73%
Confidence
Belief overview
Regenerated membership
The local church is ideally composed of people who profess faith and evidence discipleship.
3
Supportive
0
Contrary
0
Neutral
What it is: The idea of regenerated membership holds that the local visible church should be ideally composed of converted people baptized by profession of faith.
How the tradition understands it: Entry into membership should not be merely cultural, civil, or territorial. The community is seen as an assembly of disciples who confess the gospel.
Basis and context: The principle was decisive for Baptist critique of national church models and generalized infant baptism.
Debates and variations: In practice, there are tensions between theological ideal, institutional growth, and pastoral criteria of reception.
Documentary evidence
Supportive
1 Corinthians 5
Communal treatment of grave sin.
Reference: 1 Corinthians 5.
Content: Paul instructs the community to act in the face of a case of grave sin in its midst.
Use in debate: It is very important in the Baptist tradition of responsible membership and church discipline.
Acts 18:8
To believe and be baptized in the missionary context.
Reference: Acts 18:8.
Content: The text reports that hearers believed and were baptized.
Use in debate: It works as additional support for the Baptist pattern of faith followed by baptism.
Acts 2:41
Reception of the word followed by baptism.
Reference: Acts 2:41.
Content: Those who received the word were baptized and added to the community.
Use in debate: It is frequently used for the Baptist model of professed faith before baptism.