The Bible teaches us that there is only one way to heaven: faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Because everyone has sinned, everyone needs God’s only solution. Jesus is God’s perfect payment for our sin. (John 1:11-14, 3:3-21; 14:1-6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8-10; 10:9-10,13; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; Revelation 3:20.  You can commit your life to Christ as Savior and Lord right now.

• Admit you are a sinner and that your sin has separated you from a perfect and holy God.

• Believe Jesus died on the cross as God’s only perfect payment for your sins.

• Willingly turn from sin and self and turn to Christ as the Lord or ruler of your life.

• Sincerely make a commitment very similar to the one printed below:

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am sinful and need forgiveness.  I trust that you died to pay the penalty for my sin.  I want to turn from my sinful nature and follow you instead.  I invite you to take control of my heart and life.  In Jesus name. Amen."

Let others know about this commitment.  Do not be ashamed of Christ as your Lord.

The Bible teaches that the church is God’s idea. God began the church and sustains its existence. The church’s purpose is to glorify God and make an eternal impact on people. Here at McClendon Baptist, we have a passion for worship and witness and our clear purpose is to make a spiritual impact on individuals in Ouachita Parish and beyond.  (Matthew 16:15-19; Acts 2:41-42,47; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:6)

The Bible also teaches that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Single people are a vital part of the characters in the Bible. Obviously the most famous personality in the Bible was single, Jesus Christ. Marriage is the unity of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. (Genesis 1:27; 2:19-25; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3; Proverbs 5:19; Song of Songs 8:6-7; Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1:26-27; Ephesians 5:22-33 and Hebrews 13:4.)

Baptism illustrates Christ’s burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 and Colossians 2:12)  It also illustrates my new  life as a Christian (Romans 6:4).  A person should be baptized because Jesus set the example (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9).  Also Jesus commanded us to baptize people (Matthew 28:19-20).  Baptism shows we mean business about our commitment to Christ.  In other words, it demonstrates that I really am a believer (Acts 18:8 and 1 John 2:3).

We Baptize by immersion because Jesus was baptized that way (Matthew 3:16) and every other baptism in the Bible was by immersion (see Acts 8:38-39 for an example).  The word “baptize”  literally means to dip under water.  Every person who has committed to Christ as Lord and Savior should be baptized as soon as they possibly can.

Acts 2:41 “Those who believed and accepted His message were baptized…”
Acts 8:13 “Simon himself believed and was baptized…”
Acts 8:12 “But when they believed Philip as he preached the Good News…and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”

We believe that biblical stewardship involves the proper management of all that God has given us … time, money, abilities, etc. … to expand His kingdom (1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:10). Therefore, we encourage every member to adopt a lifestyle of stewardship that recognizes God’s ownership of everything and to practice the biblical principle of tithing (giving at least one-tenth of one’s income) to support the work of the church.