Dear BPCWA worshipper, On Easter Sunday, we had a membership intake where some took their membership vows. Those wishing to take up membership had to finish attending our Basic Bible Knowledge Class before submitting their applications and thereafter be interviewed by the Board of Elders. I thought it would be a good opportunity to use this pastoral to explain the rationale for this practice. Some churches do not require attendance of any classes before taking up membership. Is attending BBK and interviewing those taking up membership important? Why does BPCWA do so and stringently insist that it be so?

Our Basic Bible Knowledge class. In our church history, minimal classes covering how to be saved were required before acceptance into membership. At other times, a brief series of classes were conducted, without a defined set of materials, making a person eligible for membership. Our current basic Bible knowledge curriculum began to be used as a guide around 2011.  When God called me to serve full-time in BPCWA, I began conducting the Basic Bible Knowledge class personally, using our current BBK textbook. The book we use is produced by Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church for those wishing to be baptised and be members. After attending their BBK classes, potential members are then interviewed. In BPCWA, we adopted this BBK book as the textbook for our catechism classes since it represents our BP Faith and is comprehensive in building one up in the fundamentals of our Christian faith. BBK classes are by no means short. They are thorough and cover many important topics. These include the Bible, God, man, Jesus Christ, sin, the new birth, assurance of salvation, the Holy Spirit, prayer, discipleship, baptism, the Last Supper, the importance of God’s Word, the church, false teachings, witnessing for Christ, stewardship, and the return of Jesus Christ, and even a chapter about the church’s constitution and membership. Having listed out the topics covered, I believe that no Christian would say that these are unimportant topics for Christian living and faith.  Besides these topics, there are critical doctrines, such as biblical separation, which are not taught as a separate chapter. As such, I cover biblical separation under the chapters of the church and false teachings. With 20 chapters to cover (and most chapters are not short), it would certainly take more than 20 weeks to complete a cycle of the class. Furthermore, since many have gone through the BBK class for several rounds and there are many issues that the Christian must wrestle with in this present evil world, I take the opportunity to teach in-depth and include current issues where relevant. This may mean that completing a course of the BBK class may take about a year or so.

Why BBK is important. Why did I choose to conduct BBK myself at the start? 1) BBK is a condensed form of Systematic Theology. It builds strong Christian foundations for the church and worshippers. It is important for those intending to be baptised to be clear about the Gospel and how we are saved. In our current age, we cannot assume that one who says they are saved understands what salvation is about or is even truly saved. But BBK is not just about how to be saved.  Believers must know what is expected of them after a public testimony of their faith in baptism. So, BBK provides an understanding of the Christian faith, the life that God calls us to, the deceptions of the end times, and what God tells us about the future so that we will live in the light of that. A church that baptises believers in Christ without teaching them how a disciple is supposed to behave and live thereafter fails to tell them how to glorify God (the chief end of man), depart from sin, and defend the Truths in His divinely inspired and perfectly preserved Word after salvation. 2) It allows those seeking a church to understand what BPCWA stands for. This provides the framework for what we preach from our pulpits and during Bible studies and explains why we practice what we practice. 3) It is for the church to teach those who wish to take up membership in BPCWA what is expected of members, and what members can expect of the church in its beliefs and practices. BBK helps potential members have a clear understanding of the church’s doctrines. We will cover more about this later.  4) Importantly, it is a channel that allows for greater unity within a church. This is because there will be no uncertainty or ambiguity about the doctrines and practices that the church will teach and uphold. By God’s design, we have a rather diverse environment in Perth. Many of us were not brought up in Australia.  The Bible-Presbyterian faith is not widely known here. Some may have come from churches with other backgrounds and of different denominations. As I have previously covered in the Church Study Series on denominations, God has sovereignly allowed denominations within the Protestant faith during the church age. Denominational differences mean that some churches may have different understandings of doctrines and varying practices of church government and Sacraments. Denominational beliefs and practices allow individual local churches to be more united in their faith and practices and establish order in the church (1Co 14:40). Some may have witnessed how differences in understanding church government, salvific doctrines (for example regarding election, free will, and God’s sovereignty), and even modes of baptism can cause great strife and unhappiness within the church. No one wins but the devil because such problems affect individuals within the church, the church’s current and future testimony, and hinder the work that God intended that church to fulfill for Him.  

Why do we interview before acceptance for membership? Attendance is but the beginning of understanding the faith and the church’s practices. If we are objective, we will know why interviews are needed before membership. In the education system, few (if any) credible universities would accept a student simply because the student has sat through classes up to Year 12 with perfect attendance.  Classes only provide the environment and opportunity for a student to learn and understand the topic in an organised manner. We know that even a student signing up for and passing courses with a sound establishment like FEBC does not mean that they believe in the Bible-Presbyterian faith. One can regurgitate (and even apply) information even when that is not what they believe in. Christians who believe in a 6-day creation by God can factually answer evolution-related school examination questions without stating or compromising their beliefs. Interviews are different from static questions. Jobs often require interviews before offers of employment, not just proof of having attended school. If we can understand why employers would insist on interviews, we cannot have a low view of the church and expect the church to accept members without an interview, as long as they have attended the BBK class. The interview is to ensure, at best we can, the genuineness of convictions and total agreement to a) what they have learned during BBK classes, as well as b) the church’s constitution. Moreover, vows will be taken before God and man. The church must ensure that they will not be vain vows. The steps are taken to forward God’s work and build up the saints in peace and unity within the church. Through this, we endeavour to ensure that the member, if accepted, will “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Phil 1:27) with us. I hope you see how mere completion of BBK attendance as a criterion for membership will not achieve this for God’s church.

In closing, let us remember that the church is uniquely designed by Christ, the Head of the church. We are not an educational institution. Conversely, an educational institution is not a church. We may be registered under the government as a society, but we serve a very different spiritual purpose. We are accountable to Christ, the Head of the church (Col 1:18). The church strives together not just for the salvation of souls from hell, but to fulfill the Great Commission, to defend God’s Truth, and to build up the saints to glorify God. And all these cannot be achieved without unity of doctrines and practices within a church. And the use of BBK is a fundamental part of helping BPCWA fulfill these aims by God’s grace. 

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Mt 28:19-20)

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor