What is a Baptist? Church Freedom
The third distinctively Baptist belief is in that of Church Freedom - the affirmation that each individual Baptist church is free and autonomous, and can determine for themselves how to organize, who to ordain, and how to participate in the larger community of believers.
Baptists developed out of centuries of tradition where one was simply born into the church - Baptized, usually as an infant, and accepted into the church within one's geographically designated parish. You had very little say over which church you attended or if you attended at all, never mind being able to influence decision making within that church.
Baptists are different. We are congregations made up of people who have made a conscious and willing decision to join us, most of the time placing the care and keeping of that church into the hands of those very members. We have no Pope, no Bishops or elders and no governing body or convention can tell the local church how they are to run. To give someone else the authority to dictate church rules is to abdicate our own freedom and responsibility. In the Baptist church, the congregation makes the decisions.
We believe that each individual church may call and ordain whomever they wish - the input of large conventions may be heard but it doesn’t have to be followed. Each church decides for themselves. As I write, Rick Warren’s Southern Baptist Church, Saddleback, has just made the news by ordaining three women into ministry, going against the wishes of the Southern Baptist Convention - and completely free to do so.
“This is what it means to be Baptist - to be a group of individuals together taking care of one another and the church out of love and respect and a deep understanding that this church-work is important. ”
Baptists also affirm the priesthood of believers - which means that each member is on the same equal footing as every other member - laity and clergy alike. Laity have responsibility for ministry in the same way as clergy. If there’s something that your church is not doing or addressing that you feel should be done or addressed then you, as a member responsible for ministry, are free to address the issue or organize the bible study, missions group, or Sunday school class yourself - you have a say in the church!
I am especially proud and fond of this aspect of Baptist life and I see it in action all the time at Millbrook. In Deacons meetings and Business meetings, congregants often raise their voices and concerns about things within the church. While sometimes these meetings can be a little uncomfortable, it is inspiring to know that these voices are raised out of love for the church and responsibility to our Baptist heritage. This is what it means to be Baptist - to be a group of individuals together taking care of one another and the church out of love and respect and a deep understanding that this church-work is important.
