Join
For the good news of Jesus Christ to reach our state and world, churches must work together. We invite you to join the movement of living out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
We are excited to offer your church the opportunity to join this movement, collaborate with over 5,300 churches, and enjoy numerous benefits including:
- Free church revitalization and church health consultations
- Contextualized assistance in evangelism, apologetics, discipleship, worship, children, youth, millennial, adult, senior adult, multi-ethnic and community ministry
- Clergy health resources such as loans, grants, scholarships and a statewide network of pastoral care counselors and encouragers
- Opportunity to receive scholarships to our Texas Baptists universities and seminaries
- Low-cost church architecture consultations for building use plans
- Small-group Bible study curriculum written by some of Texas Baptists’ best authors
- Conferences and retreats for spiritual growth and renewal
- Access to Church Matching and Protection Benefits Plan through Guidestone Financial Resources
- IRS protections under the BGCT’s 501(c)3 umbrella
- Opportunity to apply for church loans with Baptist Church Loan Corporation
- Free estate planning through Texas Baptist Missions Foundation
A church desiring affiliation affirms:
- We are an autonomous Baptist church that makes its own decisions.
- We are identified as a body of believers separate from any church or churches who sponsor us.
- We regularly practice the ordinances of believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper.
- We will contribute to the BGCT in an identifiable way from our own resources.
- We will work in harmonious cooperation with the BGCT.
- We desire to affiliate with the BGCT.
- We hold to traditional Baptist beliefs as generally stated in either the 1963 or 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, or similar confessional statement.
To remain an active BGCT church in harmonious cooperation with the convention, a church should also affirm biblical sexuality(see 2016 BGCT Annual, pg. 65).
The churches of the convention have spoken and continue to speak for themselves on the role of women in ministry. Of the theological issues considered worthy of defining harmonious cooperation in the BGCT, the role of women in ministry is not among them (see article on celebrating unity and diversity on women in ministry).
Ready to Join?
We invite you to join our network of churches by submitting the affiliation form with an initial Cooperative Program contribution. After we receive your form and gift, you are welcome to all the benefits above.