Entrance into the Local New Testament Church

How do you become a member of BCA?

1. Believer's Baptism - Once God saves a soul, the next step of obedience is Baptism by immersion. When BCA Baptizes you through its ordained servant, after a suitable confession of faith in Christ to the satisfaction of the members, you become a member of BCA.

2. Scriptural Baptism - Another way of becoming a member of BCA is by proper baptism.  Not all Baptisms are scriptural or properly received or given.  

• If you were immersed before, even by a "Baptist" minister, but you were NOT yet in a Heavenly recognized relationship with Christ, then you were not Baptized, you just got wet.  You have to sumit yourself to proper scriptural baptism before BCA can consider you as a member.
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• If you were baptized as a baby (paedobaptism) then that is just ritualism, not scriptural baptism. You have to sumit yourself to proper scriptural baptism before BCA can consider you as a member.
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• If you submitted to an ordinance in your old church, and they call it baptism, but what they actually did was to pour or sprinkle water to you, that is not baptism.  You have to sumit yourself to proper scriptural baptism before BCA can consider you as a member.

3. By means of Letter of Transfer - If you come from a church in our fellowship, which we know, were sent out by a previous existing church, preaching the right doctrine and practice, who rejects the transfer of brethren with alien baptism, then we will simply require a letter from your previous church that you are in good standing.

In proposing this strict understanding of Baptism, we are not saying that we are the only people who are saved by grace nor are we saying that only BCA has the proper authority to Baptize people.  Many of the Lord's churches are in our fellowship and some are unknown to us.  That is why we are careful to examine whatever is presented to us before we make a judgment of rejection or acceptance of someone's authority.  We further recognize that we are liable to commit mistakes regarding these matters for we are but humans.  May the Lord God guide us always by the understanding of the Spirit in reading and following the Holy Scriptures.