Membership

KBC is a Baptist church in fellowship with the Baptist Union of Scotland and Union of Great Britain. We have a policy of open membership which means that a person is not required to be baptised by immersion in order to join the church though we encourage all candidates for membership to consider seriously the biblical teaching about believer’s baptism. Baptism and membership classes are held regularly to explain our basic beliefs, our congregational goals and our Baptist distinctives.

When someone expresses a desire to join the church, there are a number of stages to go through. Normally, someone would first attend a membership information session where they will learn about Kirkintilloch Baptist Church - it’s history, ethos and set up. If they decide they want to join, they should complete an application form and return this to the church office so we know they want to proceed with their application. A minister will visit an applicant to answer any questions they may still have. Subsequently, two members of the congregation will be appointed to meet and informally interview the person and bring a report to the earliest convenient church meeting. The purpose of this interview is to gather information the church requires to make a decision and will include the following:

  • Some background biographical material.
  • A statement of how the candidate came to faith in Jesus Christ and their current walk with him.
  • Assurance of a candidate’s understanding of what is involved in church membership in terms of commitment of time, spiritual gifts and money.
  • Assurance of the candidates understanding and support for the church’s goals and vision including an appreciation of our views about believer’s baptism.
  • Each member is assigned to a geographical Pastoral Area which is overseen by a Pastoral Area Care Team, but we also encourage each new member to be a part of a small midweek house group as a means of integrating into the life of the church.