We are Pilgrims on a Journey: Reimagining Church Membership in Contemporary Wales

Abstract

This article is our theological and missional response to a practical and pressing question: what does it mean to be a member of a Baptist church in Wales today? The classic Baptist understanding is that a Baptist Christian will make a believer’s commitment to Christ (baptism) and simultaneously a commitment to belong to a specific group of Baptist believers (membership). It is our contention that this understanding has now been largely replaced by a tacit assumption that, instead, a Baptist Christian’s commitment is largely one to an organisation. In this article, we call for these two original commitments to be once again separated and individually honoured. We argue that, today, a commitment to a specific group of Baptist believers on a spiritual pilgrimage is a compelling metaphor for church membership. We also argue the case for seeing baptism as a pilgrim participation in Christ’s story.