Covenant Membership
To be a member of a church is to make a public promise to live according to the Word and to support the work of the congregation. In the Bible this is called a covenant. Every believer is part of the church as an organism (the spiritual body of Christ), but only by a public promise can you be part of the church as an organization. A public promise, or covenant, is the basis for all society, according to the Bible: marriage, citizenship, church membership, etc. are all relationships of accountability.
Membership in a church is not like membership in a social club or other organizations. Most organization members are consumers; the organization exists to serve them. The Church of Jesus is a completely different community – membership means accountability, intimacy, and service, going from being a consumer to becoming a relational partner with God’s people. Becoming a member at Veritas includes attending our Foundations Class, and being baptized as a believer (if you haven’t already).
Learn more about Foundation Class →
BAPTISM
WHAT IS BAPTISM?
Baptism is the act of immersing a Christian in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is God’s way of assuring his people that they are his children, adding them to his church, and marking them off from the world. Baptism is the believer’s way of publicly confessing faith in Christ.
WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED?
If someone has made a genuine profession of faith, then he or she ought to be baptized (Matthew 28:18-19). We encourage you to follow Christ’s command to be baptized as a public profession of your faith in him. We would love to walk with you through considering this opportunity to announce the change that has taken place in your life, and proclaim that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. If you haven’t made a commitment to Jesus, we would still love to hear from you to answer any questions you may have and help you to learn more about what it means to be a Christian.
HOW CAN I TAKE THIS STEP?
Baptism Sundays will happen every so often at Veritas Dayton during our gathering. All who desire to be or want to explore being baptized will meet with a pastor before making that decision. This meeting does not mean that you are obligated to be baptized, but serves as a way to hear more about what baptism is and how we practice it.