What does it mean to be a Southern Baptist Church?

What does it mean to be a Southern Baptist church? This is a very interesting question. A short, albeit loaded, answer is that Southern Baptists are a network of autonomous baptistic churches which voluntarily partner for the purpose of advancing the Great Commission. Wow! That's a mouthful. Let's see if we can break this down?

Autonomous- means that each Southern Baptist church is truly independent and self-governed. Local Baptist churches do not receive directives from a centralized denominational government. Instead, the members of each church determine the course for their own church through a democratic process of voting. We do things this way because we believe that Christ is the head of each church and that the church members have the ability to know His will through prayer and the study of His Word. We believe that His specific will for each specific church is discoverable through the voting of its members (see Acts 15:22). 

Baptistic- This term describes the manner in which our local Baptist churches interpret the Bible and "do" church. Another way to say this is that we follow Baptist doctrines and practices in our churches. We don't do this because we are told to do so by some denominational head. We do this because our members believe the Baptist way is best and the most biblical way to understand and live out the Bible as a church. 

Generally, Baptist beliefs and practices emphasize five things: 

1. A high view of God's Word- We believe the Bible is inerrant and infallible. It is the ultimate authority on how to believe and how to act. We understand that it should be interpreted literally except for when the Bible writer clearly signals that it should read figuratively.

2. An ardent commitment to religious liberty- God has endowed every human being, made in His image, with the ability to believe freely. No authority, other than God, should mandate to a person what to believe. Thus, Baptists adamantly believe in the separation of church and state. We fervently believe that every person should be given the opportunity to hear and respond positively to the gospel of Jesus Christ, but that a response can and should never be coerced.

3. Believer's baptism as the only biblical expression of baptism- Baptists do not view baptism as a sacrament to perform in order to be saved, but as a public testimony of salvation that has come through faith alone in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Baptists believe Christ commands us to be baptized upon profession of faith and salvation. 

4. Autonomy of the local church- See above.  

5. An unwavering passion and commitment for missions- Baptists understand that Christ commands every believer to tell others the gospel so that they may repent, believe, and be saved. Baptists also believe that Christians should sacrifice deeply in order to send some of their own to the furthest corners of the world so that every people group can hear the gospel of Christ and be saved. 

This list of Baptist characteristics is certainly not exhaustive or exclusive to Baptists, but you will find them in most Southern Baptist churches. For purposes of partnership, which I will discuss below, Baptist churches voluntarily affirm a confession of faith called the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 which describes Baptist beliefs our churches generally share. 

Partnership for the Great Commission- Something Southern Baptists adhere to is the principle that our churches can do more together than we can on our own. This belief leads us willfully to partner with other local churches for the gospel. We voluntarily pool our people and money together so that we can have a greater impact in the world for Christ. 

One of the major ways we do this is through the Cooperative Program (CP). The way it works is that each Baptist church sets aside a portion of the tithes and offerings it receives from its members and contributes this portion to a common pot, called the CP. Then, each church sends representatives (called messengers) to oversee these funds and ensure that they are used to further God's redemptive mission on earth. 

The CP was started in 1925 and has furthered the gospel in awe-inspiring ways. The CP helps to fund the International Mission Board (with 3,500 fully funded missionaries), the North American Mission Board (including Southern Baptist Disaster Relief), the six Southern Baptist seminaries (which educate 1/3 of all ministers in America, regardless of denomination), Oklahoma Baptist work, Oklahoma Baptist University, Boys Ranch Town, and dozens of other ministries which we hold near and dear to our hearts. 

Earlier, I said that Southern Baptist churches do not receive direction from a centralized denominational government. The reverse is actually the case. All of the many Southern Baptist entities that are formed and funded by the CP and other giving, are subject to the will of the churches (via the messengers) who direct them by votes at annual business meetings. During the rest of the year, these entities are subject to trustee boards and committees duly elected by the messengers.

In future articles, I hope to show you more about how Great Commission ministries are funded through the CP, but for now I just want you to see that it is an incredible demonstration of how Southern Baptists partner for the gospel. 

Okay, I hope this helps you to understand better what it means to be a Southern Baptist church. While it is a challenge to understand how it all works, once you get used to the lingo, the flow-chart, and the processes, you really do see how being a Southern Baptist is a beautiful and incredible way to organize people and resources to increase the impact of the Gospel throughout the world. Quite frankly, I am proud to be a part of it as a pastor of the First Baptist Church of Harrah.