1. Recognize you have a need and that you are a sinner.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

2. Realize that God loves you and has provided forgiveness and eternal life for you through His Son.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

3. Respond to who Jesus is in prayer.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

4. Repent and turn from your sin.

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

5. Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

If you have just made the decision to receive Christ as your Savior and Lord, we want to celebrate with you in your new-found faith! We stand ready to help you begin your spiritual journey. We want to pray with you, give you support and offer you tools for the journey.

You may e-mail us by going to the top of this page and clicking on "Contact Us." Fill out the information card and you will be contacted by someone on our Pastoral Staff within 24 hours. You may also share your decision or get more information about how to know Christ by calling the Church Office at 301-249-7001.

1. We believe in the verbal inspiration and authority of the Scriptures. Written by man as divinely inspired by God, it is without any form of error. We believe that the Bible reveals God, the fall of man, the way of salvation, and God’s plan and purpose in the ages.
(II Timothy 3:16-17)

2. We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively. (Genesis 1:1)

3. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (II Corinthians 13:14)

4. We believe in the deity and virgin birth of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:18-25)

5. We believe that salvation is "by grace" plus nothing and minus nothing. The conditions to salvation are repentance and faith. (Ephesians 2:8)

6. We believe that men are justified by faith alone and accounted righteous before God only through the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Romans 4:5)

7. We believe in the "Eternal Security" of the believer, that it is impossible for one born into the family of God to be lost. (John 10:28)

8. We believe in the visible, personal and premillenial return of Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:11)

9. We believe in the everlasting conscious blessedness of the saved and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost. (Matthew 25:34, 41)

10. We believe that the Church of our Lord is a visible, local, self-governing body of believers who have been baptized and that there are only two ordinances: Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, both of which are to be administered only to believers. (Romans 12:4-8; Matthew 28:19, I Corinthians 11:24-25)

When someone becomes a Christian, they immediately become a member of God’s “universal church.” Joining Riverdale Baptist Church has nothing to do with salvation or eternal life; but the “local church” is the visible, practical expression of the universal church on earth. The local church represents the place of spiritual growth for the believer. It is the God-ordained place of spiritually gifted ministry, and there are more than 30 specific commands in the Bible that cannot be fulfilled outside of a local church.

God has specific requirements you must meet to join a local church. If you have consciously made a decision to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, have been baptized by immersion since your salvation or will be at a future baptismal service, and God is leading you to join our church, you should present yourself as a candidate for membership at Riverdale Baptist Church during one of the invitation times offered at the end of each service.

After attending CLASS 101: Discovering Church Membership and making a commitment to membership, you will be formally presented to the Church and welcomed as a member of the Riverdale Baptist Church Family.

1177 Largo Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 (301) 249-7001