The pastors at Tri-County Baptist Church would like you to know how thrilled we are that you are considering Tri-County Baptist to be your church home. After the decision to place your faith in Jesus Christ, baptism and making the commitment to be involved in a local church is the next wonderful step of faith and obedience that will be a beneficial experience to you and your church! If you have been attending the worship services of TCBC you have witnessed the fact that God is blessing us. We believe this is a result of our sincere attempt to be a God-honoring church where the Word is faithfully taught, and the needs of God's people are being met.

Our prayer is that you do not think that membership is just a way of "adding people" to our Church. The last thing we want is for you to become a part of the Tri-County Baptist family and then fade into inactive anonymity. Our desire is for each of our family members to be active in the ministry of this local church.

Why do we want you to be an "active" member? Because we believe people grow in their relationship with Christ when they are serving God! Serving God in the Church is a positive and rewarding experience.

The TCBC pastoral staff desires to serve you! Our prayer is that as you join hands with the Body of Christ at Tri-County Baptist and as you allow the Word of God to speak to your heart, we will together be transformed into the image of Christ Himself.

Why Join A Church?

One of the most frequently asked questions in the Church today is: "Why join?"

We clearly live in an age of non-joiners. Many are individuals who are not only less than neutral about joining, but have inherent distrust of the "system" which prevents them from joining. These past decades have given people many reasons not to trust "organized religion", so it is our responsibility to reshape their thinking by offering a positive and productive model of membership in the local church.

The question still remains: "Why join?" The answer is commitment. Commitment both to Christ and His Church, reflected in tithes, attendance, and ministry involvement. It's true, when someone becomes a Christian, they become an automatic "member" in the kingdom of God. So joining the Church has nothing to do with salvation or eternal life. But the Church does represent the place of spiritual growth for the believer. The Church is the God ordained place of spiritually gifted ministry by those who desire spiritual growth. God never intended that any Christian should live in isolation. He knows we need to belong to a community because He made us that way. The word 'saint' never appears in the singular, only the plural. We need each other, and God provided the Church to meet that need. The Church is a group of 'called out' ones; people who are called out of the world to be together.

Why should you be a member of a local church? It has been God's plan since the very beginning. The Community was designed and put together to meet the needs of the people. The Bible calls it a "body", one body, but many members. The Church is also the house of God. We are the family of God. We are children in God's family. We are in God's "forever family".

The New Testament Church is a redeemed, baptized membership. It is a steadfast and serving membership that reaches out in the power of the Holy Spirit to tell others the "Good News" of Jesus Christ. All of us like to be around people who are committed. Membership is a public way to demonstrate your commitment. We are the visible body of Jesus Christ - the body in the local New Testament Church. Membership is a powerful testimony to all the world. We burn brightly when we are together, but we have a tendency to burn out when we separate.

At Tri-County Baptist Church we have a high view of church membership. We think it is important to express our reasons in a forthright manner. Church membership is:

• A Confession of Faith. Faith is invisible, but it results in visible evidence, and along with a changed life, words of witness, and Christian baptism, there is identification with God's people.
• An Expression of Gratitude. The church is Christ's body on earth. He bought it, formed it, and uses it to do His will. When we identify with the Church, we express to God our commitment to, and our gratitude for the Savior.
• A Confession of Need. The Church is not a museum for perfect saints; no, it is a rehabilitation center for "improving" Christians. We need all the help we can get, and in the fellowship of the Church, we gain much help and discipline.
• An Involvement in God's Program. No local Church is perfect, but we need to pool our gifts and talents to fulfill God's great plan. Together we can do what singly would be impossible.

What the Church can do for you: The Church can...

• Provide a place to learn and grow. If you come to church to learn so that you can practice what you hear, you will never be the same. Begin your Sunday by saying, "Lord, what are you going to teach me today that I can immediately go out and do?"
• Provide a place of worship. Praise the Lord and grow spiritually.
• Provide shepherding from our deacons.
• Provide family ministry and fellowship through adult Bible fellowships, choir, men's and women's ministries, small groups, recreational athletic opportunities, and others.

What you can do for the Church: You can...

• Pray - We are commanded to continue strong in prayer. 'Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.'" (Colossians 4:12)
• Serve - Each of us is to take charge of whatever the Lord has given us. Each of us has been given according to our individual ability. According to Matthew 25:15, we are to use our talents and opportunities for the Lord.
• Give - Why should we be tithers? First of all, because you care about the things of the Lord's house. Second, you care about the ministry. God would never tell you to do something He wouldn't enable you to do. It is absolutely impossible that God would say to us, "Bring a tithe," and we would have to say, "But Lord, you know I can't do that." Every stewardship passage has a promise with it that says if you do what God calls you to do, He will bless you, He will take care of you, and He will supply all your needs. And He will!

We trust you will be blessed by what God is doing at Tri-County Baptist Church.