What About Those Baptists?
It's not a surprise when someone asks what a Baptist believes and what makes them unique. To be honest, you may hear many different answers from many different people. Someone once joked that there were as many different answers as there were Baptists. Treating the letters of the word "Baptist" as an acrostic, we can show you the basic beliefs common to most Baptists.
Biblical authority - the Bible is the sole authority for the faith and practice of a believer
Autonomy of the local church - each church governs itself and does not answer to a central authority
Priesthood of all believers - each believer may go directly to God through Christ our intercessor
Two ordinances - Communion and Believer's Baptism
Individual soul liberty - individual accountability and freedom
Separation of Church and State - The Church and government should be separate entities
Two offices - Elders (pastors) and deacons
We are Christians first, and we respect, and have many things in common with other Christian traditions. We recognize that local churches of many different denominations make up the Body of Christ. Though we are autonomous, we cooperate with other churches, ministries, associations, and conventions as we are led by the Holy Spirit.
