Becoming a member of Lake Placid

Becoming a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church

NOTE: These topics are dealt with in more detail in our "Discovery Class," which is offered every few weeks. We encourage you to be part of our next Discovery Class (contact us to find out the date of the next class). You may want to contact us to discuss the information below. You may contact Pastor Derek at 518-523-2008, or via email at dgspain@msn.com.

What does it mean to be a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church?

"I want to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ." Jesus called the early disciples by simply saying, "Come, follow me" (Matthew 4:19). When they followed him, their lives were changed forever! They became the people that God had created them to be. Our desire as a church is to introduce people to this same Jesus, who is still changing people's lives today, from the inside out. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Being a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church means you want God to make you into the person that he created you to be.
"This is my church family." Those who are members of Lake Placid Baptist Church know that they have a church family to support them, to encourage them, to pray for them, and to help them follow Jesus.
"I want to serve Christ here." Those who are members of Lake Placid Baptist Church know that God has led them to this church family so that their talents and spiritual gifts can be used to encourage others, help others, and show the love and compassion of Christ to others. One of the ways we serve Christ together is by helping to support over 10,000 missionaries around the world through CP Missions.
"I will support this church body." Those who are members of Lake Placid Baptist Church support each other, wherever and whenever they can. We support this church body by living a godly life, by giving to support its ministries, by attending faithfully, and by serving cheerfully.
"I want to learn the Word of God." You will find a hunger and thirst among the members of Lake Placid Baptist Church to study, discuss, understand and apply the Bible to their daily lives. We believe that God can speak to everyone through his Word, and therefore we make it a central part of our small group Bible studies, worship services, and our daily lives.

Who may become a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church?

Membership is open to all. Membership at Lake Placid Baptist Church is open to all that the Lord is leading to be part of this church family.
Some join by salvation and baptism. A person may become a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church when: he/she has trusted Christ as Lord and Savior, has followed him in believer's baptism by immersion, and has completed the "Discovery Class."
Some join by letter. If a person is saved, has been baptized by immersion as a believer, and is already a member of another church family, and he/she desires to move their membership to Lake Placid Baptist Church: he/she will be received as a member as soon as a letter of recommendation is received from his/her previous church (recommending him/her to LPBC for membership) and after he/she has completed the "Discovery Class."
Some join by statement. If a person is saved, has been baptized by immersion as a believer, and is not able to have a previous church send a letter of recommendation (due to the fact that no records were kept there, or other extenuating circumstances), then: he/she will be received as a member after completing the "Discovery Class," at which time he/she will share a statement of his/her faith in Jesus Christ.

What is the process for becoming a member?

Salvation. To become a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church, you must trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and surrender your life to him. As the Bible says, "You must be born again" (John 3:3). Clink on this link to find out how to be saved: thekristo.com. Some people become members of LPBC having already trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior (See the "By Letter" and "By Statement" sections of "Who may become a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church?" above).
Baptism. The Bible teaches that all followers of Jesus Christ should be baptized as a public profession of their faith in him, after they have received him as Lord and Savior. The Bible teaches that baptism is by immersion. The Bible says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized" (Acts 2:42). A person who has already been saved and baptized does not have to be baptized again at Lake Placid Baptist Church.
Discovery Class. We believe it is wise for people to understand what a church believes, how the church is structured, what the church feels called to do, and what it means to be a member of that church. With that in mind, we offer our Discovery Class several times each year to answer these and other questions. Attending the Discovery Class is a requirement to become a church member.
Church Affirmation. Our church has a business meeting four times per year. One of the exciting elements of each business meeting is to officially receive those who are desiring church membership and who have completed the requirements for membership. On the Sunday following the business meeting, we recognize all those who are new members of Lake Placid Baptist Church during the morning worship service.

Questions?

If you have questions or thoughts about becoming a member of Lake Placid Baptist Church, please contact Pastor Derek at the church office at 518-523-2008, or via email at dgspain@msn.com.