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Membership at Eaton First Church of God
In the tradition of the Church of God movement, EFCOG does not have formal membership. There are no formal processes or classes to take. In short, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, or trying to be, and are calling EFCOG your regular church home, then you can consider yourself an active member. There are really two parts of this commitment of EFCOG “members”.Making a commitment to Jesus Christ involves confessing your sins in prayer, asking God to forgive sinful ways of living and inviting Jesus Christ to come into your life as Savior and Lord. You may be able to do this alone. Many persons have found that the assistance of a mature Christian is helpful at this time. When you accept Jesus Christ as Savior, you become a new creation in Christ (John 3:1-7; II Corinthians 5:17) and become a member of God’s universal church.
- Accepted Jesus Christ as Savior
- Be at least sixteen years old
- Worship regularly at EFCOG for at least six months; and
- Live in accordance with the teachings of the Church of God Reformation Movement (Anderson, Indiana)
Baptism
At Eaton First Church of God, we practice
what is commonly referred to as “believer’s baptism.” By this we mean that those who have accepted Jesus
Christ as Savior are eligible for baptism. Children, youth, and adults can all participate in this wonderful symbol of new
life in Christ. Believers who have already been baptized in other church groups will find their baptism honored here.
While we appreciate and understand traditions within the Christian Church that practice infant baptism, at EFCOG,
we believe it is important to provide an opportunity for Christian parents to publicly dedicate themselves and their newborn
children to the Lord. Therefore, we frequently have parent-child dedication ceremonies during our worship services for that
purpose.
We are often asked if someone who was baptized as an infant should
be baptized a second time after they have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Again, we have deep respect for the meaning
behind infant baptism and the subsequent confirmation process that is practiced in many churches. We honor the baptism of
people who come to EFCOG from other backgrounds. At the same time, we believe there is still value — both for the
believer and for the church — when one is baptized in response to his or her own cognizant commitment to follow Jesus.
While we do not try to convince persons to be baptized a second time if they are satisfied with their own experience of baptism,
we have observed that many people choose to be baptized again as a sign of their own adult confession of faith in Jesus Christ.
Becoming A Christian
In your life, you are faced with thousands of decisions. One of those decisions is whether or not
to have a relationship with God. God deeply wants a relationship with you… this is why He created you. God loves you.
God loves you regardless of your past, and He loves you regardless of your current situation.
That’s right. You have done a lot of things that are displeasing to God. We all have! You may
have even rebelled against God. The Bible calls this sin, and sin damages your relationship with God. Yet, God loves you and
wants to offer you a new life in which your relationship with Him is restored and alive with Him forever.
How?
God demonstrated His love for you by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to receive the punishment for your sins. Jesus died for
your sins and was raised from the dead so that you can have a relationship with God; a gift from God just for you.
Accepting this gift is YOUR choice. If you are choosing right now to believe Jesus died for your sins and to receive new
life through Him, prayer a prayer similar to this:
“God
I know that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died and was raised from the dead so that I could be forgiven of my sins. I now
accept Your offer of a relationship and eternal life with you. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sins. Thank you for my
new life. Help me to now live for you. From this day forward, I will choose to follow you.”
If you prayed
this prayer, welcome to the family of God! We encourage you to share your decision with a Christian friend or pastor. The
next step is to seek to grow in this new relationship. That is why we are here! We have a number of ways you can learn about
this relationship; to strengthen it and help you apply God’s Hope throughout your life. We encourage you to contact
us or another Bible-believing church about following Christ’s example and ask to be baptized as a public expression
of your new faith.
At Eaton First Church of God, we are striving to do five simple things:
- Exalt Christ (worship)
- Focus on Others (outreach)
- Communicate the Gospel (evangelism)
- Outpour His Love (fellowship)
- Grow
in Faith (discipleship)
What We Believe
Through the avenues of preaching, teaching, and singing, the Church of God has consistently affirmed that the written source of what we believe is the Bible. We have attempted to remain Biblically based without becoming tied to creeds or liturgies.
What are some of the key doctrines that we proclaim?
- We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. Genesis 1
- We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made John 1:1-14
- We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified. John 3:14-17
- We believe that all scripture is inspired by God and is the authority for the Christian life. 2 Timothy 3:14-17
- We believe in conversion, which is the renewal of life at its’ deepest level through repentance and trust in the forgiveness of Christ. Acts 2:36-39
- We believe that conversion places us in the church and that no other formalities are necessary. Acts 2:47
- We believe in Christian holiness, that is, the commitment to become Christ-like in our actions, attitudes, words, and thoughts. Romans 12:1-2
