When a person who has never been a member of any church requests membership in a Baptist church, he or she is asked to affirm trust in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. This is done because salvation is more important than church membership and should always precede church membership. Baptist churches also ask that a person experience believer’s baptism before becoming a member. Therefore, a person seeking membership is asked both to make a profession of faith in Christ and to be baptized, each a voluntary act. When a person who is already a member of a Baptist church seeks membership in another Baptist church, normally the person is accepted on the basis of that prior membership. When a person seeking membership in a Baptist church is a member of a church other than Baptist, Baptist churches, being autonomous, respond in various ways. The response depends both on the person’s church background as well as on the polity of the Baptist church in which they are seeking membership. Generally speaking, if such persons have never been baptized by immersion as a symbol of becoming a believer in Christ, a Baptist church will ask that they publicly state faith in Christ and be baptized before becoming a member. If the person has been immersed as a believer and understands that it was a way to testify symbolically that he or she had been born again, some Baptist churches will accept such a person into membership without being baptized again. Other Baptist churches will ask the person to be baptized in the Baptist church they are joining. Although a few Baptist churches may accept as members persons who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior whether or not they have been baptized by immersion as believers, most churches do not. The vast majority of Baptist churches take very seriously the importance of believer’s baptism by immersion. Baptist congregations vote on a person’s request for membership. The congregation is not voting on whether the person is saved or not. That is a matter between the individual and God. Rather, the church members are participating in Baptist congregational governance under the Lordship of Christ. Is There Evidence of a Decline in Regenerate Church Membership? Observers of Baptist life cite several factors as evidence of a decline in an insistence on a regenerate church membership. These factors include a huge number of non-resident Baptist church members, the lack of involvement in church life of many resident members, a low level of financial support, a lifestyle contrary to the teachings of Jesus, and little commitment to evangelism, missions, and ministry. Certainly, numerous church members are wonderfully dedicated born again followers of Christ. Yet it would seem that these factors would not exist in such abundance if all members of churches were truly redeemed. Of course, some of these factors may be the result of conditions of persons other than being unregenerate, such as being “backslidden” or perhaps immature as a Christian (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Ephesians 4:11-16). “Baptists in the United close to losing their regenerate churc William WhyBa
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