IF Not a Baptist, What Church Would You membership In ?

if you dont mind...

What do they teach/believe?

 

After I left the Assemblies of God, was attended an Evangelical Free Church about 3 years...
Seemed to be very similiar to baptist in theology, as taught believers baptism, second coming pre mil pre trib and was stong in prayer/missions...

IF had to leave baptist circles, would probably land back there...

 

But baptists are not a denomination in the sense of having a central authority, or of local baptist churches being arranged into some hierarchical structure.

Each local baptist church can choose for itself whether to join a grouping of churches, and if so, which one.

Compare that to Methodism, with its hierarchy of local churches, circuits, districts, and the Conference. Or Anglicans, with their parish churches, deaneries, archdeaconries, dioceses, and provinces, all under a primate.

You wrote:

"Many of these so called autonymous churches ask if the Pastor coming in will follow the baptist statement of faith and practice."
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But there is no such thing as the baptist statement of faith and practice. There are plenty of baptist statements of faith, but local baptist churches are not compelled to "sign up" to a particular one. Many of the local baptist churches I know of have their own statements of faith, and they may well say their statement is based on one of the historic baptist statements of faith, but if they don't, there is no authority with the right to tell them, "You can 't be a baptist church any more!"

Of course a church calling a pastor will want to call a man whose beliefs are the same as the church's. For example, if the church has a statement of faith based on the London 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, why would they even think of calling a man who openly declares that he thinks the 1689 Confession is a load of rubbish?

 

The SBC http://www.sbc.net/bfm/default.asp
From the website:

"On June 14th, 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a revised summary of our faith. The committee's report says in part:

"Baptists cherish and defend religious liberty, and deny the right of any secular or religious authority to impose a confession of faith upon a church or body of churches. We honor the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers, affirming together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to each other under the Word of God.

Baptist churches, associations, and general bodies have adopted confessions of faith as a witness to the world, and as instruments of doctrinal accountability. We are not embarrassed to state before the world that these are doctrines we hold precious and as essential to the Baptist tradition of faith and practice. "

That is why the question to pastors to you support the baptist statement of faith and practice.

Wouldn't this constitute a denomination under your definition.

Here is Websters:

3: name, designation; especially : a general name for a category

4: a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices

 

Amen. That would likely be an Evangelical Free Church in my area. There are some non-denominational ones in my area that would be OK.

 

A non-denom church that has baptistic beliefs.

Seems to be many of them out there these days... lots of them support NAMB/SBC. When I asked if their church was Baptist the pastor said, "Basically, yes", and went on to explain that unchurched people quickly came to certain conclusions, judgements and biases that were inaccurate and unhealthy regarding their church simply because it had the word 'baptist' in their name.

Would you consider North Point Community Church in Atlanta a 'Baptist' church? Their pastor is Andy Stanley. As I understand (and my understanding could be innacurate), it came out of 1st Baptist Atlanta (charles stanley is the pastor there -andy's father).

 

I link the term denomination wth any body of churches formed out of the Catholic Reformation.

In my mind, neither baptists nor Welsh Methodists have their birth in the Reformation.

Cheers,

Jim

 

But those are normally not called denomination they a called protest-ant. You know like protest we aint going to conform anymore.