Baptist

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Baptist is a term describing a tradition within Christianity and may also refer to individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. The tradition takes its name from the conviction that followers of Jesus Christ should be immersed in water as a visible and public display of their faith. Baptists do not practice infant baptism.

Organizationally, Baptist churches operate on the Congregational governance system, which gives autonomy to individual local Baptist churches. Baptists traditionally have avoided the "top-down" hierarchy which is found in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and many other churches. However, Baptist churches will often associate in denominational groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention, USA, Conservative Baptist Association of America, and American Baptist Churches USA, among others.

Both Roger Williams and his compatriot in working for religious freedom, Dr. John Clarke, are variously credited as being the founder of the Baptist faith in America.^[1] In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in Providence, Rhode Island and Clarke began a Baptist church in Newport, Rhode Island. According to a Baptist historian who has researched the matter extensively, "There is much debate over the centuries as to whether the Providence or Newport church deserved the place of 'first' Baptist congregation in America. Exact records for both congregations are lacking."^[2]

Contents 1 Membership 1.1 Statistics 1.2 Qualifications 1.3 Recent growth 1.4 Baptists in the United States 1.5 Baptists in Canada 1.6 Baptists in Jamaica 1.7 Baptists in Brazil 2 Distinctive Beliefs 2.1 Biblical authority 2.2 Autonomy of the local church (Congregationalism) 2.3 Priesthood of all believers 2.4 Two Baptist ordinances—believer's baptism and Lord's Supper 2.4.1 Believer's baptism 2.4.2 The Lord's Supper 2.5 Individual soul liberty 2.6 Separation of church and state 2.7 Two offices (Pastor and Deacon) 2.7.1 Gender restriction of some Baptists 2.7.2 Divorce a disqualifier 2.7.3 Pastor/Preacher 2.7.4 Deacon 3 Beliefs that vary among Baptists 3.1 Theological, cultural and political variety 3.2 Comparisons with other denominations 4 Worship style 5 Origins 5.1 Baptist Perpetuity 5.2 Baptist Restorationism 6 The name "Baptist" 7 Questions of labeling 8 Notes 9 References 10 See also 11 External links

[edit] Membership

[edit] Statistics

See also: List of Christian denominations by number of members

There are over 90 million Baptists worldwide in nearly 300,000 congregations, with an estimated 47 million members in the United States.^[3] Other large populations of Baptists also exist in Asia, Africa and Latin America, notably in India (2.4 million), Nigeria (2.3 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (1.9 million) and Brazil (1.5 million).^[4]

According to a poll in the 1990s, about one in five in the U.S. claims to be a Baptist. U.S. Baptists are represented in more than fifty separate groups. Ninety-two percent of Baptists are found in five of those bodies—the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (NBC); National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; (NBCA); American Baptist Churches in the USA (ABC); and Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI.^[5]

[edit] Qualifications

Only those people who are baptized members of a local Baptist church^[6] are included in the total number of Baptists. Most Baptist churches do not have an age restriction on membership, but will not accept as a member a child that is considered too young to fully understand and make a profession of faith of their own volition and comprehension. In such cases, the pastor and parents usually meet together with the child to verify the child's comprehension of the decision to follow Jesus. There are instances where a person makes a profession of faith but fails to follow through with believers' baptism. In such case they are considered "saved" but not a church member until baptized. If children and unbaptized congregants were counted, world Baptists may number over 100 million.

[edit] Recent growth

Baptists today are the second fastest growing Christian denomination in the world after the Pentecostals, largely because of the growth in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe in the last century.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Baptists in the United States

Protestantism

The Reformation History Pre-Reformation Movements Lollards (England) Hussites (Bohemia) Waldensians (France/Italy/Germany) Reformation churches Anabaptists Lutheranism Reformed Churches Anglicanism Post-Reformation movements Puritanism Pietism Baptists "Great Awakenings" Revivalism Methodists Evangelicalism Restorationism Restoration movement Adventism Pentecostalism This box: view • talk • edit

See main article Baptists in the United States.

The majority of Baptists worldwide reside in the United States. Baptists make up the second-largest Christian denomination in the USA, the Roman Catholic Church being the largest. Although Baptist churches are located throughout the USA, the great majority of Baptists live in the southern United States, and the Baptist church has historically exerted a powerful influence in that region of the country.

Major Baptist organizations in the U.S. are:

• Southern Baptist Convention
• American Baptist Churches USA
• Baptist General Conference
• Conservative Baptist Association
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

[edit] Baptists in Canada

See main article Baptists in Canada.

There are several major groupings of Baptists in Canada.

• Association of Regular Baptist Churches
• Baptist General Conference of Canada
• Canadian Baptist Ministries
• Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists
• Landmark Missionary Baptist Association of Quebec
• Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada
• Independent (non-aligned) Baptist churches
• Progressive Primitive Baptists
• Old-Line Primitive Baptists

[edit] Baptists in Jamaica

• Jamaica Baptist Union (http://www.jbu.org.jm)

[edit] Baptists in Brazil

• Brasilian Baptist Convention (http://www.batistas.org.br)
• National Baptist Convention (www.cbn.org.br)
• Independent Baptist Churches Convention (www.cibi.org.br)
• Batistas bíblicos
• Batistas regulares

[edit] Distinctive Beliefs

Part of a series on Baptists

Historical Background Christianity Protestantism General Baptists Particular Baptists

Doctrinal distinctives Prima scriptura Sola scriptura Baptist ordinances Baptist offices Baptist confessions Autonomy of the local church Separation of church and state

Pivotal figures John Smyth (1570-1612) Thomas Helwys John Bunyan Andrew Fuller John Gill Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Major Baptist Associations American Baptist Baptist World Alliance Cooperative Baptist Fellowship National Baptist Convention Southern Baptist Convention This box: view • talk • edit

Churches do not have a central governing authority, unlike most other denominations that do. Therefore, beliefs are not totally consistent from one Baptist church to another, especially those that may be considered minor. However, on major theological issues, Baptist distinctives are beliefs that are common among almost all Baptist churches. Baptists share so-called "orthodox" Christian beliefs with most other moderate or conservative Christian denominations. These would include beliefs about one God, virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, vicarious atoning death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Christ, the Trinity (the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, together with God the Father), the need for salvation (though the understanding of means for achieving it may differ at times), grace, the church, the Kingdom of God, last things (Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge everyone in righteousness), evangelism and missions. Some historically significant Baptist doctrinal documents include the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, the 1833 New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith, the Southern Baptist Convention's Baptist Faith and Message, and written church "covenants" which some individual Baptist churches adopt as a statement of their faith and beliefs. Baptists generally believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ at which time God will sit in judgment and divide humanity between the saved and the lost (the Great White Throne judgment Rev 20:11) and Christ will sit in judgment of the believers (the Judgment Seat of Christ 2Cor 5:10), rewarding them for things done while alive. Beliefs among Baptists regarding the "end times" include Amillennialism, dispensationalism, and historic premillennialism, with views such as postmillennialism and preterism receiving some support.

See also: List of Baptist Confessions or Doctrinal Statements

The following acrostic backronym, spelling BAPTIST, represents a useful summary of Baptists' distinguishing beliefs:^{[citation needed]}

• Biblical authority (Mat 24:35; 1Pet 1:23; 2Tim 3:16-17)
• Autonomy of the local church (Mat 18:15-17; 1Cor 6:1-3)
• Priesthood of all believers (1Pet 2:5-9; 1Tim 5)
• Two ordinances (believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper) (Acts 2:41-47; 1Cor 11:23-32)
• Individual soul liberty (Rom 14:5-12)
• Separation of Church and State (Mat 22:15-22)
• Two offices of the church (pastor and deacon) (1Tim 3:1-13; Tit 1-2)

Most Baptist traditions believe in the "Four Freedoms" articulated by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden:^[7]

• Soul freedom: the soul is competent before God, and capable of making decisions in matters of faith without coercion or compulsion by any larger religious or civil body
• Church freedom: freedom of the local church from outside interference, whether government or civilian (subject only to the law where it does not interfere with the religious teachings and practices of the church)
• Bible freedom: the individual is free to interpret the Bible for himself or herself, using the best tools of scholarship and biblical study available to the individual
• Religious freedom: the individual is free to choose whether to practice their religion, another religion, or no religion; Separation of church and state is often called the "civil corollary" of religious freedom

[edit] Biblical authority

Historically, Baptists have emphasized the sole authority of the Scriptures, or sola scriptura, and therefore believe that the Bible is the only authoritative source of God's truth. Chapter one of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith states:

The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience...

This view contrasts with the role of Apostolic tradition in the Roman Catholic Church, direct revelation in charismatic circles, and personal philosophy as in Liberal Christianity. Any view that cannot be tied to scriptural exposition is generally considered to be based on human traditions rather than God's leading, and though they may be accurate, such views are never to be elevated to or above the authority of Scripture. Each person is responsible before God for his or her own understanding of the Bible and is encouraged to work out their own salvation. A common "proof text" for this idea is found in Philippians 2:12 Sola scriptura is likely to be practiced by Reformed Baptist churches and many churches within the Southern Baptist Convention.

In more recent times, many Baptists worldwide have changed their position to Prima scriptura, whereby Scripture is given high authority, but with other allowable ways of guidance. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, for example, states:

The Fellowship believes in the divine inspiration of the Bible and its authority in the lives of Christians, who are free to follow and interpret it under the Lordship of Christ. Christians are responsible under God for their interpretation of Scripture.[2]

The American Baptist Churches USA has a similar stance:

Holy Scripture always has been for us the most authoritative guide to knowing and serving the triune God... As the divinely-inspired word of God, the Bible for us reveals our faith and its mandated practice.[3]

Biblical inerrancy is also a common position held by more conservative Baptists. Some more fundamentalist Baptists insist on contextually literal interpretations of the Bible. Moderate Baptists prefer the term inspired or God-breathed rather than inerrant to describe scripture, referring to the term Paul uses in 2Timothy 3:16.

Baptists traditionally have resisted any use of creeds. They consider historic Christian creeds, such as the Apostles' Creed, to be on lower footing in comparison to Scripture, even though they may in essence agree with them.

[edit] Autonomy of the local church (Congregationalism)

Congregationalist church governance gives autonomy to individual local churches in areas of policy, polity and doctrine. Baptist churches are not under the direct administrative control of any other body such as a national council, or a leader such as a bishop or pope. For each congregation, there is no higher authority on earth than the vote of the congregation's members. Administration, leadership and doctrine are usually decided democratically by the lay members of each individual church congregation. As a result, there is tremendous diversity of beliefs and worship practices among Baptist churches.

Exceptions to this local form of democratic congregational governance include a few churches that submit to the leadership of a body of elders, as well as some Reformed Baptists who are organized in a Presbyterian system and the Congolese Episcopal Baptists that have an Episcopal system.

Most Baptist megachurches lean towards a strong clergy-led style, whereby the membership has little or no oversight into the affairs of the church leadership. Though this does not follow the practice of congregationalist church governance, it is consistent with the principles of individual church autonomy.

In a manner typical of other congregationalists, many cooperative conventions (large national or international administrative organizations) of Baptists have been formed so that individual churches can pool resources, primarily for missions, theological education, and publications. Such conventions have no direct authority over the operations of individual local churches. Local churches decide at what level they will participate in these conventions. Conversely, a local association of Baptist churches can vote a member church out of the association by majority vote of other members. Recently this form of associational excommunication (from association membership, not from salvation), contrary to historical baptist practice, has happened to some local churches in the Southern Baptist Convention for such things as ordaining women, hiring a woman pastor, and accepting practicing homosexuals as members.

Baptist denominations cannot directly enforce any kind of theological or practical orthodoxy among their constituent congregations. The denomination can choose not to accept the money or participation of congregations whose beliefs or practices are outside whatever norms the group has established. Likewise, they can refuse to recognize the ministerial credentials of clergy (which negatively affects the ability of chaplains to be accepted into the military), and set boundaries for orthodoxy for institutions, such as universities, seminaries, schools, and hospitals) owned or operated by the denomination.

The largest association of Baptists in the US is the Southern Baptist Convention. Beginning in 1967, conservatives were elected to lead the Southern Baptist Convention removing theologically moderate and methodologically democratic leadership from control.^[8] The new leadership now leads all Southern Baptist seminaries, mission groups, and other convention-owned institutions. All employees of those groups, as a condition of continued employment, now are required to sign a statement of beliefs that excludes among other things women in pastoral or administrative ministry, and a private prayer language.

The second largest Baptist denomination in the U.S. is the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., which is also America's is the nation’s oldest and largest African American religious convention with an estimated membership of 7.5 million.^[9]

There are several other nationwide Baptist groups, as well as hundreds of regional and local Baptist associations. There also are many Independent Baptist churches that are unassociated but which usually have some sort of inter-church fellowship among themselves.

[edit] Priesthood of all believers

The doctrine of "priesthood of all believers" states that every Christian has direct access to God and the truths found in the Bible, without the help of an aristocracy or hierarchy of priests. This doctrine is based on the passage found in 1Peter 2:9 and was popularized by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation and John Wycliff's Lollards before Luther.

Ultimately the individual Christian is responsible for understanding the Bible and its application to the individual. The Baptist position of the priesthood of all believers is one column that upholds their belief in religious liberty.

[edit] Two Baptist ordinances—believer's baptism and Lord's Supper

Baptists practice believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper (communion) as the two acts of faith-obedience to the example and commands given by Christ for Christians. They differ from the other ordinances of God in that they were specially instituted by Christ. Most Baptists call them "ordinances"^[10] (meaning "obedience to a command that Christ has given us")^[11] instead of "sacraments" (activities God uses to impart salvation or a means of grace to the participant).^[12] Therefore, historic Baptist theology considers that no saving grace is conveyed by either ordinance and that original sin is not washed away in baptism. Baptists have traditionally believed that they are symbols.^[13] However, Reformed Baptists and possibly a few others affirm a Reformed view of baptism and communion as a means of grace and therefore properly refer to them as sacraments in their theology^[14] Some Baptists, particularly in the UK, have been reexamining the theology of the ordinances by questioning the interpretation that they are solely symbolic acts.^[15]

Some Primitive Baptists and Free Will Baptists also practice foot washing as a third ordinance.

[edit] Believer's baptism

Baptism, commonly referred to as believer's baptism among Baptists and some other groups, is administered by full immersion in water after a person professes Jesus Christ to be Savior. It is seen as an act of obedience to the example and command of Jesus given in the Great Commission (Matthew 28-19-20). It is an outward expression that is symbolic of the inward cleansing or remission of their sins that has already taken place. It is also a public identification of that person with Christianity and with that particular local church.

Baptists do not practice infant baptism (pedobaptism) because they believe parents cannot make a decision of salvation for an infant. Related to this doctrine is the disputed concept of an "age of accountability" when God determines that a mentally capable person is accountable for their sins and eligible for baptism. This is not a specific age, but is based on whether or not the person is mentally capable of knowing right from wrong. Thus, a person with severe mental retardation may never reach this age, and therefore would not be held accountable for sins. The book of Isaiah mentions an age at which a child "shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good" but does not specify what that age is.

Baptists insist upon baptism by full immersion, the mode Baptists believe Jesus received when he was baptized by John the Baptist. The candidate is lowered in water backwards while the baptizer (a pastor or any baptized believer under the authority of the local Baptist church) invokes the Trinitarian phrase found in Matthew 28:19 or other words concerning a profession of faith. Baptism by immersion is a representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

For purposes of accepting transfer of membership from other churches, Baptist churches only recognize baptism by full immersion as being valid.^[16] Some Baptist churches will recognize "age of accountability" baptisms by immersion performed in other Christian churches of "like faith and order," while others only recognize baptisms performed in Baptist churches. Baptists are known for re-baptizing converts to their faith who were previously baptized as infants or small children. Because of this, the first Baptist congregations were dubbed "Anabaptists" which means re-baptizers.

For purposes of church membership, Baptist churches will not accept:

• prior baptisms by any means other than immersion
• baptisms performed as an infant or child too young to make a personal decision to accept Christ
• baptisms performed by any means, including immersion, if administered by a church not considered to be of "like faith and order" by the Baptist congregation. These are groups calling themselves "Christians" and baptizing beyond infancy by immersion—but not meeting the definition of "Christian" according to Baptist understanding.^[17]

[edit] The Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper is the second ordinance of Baptists. It is patterned after the Last Supper recorded in the Gospels, in which Jesus says to "this do in remembrance of me" Luke. Participants communally eat the bread and drink the cup that are symbolically representative of the body and blood of Jesus. Based on their interpretation of John 6, Baptists reject views of communion such as transubstantiation and Real Presence held by other Christians. 1Corinthians 11:23-34 is also commonly cited as instructional for the practice of The Lord's Supper.

Baptists traditionally serve the bread and cup elements to participants where they sit. A congregation may also choose any other means of serving since the method has no theological significance to them. The bread used in the service traditionally is unleavened, thought to be the type used at the Last Supper since it started out as a Passover meal for its Jewish participants. Usually bread cubes, wafers or small crackers are passed in plates to participants, though the "breaking of bread" from loaves is also acceptable.

Most Baptists in the US and some other Protestants use unfermented grape juice for the cup, citing the fact that the Gospel passages on the last supper mention only the "fruit of the vine," never calling it wine. The "cup" is usually served in small individual cups. A "common cup" (one large cup for the entire congregation) may be used, but for practical reasons it is usually reserved for small gatherings.

The elements of the bread and the cup are usually served by the pastor to the deacons, and by the deacons to the congregation. A deacon will serve the pastor, or if the church has multiple pastors, they will serve each other. The general practice is for the elements to be taken by the congregation at the same moment as a symbol of unity, first the bread and then the cup separately.

The Lord's Supper may be held at any frequency selected by a church, such as weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even annually. It usually takes place during a regular worship service.

Baptist churches typically consider believer's baptism to be a prerequisite to partaking of the Lord's Supper. Those invited to partake in the Lord's Supper (open vs close communion) may vary by some individual Baptist groups. There are three variations, with most prevalent listed first:

• Anyone professing to be a Christian may participate irrespective of church membership
• Those who are members of other Baptist churches (or churches who practice believer's baptism by immersion)
• Only members of that local congregation can participate

[edit] Individual soul liberty

The basic concept of individual soul liberty is that, in matters of religion, each person has the liberty to choose what his/her conscience or soul dictates is right, and is responsible to no one but God for the decision that is made. A person may then choose to be a Baptist, a member of another Christian denomination, an adherent to another world religion, or to choose no religious belief system, and neither the church, nor the government, nor family or friends may either make the decision or compel the person to choose otherwise.

[edit] Separation of church and state

Main article: Baptists in the history of separation of church and state

Baptists who were imprisoned or died for their beliefs have played an important role in the historical struggle for freedom of religion and separation of church and state in England, the United States, and other countries. In 1612, John Smyth wrote, "the magistrate is not by virtue of his office to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience." That same year, Thomas Helwys wrote that the King of England could "command what of man he will, and we are to obey it," but, concerning the church, "with this Kingdom, our lord the King hath nothing to do." In 1614, Leonard Busher wrote what is believed to be the earliest Baptist treatise dealing exclusively with the subject of religious liberty. Baptists were influential in the formation of the first civil government based on the separation of church and state in what is now Rhode Island. Anabaptists and Quakers also share a strong history in the development of separation of church and state.

In the United States today, there are still Baptist groups that support and actively attempt to maintain the separation of church and state. At least 14 Baptist bodies, including the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., and American Baptist Churches USA support financially and ideologically the mission of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. This organization tries to uphold the traditional Baptist principle of the separation of church and state. On the issue of school prayer, for instance, the Baptist Joint Committee argues that prayer is most pleasing to God when offered voluntarily, not when the government compels its observance.^[18]

Not all Baptists believe that this separation necessitates the withdrawal of religious people from the political sector. Baptist involvement in politics has been seen in controversies concerning gambling, alcohol, abortion, same-sex marriage, the teaching of evolution, and state-sanctioned public prayer in public high schools. In some parts of the Southern United States, Baptists form a majority of the population and have successfully banned alcohol sales and prevented the legalization of certain kinds of gambling.

[edit] Two offices (Pastor and Deacon)

Generally, Baptists recognize only two Scriptural offices: pastor-teacher and deacon. Most Baptists consider the office of elder, common in many other evangelical churches, to be the same as that of pastor and not a separate office. Some Baptist churches in Australia and other countries acknowledge the position of elder. Others dispose of the position of deacon altogether. Baptists consider the office of overseer or bishop to be the same as that of pastor.

[edit] Gender restriction of some Baptists

The Southern Baptist Convention and other more fundamental groups prohibit the ordination of women as pastors or deacons. Their objection is based primarily on their interpretation of 1Timothy 2:12-14 as forbidding women to be ordained. Often only men serve as ushers in Southern Baptist churches, although there is no theological reason to exclude women as ushers. In most parts of the world Baptist churches would see it as a significant expression of the Christian message to emphasize equality between men and women in all areas of service, despite this traditional tendency to overlook the perspective of central passages like Gal 3:26-28, Eph. 4:1-7, where all believers have an equal calling to serve according to their gifts.

[edit] Divorce a disqualifier

Another controversial issue is whether divorced individuals may serve as pastors and deacons. This concern is based on 1Timothy 3:2: "the overseer must be…the husband of but one wife (literally, "man of one woman"). Some Baptists interpret the scripture to prohibit a divorced individual from serving as a pastor under any circumstances. Other Baptists believe that the issue is monogamy, not divorce. Still others make exceptions for divorces which took place before conversion, and where a divorce resulted from the infidelity, abuse, or abandonment by the other spouse. Of note was the controversy surrounding pastor and radio evangelist Charles Stanley's highly publicized divorce and his being allowed to remain as pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, after saying he would resign in case of divorce.^[19]

[edit] Pastor/Preacher

According to Baptist polity, any local Baptist church can "license" and ordain a person to be an ordained minister. Licensing is the first step, often done shortly after a young person publicly responds to a perceived "call" to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Licensure gives the licensee the right to preach, and in most states the legal right to perform most clergy duties in most states (especially marriages and funerals). Ordination, which can come at any time, is also the purview of the local autonomous Baptist church—not the denomination.

Historically, Baptist churches have not required completion of seminary or any other higher education prior to ordination, although that is changing as a matter of practice. Today it would be difficult for an ordained Baptist minister to secure a position in a larger Baptist church without a degree from a Baptist seminary, which as a prerequisite requires a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Although it used to be acceptable and popular for pastors to attend unaccredited Bible colleges for seminary training, particularly medium and large churches now would insist on a degree from a seminary operated by that Baptist denomination.

In the Jamaica Baptist Union a Baptist minister is required to have a Diploma in Ministerial Studies or denominationally approved certification of formal pastoral training. The Jamaica Baptist Union is among the few Baptists groups in the world that ordains women as pastors.^[20]

In the Baptist Church, the primary role of the pastor is to deliver the weekly sermon.

In smaller churches, the pastor will often visit homes and hospitals to call on ill members, as well as homes of prospective members (especially those who have not professed faith). The pastor will also perform weddings and funerals for members and at business meetings serve as the moderator. In very small churches the pastor may also be required to find outside work to supplement his income.

Larger churches will usually have one or more "associate" pastors, each with a specific area of responsibility, whereby the overall pastor is considered the "senior" pastor. Some examples are:

• music or worship (the most common)
• youth (most common in Australia) (in smaller churches, often combined with music)
• children
• administration (in the larger churches)

or even

• evangelism (or missions)
• community
• and a separate minister for the older children/college aged, whereby the children's minister is placed over the preschool and younger children

Typically, the pastor will be married with children, though there is no formal requirement for this. Associate pastors may or may not be married, but if not married, they may find it difficult to be considered for a senior pastor position, more specifically because the pastor's wife is expected to take on a part of the work load. Many Baptist churches will make a point of interviewing the whole family when considering a new pastor.

Some Baptists, especially Reformed Baptists, believe in a plurality of elders. In that case usually only full-time paid elders will be called Pastor, while part-time volunteer pastors are more often called Elder, but these are regarded as the same office.

[edit] Deacon

According to Baptist polity, deacons also are ordained by a local Baptist congregation. When an deacon moves to a different church, generally (but not always) the prior ordination is accepted in transfer, but the deacon is made an "inactive" deacon until elected by the church to serve a term as an "active" deacon.

The scriptural model of the deacon is to serve members' needs. Deacons usually are the only ones allowed to assist during communion. Today, Baptist deacons have largely become administrators or the governing body of the church. In many churches, the pastor takes on the role of spiritual leadership, while a deacon serves as moderator of board meetings. Deacons are usually chosen from men who are the "the husband of but one wife and (who) manage his children and his household well" 1Timothy 3:12. They serve without pay.

A common practice is for each family to be assigned a specific deacon, to be the primary point of contact whenever a need arises. Some larger "mega" churches which use cell groups have the cell group leaders serve the role of deacon.

[edit] Beliefs that vary among Baptists

Because of the importance of the priesthood of every believer, the centrality of the freedom of conscience an thought in Baptist theology, and due to the congregational style of church governance, doctrine varies greatly between one Baptist church and another (and among individual Baptists) especially on the following issues:

• Calvinism/Arminianism
• Doctrine of separation
• Eschatology
• hermeneutical method
• homosexuality
• Ordination of women
• The extent to which missionary boards should be used to support missionaries
• The extent to which non-members may participate in communion services
• The nature of Law and Gospel

[edit] Theological, cultural and political variety

As with all major denominational groups, Baptists have not escaped theological, cultural and political controversy. The older Baptist associations of Europe, Canada, Australia and the northern United States have assimilated influences of different schools of thought, but not without major debate and schisms. In England, Charles Haddon Spurgeon fought against what he saw as challenges to his strongly conservative point of view in the Downgrade Controversy. As part of the continuing fundamentalist/liberal controversy within the Northern Baptist Convention, two new associations of conservative Baptists were formed—the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches in 1932 and the Conservative Baptist Association of America in 1947.

Due to the prevalence of Landmarkism in the southern United States, with its emphasis on ecclesiastical separation and doctrinal rigidity and its cultural foundation in the South, Southern Baptists were not influenced as strongly by different biblical points of view, as were the Baptists in the northern United States and other countries.

Baptists have historically been sensitive to the introduction of theological error (from their perspective) into their groups. Beginning in the 1980s, there was a concerted effort among a determined group of fundamentalist Southern Baptists to purge what they considered to be a liberal influence from particularly its seminaries. There is far from general agreement that most of those purged were indeed liberals, many calling them "moderates" as opposed to liberals. This highly publicized controversy occasioned two new consortia of local churches being formed: the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists. Some of the largest Southern Baptist state conventions, most notably those of Texas and Virginia, effectively resisted the takeover such that the more conservative group felt compelled to form in those states new conventions that agree with their particular conservative theological lines.

[edit] Comparisons with other denominations

Baptists share certain emphasis with other groups such as evangelism and missions. While the general flavor of any denomination changes from city to city, this aspect of Baptist churches is much more prominent than in most Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches.^{[citation needed]}

The Pacifism of the Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers is not an ideal held by most Baptists today. English Baptists were prominent in Cromwell's army and Baptists played a significant role in the American Revolution as well as both sides in the American Civil War. Southern Baptists are predominant in the Bible Belt region of the United States, an area which also has a long history of military service and support. A few contemporary Baptists embrace the old Anabaptist doctrine of pacifism, such as The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America which was organized in 1984.

In Australia, the Baptist Union is very close to the Campbell-Stone Church of Christ. The two groups share similar theology, even sharing a Bible college.

[edit] Worship style

The focus of Baptist church services is the proclamation of the Word of God through the weekly sermon.

The general worship service is usually preceded by a time of Sunday School during which the people divide into separate classes (usually based on age) for study of the Bible. After the Sunday School the whole church meets for a period of worship (though a growing number of churches have a separate worship service for the children) Some churches even have Sunday School after a service, but this is only in the case of a church having two or more services a day.

The worship service generally consists of a sermon preceded by a time of worship through singing. Prayers are offered intermittently throughout the service and an offering is usually taken sometime during the service. An "invitation" is usually offered after the sermon to allow public response to the message by confession of faith, request for baptism or church membership, or the expression of an intention to walk more closely with the Lord.

The music in Baptist churches varies from traditional hymns, to southern gospel, to the more contemporary rock and charismatic music styles.

Baptist churches are careful to emphasize that worship is not limited to the Sunday gathering, but is a lifestyle of love and service to Christ and dedication to God's truth as revealed in the Scriptures. Most Baptist churches expect the members to carry the message of the gospel into the world among their family and friends.

[edit] Origins

There are two general views about the origins of the Baptists, Baptist Perpetuity and Baptist Restorationism.

[edit] Baptist Perpetuity

The perpetuity viewpoint holds that Baptist churches and practices have had perpetual existence since the time of Christ and His apostles. This view is theologically based on Matthew 16:18 "…and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," as well as Jesus' commission and promise to be with His followers as they carried on his ministry, "even unto the end of the world."

The Baptist perpetuity view sees Baptists as separate from Catholicism and other religious denominations and considers, that since the Baptist movement predates the Catholic church, it is not part of the Protestant Reformation.

Those holding the perpetuity view of Baptist history can be basically divided into two categories: those who hold that there is a direct succession from one church to the next (most commonly identified with Landmarkism), and those who hold that while the Baptist practices and churches continued, they may have sprung up independently of any previously existing church.

J. M. Carroll's The Trail of Blood booklet, written in 1931, has been a popular writing presenting the traditional view, pointing to groups such as the Montanists, Novatianists, Donatists, Paulicians, Albigensians, Catharists, Waldenses, and Anabaptists, as predecessors to contemporary Baptists. John T. Christian published a more scholarly history of the Baptists from a perpetuity perspective. Other Baptist historians holding the perpetuity view are Thomas Armitage, G.H. Orchard, and David Benedict.

The American Baptist Association, the Baptist Missionary Association of America, and the Baptist Bible Fellowship are the groups most commonly identified with the perpetuity view today, though large numbers may be found in many Baptist groups who hold to this view of Baptist origins.

[edit] Baptist Restorationism

This view suggests that while the New Testament churches were of Baptist character, the movement was corrupted and eventually disappeared. They see modern day Baptists as restorers of New Testament practices, and particularly of the New Testament practice of baptism. Some restorationists see the Baptists as the descendants of the 16th century Anabaptists (which are viewed as a product of the Protestant Reformation) and others see them as a separation from the Church of England in the 1600s.

Anabaptists were widely scattered churches in 16th century Europe which rejected infant baptism and "rebaptized" members as adults. They held to many teachings of modern day Baptists, such as believer's baptism by immersion and freedom of religion. Some historians see the Anabaptists and Baptists as one and the same people. Others, pointing to differences between the Anabaptists of continental Europe and the English Baptists (such as pacifism and the communal sharing of material goods) see the Anabaptists only as influencing the Baptists of a later period; in this respect there is some overlap between those who hold the Anabaptist view and those who hold the English Separatist view of Baptist origins. The works of William Roscoe Estep offer a presentation of this viewpoint.

The Separatists were English Protestants in the 17th century who considered it their duty to totally separate from the Church of England (in contrast to the Puritans who sought to purify the Church of England from within). In 1608, to avoid persecution, John Smyth led a group of separatists to the more tolerant Dutch Republic where a distinctive Baptist faith emerged among these English émigrés. Open debate among them, and close contact and interaction with continental Anabaptists, led the congregation to question the meaning and practice of baptism, among other things. John Smyth became convinced that baptism should be for Christian believers only and not for infants. The other English émigrés agreed.

At the same time as Smyth started to embrace Anabaptist doctrines, Thomas Helwys and a dozen or so others began to formulate the earliest Baptist confessions of faith. This "confession" became the 27 articles in "A Declaration of Faith of English people remaining at Amsterdam in Holland" (1611). Helwys and twelve Baptist émigrés returned to England to speak out against religious persecution. In 1612, they founded a Baptist congregation on English soil in Spitalfields, London. The congregation was comprised of General Baptists subscribing to an Arminian theology.

In 1616, Henry Jacob led a group of Puritans in England with a Calvinist theology to form a congregational church which would eventually become the Particular Baptists in 1638 under John Spilsbury. Both groups had members who sailed to America as pilgrims to avoid religious persecution in England and Europe, and who started Baptist churches in the early colonies.

[edit] The name "Baptist"

Baptist comes from the Greek word βαπτιστής (baptistés, "baptist," used to describe John the Baptist), which is related to the verb βαπτίζω (baptízo, "to baptize, wash, dip, immerse"), and the Latin baptista, and is in direct connection to "the baptizer," John the Baptist.

As a first name it has been used in Europe from the twelfth century also as Baptiste, Jan-Baptiste, Jean-Baptiste, John-Baptist; and in the Netherlands at least since the seventeenth century, often in combinations like Jan Baptist or Johannes Baptist. As a last name it has been used since the thirteenth century. Other variations also commonly used are Baptiste, Baptista, Batiste, Battiste, Battista.

The Anabaptists in England were called Baptists as early as 1569.

[edit] Questions of labeling

Some Baptists object to the application of the labels Protestant, denomination, Evangelical and even Baptist to themselves or their churches, while others accept those labels.

Some who reject the label Baptist prefer to be labeled as Christians who attend Baptist churches. Also, a recent trend (most common among megachurches and those embracing the "seeker movement") is to eliminate "Baptist" from the church name, as it is perceived to be a "barrier" to reaching persons who have negative views of Baptists, whether they be of a different church background or none. These churches typically include the word Community or other non-religious or denominational term in their church name.

Conversely, others accept the label Baptist because they identify with the distinctives they consider to be uniquely Baptist. They believe those who are removing the name "Baptist" from their churches are "compromising with the world" to attract more members. However, there are other church groups that hold to the distinctives listed above, that have never been known by the label Baptist, and that believe that these distinctives are not exclusive to the Baptist denomination.

The label Protestant is rejected by some Baptists (primarily those in the Landmark movement) because in their view Baptists have existed separately since the early church days. Those holding this view maintain that Baptists have never been a part of the Roman Catholic church, and as such are not "protesting" against Catholicism. Further, they point out that Baptists have no direct connection to any of the Reformationists like Luther, Calvin, or Huldrych Zwingli. Other Baptists accept the Protestant label as a demographic concept that describes churches who share similar theologies of sola scriptura, sola fide, the priesthood of all believers and other positions that Luther, Calvin and other traditional reformers held in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s.

The label denomination is rejected by some because of the local autonomous governance system used by Baptist churches. Being a denomination is viewed by them as having a hierarchy that substitutes for the Roman Catholic Church. Another reason for the rejection of the label is the influence of the Restoration period on Baptist churches, which emphasized a tearing down of denominational barriers. Other Baptists accept the label, feeling that it does not carry a negative connotation but rather is merely a synonym for a Christian or religious group with common beliefs, organized in a cooperative manner to spread its beliefs worldwide.

The label Evangelical is rejected by some fundamentalist Baptists who consider the term to describe a theological position that in their view is not fundamentalist enough, and conversely is also rejected by some liberal Baptists who consider the term to describe a theological position that in their view is too conservative. It is accepted by moderate Baptists who identify with the revival in the United States in the 1700s known as the First Great Awakening. Conversely, Evangelicals reject the label fundamentalist, believing it to describe a theological position that they consider too extreme and legalistic.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Gavins; Raymond. The Perils and Prospects of Southern Black Leadership: Gordon Blaine Hancock, 1884-1970 Duke University Press, 1977.
• Harrison, Paul M. Authority and Power in the Free Church Tradition: A Social Case Study of the American Baptist Convention Princeton University Press, 1959.
• Harvey, Paul. Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities among Southern Baptists, 1865-1925 University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
• Heyrman,Christine Leigh. Southern Cross: The Beginnings of the Bible Belt (1997).
• Isaac, Rhy. "Evangelical Revolt: The Nature of the Baptists' Challenge to the Traditional Order in Virginia, 1765 to 1775," William and Mary Quarterly, 3d ser., XXXI (July 1974), 345-68.
• Leonard, Bill J.. Baptist Ways: A History (2003), comprehensive international history
• McBeth, H. Leon, (ed.) A Sourcebook for Baptist Heritage (1990), primary sources for Baptist history.
• McGlothlin, W. J. (ed.) Baptist Confessions of Faith. Philadelphia: The American Baptist Publication Society, 1911.
• Pitts, Walter F. Old Ship of Zion: The Afro-Baptist Ritual in the African Diaspora Oxford University Press, 1996.
• Rawlyk, George. Champions of the Truth: Fundamentalism, Modernism, and the Maritime Baptists (1990), Canada.
• Spangler, Jewel L. "Becoming Baptists: Conversion in Colonial and Early National Virginia" Journal of Southern History. Volume: 67. Issue: 2. 2001. pp 243+
• Stringer, Phil. The Faithful Baptist Witness, 1998, Landmark Baptist Press.
• Torbet, Robert G. A History of the Baptists Judson Press, 1950.
• Underhill, Edward B. (ed.). Confessions of Faith and Other Documents of the Baptist Churches of England in the 17th Century. London: The Hanserd Knollys Society, 1854.
• Underwood, A. C. A History of the English Baptists. London: Kingsgate Press, 1947.
• Wills, Gregory A. Democratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South, 1785-1900, Oxford.

[edit] See also

• Bapticostal movement
• Baptist women in ministry
• Baylor University
• Bible Belt
• Christian Right
• Feller College
• List of Baptist Associations, Conventions and sub-groupings
• List of famous Baptists

[edit] External links

• a comprehensive independent Baptist Church Web Portal and Church Search Engine
• The Alliance of Baptists
• American Baptist Historical Society
• Associated Baptist Press
• Association of Grace Baptist Churches (South East)
• Association of Grace Baptist Churches (East Anglia)
• BaptistPreachers.Com Issues in Opposition to Child Predators and the Web
• Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
• Baptist General Convention of Texas
• Baptist History and Heritage Society
• Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty
• Baptist Messenger
• Baptist Press
• Baptist Union of Great Britain
• BaptistLife.Com
• BWA Heritage and Identity Commission
• Center for Baptist Studies
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
• GARBC and Regular Baptist Press Web Site
• Map of USA showing Percentage of Baptist Population in each county
• Online Baptist
• Progressive Baptist
• various resources and services, including The Journal of Baptist Studies, a peer-reviewed, electronic journal