Membership

Church Membership

Committed to Life Together in Christ

First Baptist Church San Marcos is a community of imperfect people who strive to be loyal to Jesus and who seek to pattern their lives after biblical models of faithfulness. For us, membership is a commitment to Christian community in obedience to Christ’s commands. You can certainly come and attend worship, participate in Bible studies, and even serve alongside mission teams but not be a member. Membership is a commitment – a statement that a person wants to invest themselves in the ongoing life of the church.

Regular attendance in worship and Bible study are implied. Financial support is a part of that commitment too. And so is prayer and a willingness to participate in the ministry and decision-making processes of the church. In short, it is a commitment to learn to love and do life together in this place with these people.

Membership Requirements

The requirements for membership are few. A member must be in a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We acknowledge such a relationship in three ways.

A First-time Decision to Receive Christ

By this we mean that a person is making a personal decision to place their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and they are willing to be obedient to Jesus, a first step of which is receiving Believer’s Baptism.

Promise of a Letter

By this we recognize that a person may have made a faith commitment to Christ and have received Believer’s Baptism in another church of like faith and order. We can request a letter from that church testifying to that person’s faith commitment.

Statement of Faith

By this we are prepared to recognize the statement of the person themselves that they have already accepted the invitation of God through faith in Christ and they have already received Believer’s Baptism and that they are unable to receive a letter of testimony from a church at this time.

What are the Perks of Membership?

If you can worship, study, and serve without being an official member, why join the church? Our answer to this question is two-fold. First, membership allows a person to participate in the full life of the church. Being a church member allows a person to help with the planning of singular and church-wide mission strategies. Likewise, a person can participate in shaping the budget of the church and setting church-wide ministry goals. Participating in the full life of the church is the first answer to this question. The second answer is that membership brings us into a community of accountability. We are committed to each other’s good. We are committed to practicing forgiveness, offering encouragement, and helping each other be more faithful followers of Christ. We are committed to learning to love each other as Christ has loved us. And that is the most important reason for a commitment to church membership.

If you are interested in membership in First Baptist Church, or if you have questions about how you can be involved in the life of the church, please contact Pastor Chad at reception@sanmarcosfbc.org