ISBN 978-1-934741-09-2 Christ is Lord not only of individuals but also of churches. Governance of a Baptist church is to be by the members under the Lordship of Christ. If the members do not acknowledge Christ as Lord, then decisions are likely to be made apart from the will of Christ. This means that the church will become increasingly secular and worldly. Such a worldly church likely will not give attention to the central purposes of a church, such as worship, evangelism, missions, and ministry. Thus, some of the very reasons for a church’s existence likely will not be emphasized. What Can Be Done To More Thoroughly Achieve a Regenerate Church Membership? Some actions will help achieve a truly born-again church membership, making prayer a primary ingredient in all that is done. Emphasize the importance of a born-again church membership, stressing that a salvation experience ought always to precede church membership. Establish an insightful, discerning, and loving process that would evaluate whether persons seeking membership give evidence of having been redeemed. Maintain an effective class for prospective and new members to teach the plan of salvation, the importance of Christian maturity, and the expectations for church members. Conclusion Effort ought to be made, with God’s help, to achieve the biblical goal of a born-again church. Failure to try will result in terrible consequences for individuals, churches, and the advancement of the cause of Christ. For further information, see cbhh.dbu.edu The basic material in this leaflet originally appeared in a series of articles in theBaptist Standard in 2005. Wanting to share information about Baptist distinctives, Noble Hurley, shortly before his death in 2004, established the Jane and Noble Hurley Baptist Identity Fund to provide for publishing the series. He asked William M. Pinson, Jr. and Doris A. Tinker to prepare the articles. The financial assistance of The Prichard Family Foundation and Vester T. Hughes, Jr. enabled this series of nineteen leaflets to be produced based on the articles. Skyler G. Tinker designed and formatted the leaflets for publication. Each leaflet is for both individual and group study. The topics in this series: (1) Baptists: Who? Where? What? Why? (2) What Makes a Baptist a Baptist? (3) The Lordship of Christ; (4) The Bible as Authority for Faith and Practice; (5) Soul Competency; (6) Salvation Only by Grace Through Faith; (7) The Priesthood of All Believers; (8) Believer’s Baptism; (9) A Regenerate Church Membership; (10) Congregational Church Governance; (11) Church Autonomy; (12) Baptist Church Life: Organization, Worship, Officers, Ordinances; (13) Voluntary Cooperation; (14) Evangelism; (15) Missions; (16) Ministry; (17) Christian Education; (18) The Application of the Gospel; (19) Religious Freedom. © Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODc4ODgx