rbchelena.org - How to Join

If you are in agreement to what it means to be a member of Riverside Baptist Church, then you are ready to unite with this fellowship. At Riverside, there are three ways that a person can join this church and become a member. (see Membership for details)

Profession of Faith and Believer’s Baptism

This is when a person believes in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and the assurance of heaven.

Paul expresses the truth of salvation in Romans 10:9-10 by saying, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with the heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

Once you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you need to be baptized by immersion. Baptism by immersion is a beautiful picture of salvation. Again in Romans 6:4 Paul states, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

If you have committed your life to Christ and you have never had believer’s baptism by immersion, then you would come down at the end of the morning service during the invitation time. As you come forward to the altar, tell the pastor that you wish to unite with this fellowship by professing Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and desire to follow through with believer’s baptism by immersion. The people will rejoice in your decision and the pastor will schedule a time for you to be baptized as soon as possible.

Statement of Faith

Uniting with Riverside by a statement of faith means that you have already trusted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord and that you have had believer’s baptism by immersion.

You would need to come down at the end of the morning service during the time of invitation and publicly confess this truth and express your desire to unite with this church. The people will rejoice in your decision.

Transfer of Letter

Southern Baptist Churches keep a record of every time a person personally commits their life to the Lord and follows through with believer’s baptism. If you have been a member of a Southern Baptist Church, then you could unite with this fellowship through a transfer of letter. You will come forward at the end of the morning service and express a desire to transfer a letter from another Southern Baptist Church. The people will rejoice in your decision.

By joining by transfer of letter, you are giving Riverside the permission to contact that sister church to inquire about your faith and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. We will ask this other church about your life and ministry. They will send us a letter about how you lived your life in that church while you were a member. This letter will affirm or negate your testimony about joining by transfer of letter. If there are any questions about your testimony at the prior church, then you will be contacted by the pastor in order to clear up anything in question.