How to Connect with Friendship Church
At the close of each congregational worship service, our pastor or his delegate, asks persons who want to make a decision to become followers of Jesus Christ or who desire to unite with the church to come forward. When the congregation stands to sing the invitation hymn, if you wish to unite with the church, walk forward where the pastor is waiting to receive you. Sometimes the deacons or another member of the clergy family stands at the front to receive persons who come forward.
When you come forward, the church clerk or another designated person, will assist you in filling out an application for church membership card. The card usually asks for name, address, telephone, date of birth, and the kind of decision you’ve made The application for church membership card is then given to the pastor who, after clarifying the decision, will usually ask you to stand facing the congregation. He announces your name and your decision to the congregation. Sometimes, depending on the type of decision, he may ask the congregation to receive you by acclamation, or he may defer to a later period for further counsel with you about your decision.
Below are several ways you may connect with our church family:
As a Candidate for Baptism
The Bible teaches that we become Christians by placing our trust in Jesus Christ who died for our sins (1 Peter 1:18-21). We do this when we have true sorrow (repentance) in our hearts for our sin (Acts 2:37-38; 20:21). When you ask for God’s forgiveness and salvation, knowing you are a sinner (Romans 3:23), you become a Christian or a “child of God” (Romans 10:13) When you come forward in response to the pastor’s invitation, you are confessing Jesus Christ as your Savior (Romans 10:9-10). The pastor will then present you to the church as a candidate for baptism. You will receive some instruction in what church membership means, and you will be baptized by immersion. (Acts 2:40-41). You will then be expected to faithfully live for Christ and evidence faithfulness to His church (Acts 2:42-47;Ephesians 2:8-10).
As a Baptist with Membership in Another Baptist Church
Every Christian needs to belong to a church close enough to their home to participate in weekly activities of worship, Bible study, prayer, discipleship training, and witness (Acts 2:42-47). If your membership is in another city or community that is not easily accessible to you, and you are of like faith and practice, we invite you to consider becoming a member of Friendship Church. If you will come forward when the hymn of invitation is being sung, our pastor or his delegate will greet you. You can tell the pastor that you are a member of a Baptist church and that you would like to unite with this church by letter. You will fill out a membership card, and our clerk will write for a letter of dismissal from your former church.
As a Baptist Upon Statement of Your Faith or Christian Experience
Perhaps you are a Baptist, having been baptized upon your profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but you have lost your affiliation with that Baptist church. It may be that the church is no longer in existence. It may be that you united with another fellowship of faith for a time. If you are interested in uniting with Friendship Church, your statement concerning your conversion and baptism may be sufficient. When you come forward in response to the invitation, our pastor will present you as a believer who has followed Christ in baptism. He will explain that you are uniting with the church upon statement of faith or Christian experience.
As a Member of Another Faith Fellowship
It is never the purpose of Friendship Church to persuade a person to leave their fellowship of faith to unite with our church family. But if you as a member of another faith have a desire to unite with this church, we can make this invitation to you. We believe that baptism is by immersion only and for believers only. Any person coming to us from another faith fellowship will be received as candidate for baptism on the basis of their Christian experience. This never implies that you are not a Christian nor does it mean to discredit the “baptism” you may have experienced prior to your becoming a part of our fellowship. If your belief is now as ours, we welcome you to come as a candidate for baptism on the basis of your Christian experience. When the invitation is given at the close of the sermon, you may come forward and the pastor will meet you. Simply tell him that you are a Christian, that you have been a member of another faith fellowship, that you want to become a candidate for baptism and membership in Friendship Church.
If None of The Invitation Relate to Your Concerns
If you still have questions, we invite you to arrange a personal conference with our pastor. Friendship Church exists in our community to know Christ and to make Him known to people through personal experience. We are ready to help
YOU. We are interested in YOU. There is room here for “whosoever will.” We are looking for a “city whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). We invite you to “Come with us and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things…” (Numbers 10:29). If you need us we can be reached by telephone:(239) 334-1557 or by email: fbc2030@comcast.net.