FIRST STEPS CLASS

I am glad that you have chosen to attend the First Steps Workshop here at First Baptist Church(FBC). One of the things I enjoy the most about my job is being able to sit down with new people and talk with them about their spiritual journey. We are all on a journey and we all have a story to tell. I hope that this workshop will be just as enjoyable to you as it is to me.
Attending this workshop does not make you a member of FBC. It is a prerequisite to membership, but it doesn’t automatically make you a member. After attending this workshop, you have the option to join or not to join. Whatever God leads you to do, we will understand, and be happy for you. We want everyone that God leads to FBC to join, jump in and serve with us but we also understand that not every church is right for every person, so we want you to be where God wants you to be.
At the end of this workshop there will be a Membership Covenant to be signed if you know God is leading you to become a member at FBC. Membership is both a privilege and a responsibility. Like being a member of any team, or a partner in any organization, there is work to be done. We think it’s the greatest work in the world. Loving and serving others as we love and serve our Savior.
Thanks for attending,

Ken Williams
Pastor

Why Membership?

As part of a team or a body, you have a part to play. When you serve where God gifted you to serve everyone wins. Romans 12:4-8 (ESV) For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Even a casual reading of Scripture reveals that the commitment of believers to one another is anything but casual. The Scriptures call us to love one another, outdo one another in showing honor, live in harmony with one another, instruct, greet, comfort, serve, bear the burdens of, forgive, encourage, always seek to do good to, exhort, stir up to love and good works, confess your sins to, pray for and show hospitality to one another. How can this be pursued without a deep and real commitment to the good of others?
Membership is not about privilege or prestige. It is an obligation to sacrificially seek the good of others in the body of Christ. Membership in a church should not be thought of as membership in a country club where we’re catered to, but more as membership on a team where we jump in and work together and cooperate as a team.

Becoming a Member: Four Steps to Becoming a Member

Your Journey
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Romans 10:9-10 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

State how you became a Christian and why you would like to become a member of First Baptist Church of McNeil.

Baptism
Baptism is intended only for those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ and can give sufficient testimony to the basics of Christian beliefs. We baptize by immersion because it is not only the original significance of the word but also best symbolizes the reality to which baptism points—our death and resurrection in Christ. If you have not been baptized following salvation, we ask you to take this step before becoming a member.

Required Class
We require prospective members to attend FIRST STEPS. This class explains what membership is and why it’s important to commit to a local body of believers.

Signing the Covenant
The final step in becoming a member is to sign the Membership Covenant. Once you fulfill the requirements of membership and sign the covenant, you are considered a member of First Baptist Church of McNeil.

OUR STATEMENTS
PURPOSE STATEMENT: We exist to glorify God by helping people find and follow Jesus as we worship, grow, and serve.

MISSION STATEMENT: helping people find and follow Jesus

VISION STATEMENT: to see people worshipping, growing, and serving.

CORE VALUES STATEMENT: worship, grow, and serve.

Core Values of First Baptist Church, McNeil, Arkansas

We measure our success by our ability to help people find and follow Jesus. We believe this is what Jesus commanded us to do when he said, “Go, and make disciples.” Full devotion to Jesus is normal for every believer. “Then He (Jesus) said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” Luke 9:23
At First Baptist Church, McNeil, Arkansas we value discipleship that is life changing because in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” It is our goal to help unbelievers, or the uncommitted, to find and follow Jesus so that they can help other unbelievers, or the uncommitted, to find and follow Jesus as Paul taught Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 when he said, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” To accomplish this our six Core Values are Worship, Prayer, Bible Study, Fellowship, Outreach and Ministry.
To aid in memory of our core values we refer to them simply as worship, grow, serve and sometimes as just W-G-S.

WORSHIP GOD
I. WORSHIP - We value worship that is relevant, innovative, and glorifying to God.
1. We seek to praise and honor God passionately as individuals, families, and as a local church.
2. We seek to have the most vibrant worshipful experience using all types of songs and media and relevant biblical messages.

II. PRAYER - We value prayer as authentic communication with God that is both specific and consistent.
1. We recognize our need to be in close relationship with our Creator God who hears and answers prayer.
2. We value prayer because it strengthens our relationship with God and gives us access to God’s power and purpose.

GROW TO MATURITY

III. BIBLE STUDY - We value Bible study because the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
1. We believe in the life changing value of God’s word.
2. We recognize God uses Bible study to speak to us and provide direction, correction, and comfort.

IV. FELLOWSHIP – We value genuine fellowship which produces unity and harmony in the church family.
1. We believe that to grow in Christ is best accomplished in relationships with other Christians.
2. We recognize that small groups studying God’s word together allows us to know each other’s needs, joys, and sorrows so we can comfort and encourage one another.

SERVE LOCAL AND GLOBAL

V. OUTREACH - We value outreach because lost people matter to God and to us.
1. We believe outreach is every believer’s responsibility to share God’s word with people that don’t know Him and His teachings.
2. Since we believe we best serve others by telling them the gospel, we will keep outreach as a major priority through local and global evangelism and missions.

VI. MINISTRY - We value ministry that allows us to use our gifts to serve and care for others inside and outside the walls of our church.
1. We value serving because we are called to care for and serve one another within our church family.
2. We believe meeting the needs of others shows the love of God to the world.

OUR DOCTRINAL STATEMENT - Condensed version, (Full version – online)

This is what we believe:
• There is one God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit subsist in unity, and also as three separate distinct Persons.
• Jesus Christ is God’s Son. He was born of a virgin as both God and man, lived a sinless life, died to atone for the sins of human beings, was buried, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven and will literally return to earth.
• The Holy Spirit is the divine helper, assistant, counselor and instructor, and His work is to reveal Christ, convict of sin, lead to repentance, guide believers, comfort, strengthen, and sanctify the soul.
• The Bible is God’s Holy Word, without error, and is the sole authority for life.
• Human beings are the special creations of God, made in His image. They fell through the sin of the first man, Adam, and all human beings are sinners in need of salvation.
• Salvation is a gift through repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. Every person who truly is saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ and will spend eternity in heaven, while those who die in their sins will spend eternity in hell.
• Baptism is by immersion after salvation and is done in obedience to Jesus Christ’s command.
• The Lord’s Supper is observed in accordance with the Bible’s teaching, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
• Each believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
• The Church is a local body of baptized believers with the Lord Jesus Christ as the Head.

My personal Statement of faith

• I am a Christian saved from the eternal wrath of God by faith in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, through his death and resurrection, by which I am assured of eternal life.
• I have repented of my sins and been made a new creation in Christ.
• In obedience to Scripture, I have been baptized by immersion to personally identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
• I have read, understood, and agree with the First Baptist Church doctrinal statement.
• I am willing to fulfill the seven expectations in our covenant.

Obligation of First Baptist Church to its members

• We covenant to seek God’s will for you to the best of our ability as we study the Scriptures and follow the Spirit.
• We covenant to care for you and seek your growth as a disciple of Christ, in part by equipping you for service, and praying for you regularly.
• We covenant to provide teaching and counsel from the whole of Scripture.
• We covenant to be on guard against false teachers.
• We covenant to exercise church discipline when necessary.

OUR PROCESS

First Baptist McNeil PROCESS for making disciples:
At FBC, our process consists of three main Steps that we want everyone to experience as we pursue our mission together to becoming obedient followers of Jesus Christ. Our Mission Statement highlights our process.

Worship, Grow, Serve
These three steps of our process come from what is called the Great Commission - Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
In this passage Jesus tells us to “go” (Serve); “baptize” (Worship); and “teach” (Grow) others. Not only does He tell us to do these three things, they are imperative verbs, meaning they are commands to be followed.

OUR PROGRAMS

Here at FBC, our Programs are our Process.
Our Sunday morning worship program is where we WORSHIP.
Our Bible Study, including Sunday School, Children’s ministry, Disciple Training, etc. is where we GROW.
Our outreach and serving ministries are where we SERVE.

OUR MODELS

DISCIPLE TRAINING: JESUS & PAUL

Just as Jesus took a small inner circle of men and poured Himself in to them, we believe the biblical model for making disciples as demonstrated by Jesus and Paul is for a maturing disciple to pour into a small group of 2 to 3 others with the goal of training them to pour in to 2 or 3 others.
WE RECOGNIZE IT’S A CONTINUOUS, NEVER-ENDING JOURNEY
2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJV) And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

It Is our goal that every believer will be trained and equipped to train and equip 2 to 3 other disciples in how to train and equip others.

OUR EXPECTATIONS

First Baptist Church Membership Covenant
What is a covenant?
A covenant is a promise by which we obligate ourselves to one another in such a way that the obligation of one party is not dependent on the faithfulness of the other. The First Baptist Church covenant includes a statement of faith, a statement of biblical doctrine, the obligations of First Baptist Church to its members, and the obligations of members to First Baptist Church. Though the covenant does define the relationship between members and the church, it is first and foremost a promise made to God as a commitment to his glory and his bride, the church.

My obligation to First Baptist Church as a member
• I will worship the one true God with other First Baptist church members for as long as I am physically able (Hebrews 10:24-25; Romans 12:1). The goal of my regular weekly worship is to give God glory (Romans 11:36; Hebrews 13:15).
• I will grow spiritually through regular involvement in groups and classes at First Baptist Church in addition to regular personal devotional times. I understand the purpose of these groups and classes is building community with other believers and holding each other accountable (Acts 2:44-47; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
• I will serve Christ through the mission work of First Baptist Church. I am created to serve others through good works (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 4:10). I am commanded by God to make disciples of every nation, tribe, people and language through the local church (Matthew 28:16-20; Revelation 7:9). I will support the church’s mission to go to the ends of the earth to share the gospel (Acts 1:8).
• I will give to God abundantly and joyfully, recognizing God as the owner of all things (Proverbs 3:9; Psalm 24:1). Giving my offerings and time to God brings me closer to Him (Malachi 3:10; Matthew 6:19-24).
• I will seek unity with other church members. I recognize God’s design for the church is unity in diversity, and I will put the interests of others above my personal preferences (Ephesians 4:1-6; 1 Peter 3:8-9). I will guard the reputation of the church and submit to discipline for any sin problems in my life (Matthew 18:15-20).
• I will pray for and follow the leadership of First Baptist Church (Hebrews 13:17-18). I will pray privately and with the church corporately. I will pray for people to accept Christ, and I will pray for more disciples to grow.
• I will sacrifice by serving first, following the servant model of Jesus Christ (Mark 10:45). I will make my attitude that of Christ and through humility make the gospel my priority (Philippians 2:5-11).

OUR NEXT STEPS

There is a process for everything. There is a process of putting on your socks and shoes every day. Most people put their socks on first, thus a process. There is a SEVEN step process at First McNeil of how we intend to accomplish our mission.
First Baptist McNeil’s “Next Steps” is our process.
NEXT STEP #1 – It is our goal that all who haven’t become followers of Jesus would do so and make a public profession of their faith in Christ.
NEXT STEP #2 - It is our goal that all who profess Christ in salvation would also follow Him in baptism as soon as possible.
NEXT STEP #3 – It is our goal that everyone who desires to unite with this church would do so by attending First-Steps Class.
NEXT STEP #4 - It is our goal that people feel welcome to attend the Sunday morning worship service where they will hear upbeat, worshipful songs and relevant biblical teaching.
NEXT STEP #5 - It is our goal that everyone would join a Bible study group where they can experience meaningful relationships with others and grow in a deeper relationship with Christ through studying the Scriptures together. We also believe that spiritual maturity comes from one’s own personal study of God’s Word.
NEXT STEP #6 - It is our goal that every member has a place to serve others. We believe that every member in his or her place of ministry serving and caring for others is not only Biblical, it is essential to becoming Christ-like. Jesus said, “I came not to be served, but to serve,” Mark 10:45 and in Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
NEXT STEP #7 – It is our goal that every member continues in their own personal growth to maturity as they worship, grow, and serve in order that they may be able to help others join the journey.

To be obedient followers that are making obedient followers of our Lord will require each of us to be faithful attenders of the Sunday morning WORSHIP time as well as faithful members of a small group where we can GROW through studying the Bible together and SERVE others both physically and spiritually as we “go and tell” and invite to “come and see” what the gospel message of Jesus Christ is all about.

OUR GOAL is to keep ministry really simple. We believe that if every Christian would be involved in these steps they would become mature Christians as Christ wants us to be. We indeed would be obedient followers of Jesus Christ developing others to become obedient followers of Christ.

OUR INFORMATION

Our Culture
Congregational
Staff
Budget
Missions
Church property
Our Affiliation: Baptist Missionary Association of America (BMAA)

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH Email: mcneilfbc@gmail.com
P.O. BOX 400, 451 GUM ST Pastor Ken # 972-978-1106
MCNEIL, AR 71752 Email: pastrken@gmail.com
870-695-3391 Web: firstmcneil.com

FIRST MCNEIL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Name ______________________________________________________________
Home phone/Cell phone_______________________________________________
Address _____________________________ City ___________________________
State _______ Zip _________
Email (print) ______________________________________________________________
Occupation _______________ Birth date _______________
Marital Status ______ Anniversary ________________________
Children/Birthdays ___________________________________________________
Previous Church membership? _________________________________________
Do you want notification of new membership sent? __________
Have you been baptized? _________
Have you read the First Baptist Doctrinal Statement, and do you agree with it? ______________
If no, please explain: _____________________________________________________________
Have you read the First Baptist Membership Covenant, and do you agree to abide by them? ___
If no, please explain: _____________________________________________________________

Signature _____________________________ Date ____________

FIRST MCNEIL QUESTIONAIRE

Please circle all that apply and that you would consider serving in if you had clear instructions.

WORSHIP: Do you enjoy working with music?
1. Leading music
2. Singing in the choir
3. Singing solos
4. Singing with a small group
5. Playing an instrument – what?
6. Greeting/Usher
7. Helping with special events; Easter, Christmas

GROW: Do you enjoy teaching, or helping with special events?
1. Teaching
a. Men
b. Women
c. Mixed
d. Students
e. Children
f. Nursery
g. Children’s Church
h. Sunday Night Kid’s Ministry
2. Writing (brochures, newsletters, etc.)
3. Hosting a class in your home
4. Planning special events
5. Working/serving at special events
6. Setting up for special events
7. Cleaning up after special events
8. Helping with youth/children fund raising

SERVE: Do you enjoy working with outreach?
1. Setting up events and serving in the community
2. Putting out door hangers
3. Visitation – prospects
4. Missions
5. Website
6. Advertising
7. Sending Cards and letters
8. Do you like visiting and caring for our members?
9. Home visits
10. Hospital visits and nursing home visits
11. Providing food for funerals

1st IMPRESSIONS: Do you enjoy helping keep the building/lawn beautiful and in great shape?
1. Repairs and Maintenance
2. Cleaning
3. Decorations
4. Mowing
5. Landscaping
6. Painting

BAPTIST TRUMPET – Would you like to receive the newspaper called the Baptist Trumpet? Y N
Would you prefer an email copy or an actual newspaper? Email ______, Newspaper _______

RIGHTNOW MEDIA – We offer a free RightNow Media account to every member.

*CERTIFICATE OF MEMBERSHIP