The Christian life is not an individualistic endeavor. God's good plan for his people includes them in a covenantal commitment to a local church. We call this membership. We believe that one of the great blessings of meaningful church membership is fellowship and community with other Christians, but that is not the primary purpose of membership. Membership in a local church is meant to confirm the genuineness of our faith in Jesus and is intended to guide, protect, and grow that faith. God has given us the local church to affirm and oversee our discipleship in Christ; baptism and membership are the first practical steps in that discipleship. 

How are we to know that we are genuinely Christians, and how are we to continue well in our faith? To answer these all-important questions, the Lord has given us a great gift in the local church. God's people, gathered officially under the authority of the Word, are called to confirm and oversee the genuine discipleship of God's people. The church doesn't create true Christians, God does through the Gospel. The church recognizes, affirms, and disciples Christians. This is why church membership is so important. The first step in the membership process is to take the four-week class.

We practice believer’s baptism, which means we only baptize those who believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We immerse because we believe that baptism by immersion underscores and clearly represents the meaning of baptism (identification with Christ). It is our desire that we exercise this beautiful ordinance in a way that everyone who is watching would “see the picture” of the Gospel of grace. This desire for obedience to the Word of God compels us to make it a requirement for membership in our church.

If you are interested in being baptized, please email Moriah. An East Cooper pastor will then contact you to schedule an interview approximately a couple of weeks prior to your baptism date. 

We offer baptisms in our church services instead of the ocean.