I am pleased that you are interested in joining Lakeshore Baptist Church and that you desire to honor Christ through church membership. Our confession of faith, “The Baptist Faith And Message 2000” states that “A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.” The Bible says, “Jesus loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25)
As part of the church membership process, I’d like to sit down and talk with you about your relationship with Christ. This initial meeting will help me determine how I can serve you well as your pastor, encourage you in your faith, and answer any questions you may have. I want to take seriously the responsibility to shepherd the souls God has placed under my care. (Hebrews 13:17) We have a “Christian Testimony Guide” to help with the discussion. Please look over this document and contact me to set up a time we can talk and pray together.
Our “Church Covenant,” first adopted in 1911 when the church was founded, represents the commitment that Church members make to one another as we seek to glorify Christ together. “The Baptist Faith and Message 2000” and the “1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith” serve as our doctrinal statements. You will want to familiarize yourself with these three documents.
When you are ready, I will present you to the church, usually in a Sunday Morning service, to accept you into membership in one of the following ways:
1. Believer’s Baptism: If you are professing faith in Jesus Christ and have not been baptized we can set up a time, usually on a Sunday morning, that we can baptize you into the membership of Lakeshore Baptist Church.
2. Transfer of Membership: If you have already been scripturally baptized and are a member of a sister church, I will write a letter to that church requesting a transfer of membership to Lakeshore Baptist Church.
3. Statement of Faith: If you have been baptized, as a believer, and your church membership, for whatever reason, is not available for transfer, then we can accept you into the membership of Lakeshore Baptist Church by “statement of faith.”
– Pastor Don A. Elbourne Jr.