“OPEN MEMBERSHIP???”
By Dr. Hoyt W. Allen, Jr.
Someone
asked the question,
“What Is Open
Membership?”. Thus,
I will attempt to
respond to this
question briefly.
“Open Membership”
concerning church
membership is the
common term used
when a church
(denomination or a
local congregation)
permits people to
become an official
member with them who
have not followed
the Biblical plan of
salvation.
Very Plainly, the
Bible teaches that
to avoid hell and
gain heaven - one
must:
1) Believe In Jesus
As Savior (Acts
16:31) 2) Repent Of
Sins (Acts 17:30) 3)
Confess Christ
Audibly (Acts 8:37)
4) Be Baptized In
Water (Acts 2:38) 5)
Live A Christian
Life (Acts 14:22)
6) Stay Active In
The Church (Acts
2:47)
When an
“Open Membership”
church tells a
person who is
seeking membership
that one can join
the church no matter
if you have been
Scripturally
baptized (immersed
for the forgiveness
of sins; Acts 2:38)
or not - this is an
“Open Membership
Church”. They do not
require one to be
baptized as the
Bible teaches.
When I
was twelve years of
age and attending an
interdenominational
church, who did not
have a regular
minister, my father
told me that next
Sunday a visiting
minister was going
to baptize my older
sister and myself.
The next Sunday the
visiting minister
positioned twelve of
us (youth and
elderly) in a circle
and sprinkled a few
drops of water on
our heads for
baptism. I accepted
this as being
baptized for many
years until I was
confronted with the
Bible’s teaching of
immersion of the
believer. You see,
the application of
water at age twelve
was dad’s decision
and not mine, even
if it had been
immersion. Thus my
wife and I at age
twenty-four, were
baptized by
immersion, as Acts
2:38 teaches. This
was on August 25,
1963. From then
until the present I
have encouraged
people to do things
God’s way and not
man’s. Contact us if
you need assistance
in talking care of
this very important
matter.
KYOWVA Evangelistic
Association * 1541
S. 7th Street *
Ironton, OH 45638
Web Page:
www.kyowva.com *
Free Bible Course
Upon Request