Yes. SBC churches have compelte autonomy. For the most part the SBC lacks the authority to tell an SBC church how its government/consistory shoudl be setup. Since local church autonomy is a Baptist Distinctive, the aforementioned is generally true of just about all Baptist churches, not just SBC churches. Baptist churches are generally free to setup their own local governance however they see fit.
BTW, I'm an elder in my local church, which is only three years old. We don't have deacons, but the role of deacons is performed by some of the elders. As we get lager, we will eventually have deacons and elders. But right now, our governance is small in number.
A question for Southern Baptists
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Oasis, Jul 23, 2009.
Page 2 of 4
-
Lager styles are a relatively recent on the global beer scene, when one considers the centuries of ale brewing that predated the production of lagers. The simple difference between a lager and an ale is that the yeast employed for fermentation of a lager works at a cooler temperature and sinks to the bottom of the fermentation vessel, while ale yeasts work at higher temperatures and rise to the top of the vessel. Hence lagers are "bottom fermented" beers.
I was wondering what churches were doing to attract deacons these days.
:laugh: -
Congregation I suppose means all people.
Membership means members of the church. Only the Membership have the right to appoint a Member to the office of a deacon. -
Tom
ybiC,
Kab -
The "universal church" consists of all the born again christians world wide. We are one body, and are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. We...the universal church...are spreading the good news of the gospel world wide, 24 hours a day, with absolutly no "down time"
No local church could ever accomplish that task.
The universal church...100% legitimate and can do what no local church can.
The local church...100% legitimate and can do what the universal can not do.
:godisgood: -
Me...
:laugh::laugh::laugh: -
How often has a church had a business meeting of great importance, and dozens of members who have not attended in months all of a sudden show up for a meeting. Our Constitution requires a non-attender to go on he inactive list - and there are certain standards to get back to the active list, based on the reason for initially being on the inactive list. -
Only the local congregation is uniquely equipped to carry out the Great Commission; to have true fellowship; to observe the Lord's Supper; to evangelize. You name it.
The Universal Church is confused with the kingdom--made up of subjects of the king. -
We know from the Scripture, at some future point, the Universal Church (Kingdom) will be comprised of all sorts of creeds and races. This will be the final cleaning of all church rolls.
At the present time, Tom is right. The Universal Church has no function.
Actually, Tom is a very humble The reason he says what he does about the Universal Church is to deflect attention from himself, since he was just elected Bishop of the Universal Church, West Kentucky Division. Here is a picture of him one day at work. -
Thank you for the nice words, saturneptune. You are correct, I am quite humble--and proud of it.:saint: But my humility has been tested since I'm having trouble finding a place for the West Kentucky Division to meet. The church you and I serve wants to know why something that doesn't exist wants to meet. Somebody pointed out that the first meeting of the U-church, West Kentucky Division I called, nobody showed up.
And those who do buy the idea still want to go to their own local, visible, congregations on Sunday. They learned that the U-church doesn't serve coffee and donuts, has no fellowship meals, and has no softball team. And the Presbyterian U-Church members want nothing to do with the Pentecostal U-church members. And the Church of Christ U-Church members want nothing to do with anybody else, since the other U-church members are going to Hell.
It's just sad. -
Mt. 28:19, 20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." -
Would you please explain to us in detail how the Universal Church goes and makes disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you? Where are the facitilites, institutions, and people that are used to carry the Gospel to the world by the Universal Church?
So what is your definition of the Universal Church? All true believers in Jesus Christ? From a Catholic perspective, you are not a member of the Universal Church, because we are all pretty much heretics according to them. From their perspective, only Catholics are members of the Universal Church. So who would that be from your perspective? Those you think are saved? So if the Baptist pastor down the road has a different collection of people he thinks are saved, which is the true list of members of the Universal Church.
The bottom line is that you do not know, I do not know, and neither does anyone else know who is in the Universal Church, or, a more accurate description, the Kingdom of God. The Universal Church will be the church one day before the Lord, his children. For now, the work of the Lord is carred out by the local church. -
Autonomy of a church doesn't mean that there isn't going to be assistance to any concerned member of an affilliated SBC convention church.
You can contact them for some advice and counsul on the matter.
Usually any SBC church has a charter and constitution and bylaws that must be followed. Depending upon how ugly the pastor wishes to make this...he can be removed by any member of the congregation. There likely is a constitution that was ratified by the entire congregation at some point. you may not know of it's existance or whereabouts but it will be in the church records somewhere.
It can and will tell you precisely how to remove a pastor, how to elect Deacons and how to appoint them. A pastoral search committee can be set up and etc etc... -
1 Jn 5:11-13, "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." -
Saturn...
The "universal church" is all of the born again people on earth. Most of them gather regularly somewhere with other believers for edification and group worship.
Then they scatter again...just like all other believers across this earth...and inflitrate their society with the good news of Jesus Christ.
The universal church....thank God for it!
The local assembly...thank God for it as well! -
-
-
-
It seems to me that your idea of a church would greatly encourage those who want to sit at home, claim to be a Christian, and forsake assembling with a local group of believers. Their reasoning is, since the Universal Church never did anything, I will follow their example and sit here and do nothing also.
By the way, the Book of Acts is is right before Romans. -
Mt. 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."
Page 2 of 4