The first step in joining the church is to contact our pastor – Paul Simpson Duke (psduke718@gmail.com or 734-663-9376 x.107) to indicate your interest. He will set up an appointment with you to get to know you, to talk in more detail about our church, to answer any questions you may have, and to provide you with a membership form to fill out.
Individuals present themselves for membership in one of the following ways:
- Profession of faith, followed by baptism
- Promise of a letter of transfer from another Christian church
- Personal statement of a prior confession of faith and baptism (when a church letter is not available)
At First Baptist, we practice “believer’s baptism,” which is baptism on the basis of a personal profession of faith; however, we accept into membership anyone who has been baptized, regardless of age at the time of baptism or the denomination in which the baptism occurred. We do not require re-baptism of those transferring from other denominations.
On a mutually agreed-upon Sunday, you will be officially received into membership by the congregation at the end of the church worship service. You will stand in front of the congregation with the pastors and join in the reading of a written liturgy of commitment. (If you are uncomfortable standing up front and speaking publicly, we are happy to make less public arrangements to officially receive you into membership.) Following the service, you will stand with one of the pastors outside the sanctuary to be greeted by church members.