#27 Baptist Ecclesiology
This short essay will concern itself with the ecclesiology of the Baptist denomination. However, it will follow Scriptural prescriptions and doctrines found within the Bible. It will examine the church’s views on its purpose, membership, disciplinary action, leadership, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, its relationship with other churches, and its relationship with the state and politics.
Purpose of the Church
The church has different purposes for believers and unbelievers. To believers, the church is a body of like-minded people saved by the atonement of their Lord, Jesus Christ. They are still sinners, but the church serves as a community where sanctification, building up in the Faith and holiness, and education about God and the Gospel can and does occur. The church is foolish to unbelievers because it believes and carries the Gospel, which is also foolishness to unbelievers. However, Christians know that the church’s purpose to and for unbelievers is to be a light and a witness of the saving Gospel of Jesus. The church practices the Great Commission and “makes disciples of all the nations, baptizing them… teaching them to observe all that [Jesus] commanded [them]” (Matt. 28:19-20). For this to happen, the church must go to unbelievers as a light that brings faith through the hope of the Good News. It is best summarized that the church allows believers to minister the Gospel to each other and unbelievers.
Matthew 5:16; 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 18; Ephesians 4:16; 5:25-27; Colossians 1:2; 2:19; 1 Peter 2:12.
Church Membership
Church membership should be taken seriously, and the members of a church should only be composed of baptized believers. This idea within Baptist doctrine is called regenerate church membership. Scripture is clear that the church is composed of those called by God and are, therefore, regenerated by Him. This collection of regenerate members helps to fortify consensus on critical theological ideas and doctrines. Moreover, when these believers put their doctrine into writing to authenticate (based upon Scriptural convictions) and describe what a believer looks like, membership is protected from invading unbelievers who may seek to corrupt the established consensus within the body. These written articles in Baptist churches are called covenants, just like God made with His creation and people. It is important to note that the doctrine of regenerate membership is not unloving to unbelievers. Instead, as discussed previously, the church has two focuses and purposes: the cultivation of believer’s spiritual maturity and the evangelism of unbelievers. Regenerate church membership is focused on the first of the purposes. The latter purpose does not occur within the body of church members but externally with the church serving in missionary endeavors. This controversial yet understandable and edifying doctrine of regenerate church membership will be discussed again in the section on baptism.
Nehemiah 8-10; Matthew 16:19; Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 14:21; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; 4:16; 5:25-27; Colossians 1:2; 2:19; Jude 1.
Church Discipline
Sometimes, discipline is necessary within the church. While the term has a negative connotation, it could not be more loving. Pastors and lay elders take care of the needs of their congregations and defend them from danger and error. They desire to promote holiness within their churches, and church discipline rests upon God's desire for his people to be holy like Him. Therefore, the church practices discipline to pursue holiness and inspires individuals to do the same. Discipline is not often drastic. It can include removing an offender from their office, teaching posts, or counseling them regularly through sin. However, the unfortunate consequences of sin and church discipline will be further discussed in the section on the Lord’s Supper.
Matthew 16:19; 18; 1 Corinthians 5; 11:28-30; 2 Corinthians 2; Ephesians 4:1; 2 Thessalonians; Hebrews 12:6, 7-11; 1 Peter 1:15
Church Leadership Structure
The church comprises offices: pastors, elders, deacons, and staff. These offices serve different roles, but they all exist to build up the body in unity and run the church as a form of government. The elder's chief role is to shepherd the flock through pastoral care, preaching, and teaching. There is fundamentally no difference in the role of the pastor. He is simply the head or a paid elder. The deacons are to support the elders, provide ministry for the congregants, and assist in supporting the church in financial matters but not oversee them. Depending on the church, staff can function like deacons or assistants in ministry. The church offices are held to a high standard and have several qualifications the Lord has provided. Overall, the leaders must be above reproach, honorable, and Christians who take their faith and calling seriously.
Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-2
Baptism
Baptism is a public profession of faith for believing adults or children of spiritual maturity. It serves as an entryway or door into church membership, almost guaranteeing regenerate church membership. Of course, there are always false baptisms. The same can be said of any denominational context. However, Baptists do a great job at discerning the call upon an individual's life and working with them to ensure they are truly regenerated and saved before their decision for Baptism. They achieve this task through raising their children in the faith, teaching youth, and catechizing or reading through a series of questions and answers written to promote a better understanding of the Christian religion and the Baptist denomination. The seriousness of Baptism is due to its meaning in the church: identifying with Christ in His life, Death, and Resurrection. Like Jesus, the believer dies to sin and is resurrected as a new creation with the gift of Christ’s righteousness. Baptism is overall the outward representation of putting off the old self and putting on the new. Therefore, it is the main requirement to become a member in most Baptist churches.
Matthew 3:13-17; 28:16-20; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 36-38; 9:18 10:47-48; 11:16; 16:15, 32-33; 18:8; 22:16; Romans 5:12-21; 6:1-14; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 2:20; 3:27; Colossians 3:9, 12; 1 Peter 3:21
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to pay for the sins of those who believe in Him. While there are many interpretations and beliefs about the Lord’s Supper in the Baptist tradition, including who can participate, they all have one thing in common: Communion is done in both celebration and mourning to remember the sacrifice Christ made for the sinners He called His own. When partaking in the Lord’s Supper, believers mourn over Jesus' crushed body and spilled blood and rejoice by recognizing that it was done for their sake and His glory. It is to be done with reflection, confession, and repentance. It can be a means of church discipline if one disqualifies himself from the ordinance by actively sinning against the Lord publically. However, an individual who has been disqualified can again participate in Communion by reflecting on their sin, confessing it, repenting, and asking for forgiveness. The purpose of celebrating the Supper is devotional in remembering Christ’s sacrifice, but it is also done in the community because it builds the church up together.
Matthew 27:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-30; 1 Corinthians 5:7-11; 11
Extra-Church Fellowship
When churches work together, the Great Commission is further realized and accomplished. Baptists have interchurch ministries that achieve this task, such as the Cooperative Program. The program accepts regular donations from Baptist churches all over. It provides money to other international ministries like the International Mission Board (IMB) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) to preach the Gospel to the world and take care of the world's physical and spiritual needs. The motivation and nature of the interaction between churches and organizations that steward their giving is the desire to live and carry out the Great Commission and to become one, unified body that the Lord commanded of His Church. This cooperation between churches is similar to what the Church experienced in Acts. Churches from different regions provided and sent aid and letters and prayed for other churches and ministries as one body. They truly embodied the idea of a unified catholic church.
Matthew 28:16-20; Acts; Ephesians 4.
Church’s Relationship to the State
The Southern Baptist Convention has a division called the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. They are one way the church relates to politics in the culture. While churches must seek to influence the world and bring the Gospel to as many people as possible, they must recognize that they are composed of citizens of another realm, the heavenly realm. Also, they must recognize that Jesus tears down barriers of all sorts, including political and ethnic barriers, as He did for the Jews and the Gentiles. Therefore, the church should advocate for liberty in politics and denounce sin no matter where it is found.
John 18:36; Ephesian 2:13-16
