How To Join Family Life Fellowship Church

     After accepting Christ as your savior the  Bible tells us to associate ourselves with a local New Testament church  (Hebrews 10:24-25). Family Life Fellowship is a local assembly of  baptized believers who have joined together to carry out Christ's work  on earth. When one becomes a church member he is making a covenant with  the other members of the church to do his best with God's help to live a  Christian life and to cooperate with them to do the church's work. 

     At the end of a congregational worship  service, the preacher asks persons who want to make decisions to come  forward. The preacher usually stands at the front of the church to  receive those who make decisions.

     When a candidate for membership  comes forward, the preacher has him share his decision with him. He  usually talks with him about it. This gives the candidate an opportunity  to clarify the decision and gives the preacher a chance to answer any  questions he may have. Information about the candidate is recorded for  church records, including the kind of decision the candidate for  membership is making.

     At the close of the invitation the preacher  usually asks him to stand at the front of the church. He announces his  name and the type of decision to the congregation.

Three Ways Family Life Fellowship Accepts Members

First, a person may unite by profession of faith and become a candidate for baptism.  This means that he has trusted Jesus as Savior, is now declaring  himself openly as a believer and is asking for membership in the church.  Baptism is immersion of a person by putting him under water. Baptism  does not help a person be saved. However, Jesus told his followers to be  baptized. It symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is also a pictorial testimony of what has already taken place in the  Christian life—death to his old life, its burial, and his resurrection  to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Church members vote to  receive the candidate for membership as a candidate for baptism. After  baptism, a person becomes a member of the church.  

Second, a person may unite "by letter."  This means that he is already a member of another church of like faith  and order. When one requests membership this way, the church clerk  writes the church where he is a member and requests a letter of  recommendation. The candidate is not actually a member of the church  until the letter of recommendation is received. However, many churches  accept a person under the "watch care" of the church until the letter is  received. Watch care means that the candidate is considered a part of  the church fellowship and has the privileges and responsibilities given  to a church member.  

Third, a person may unite by statement.  This means that they have made a public profession of faith and have  been baptized by immersion but their church letter is no longer  available. There are many reasons why this occurs. Perhaps the church  where a person joined is now disbanded. In some cases a person may have  joined a church of another denomination and asked the previous church to  drop his name from the roll.  When this is the situation, one should  present himself to the preacher and tell him that he is coming by  statement.   

     If none of these ways describes your particular  situation, and you wish to discuss your own needs with someone, ask the  pastor to counsel with you privately. He is ready to talk with you and  to help you understand how you may unite with the church.