Part of a series on Baptists

Historical Background Christianity Protestantism General Baptist Particular Baptist Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... General Baptist is a generic term for Baptists that hold the view of a general atonement, as well as a specific name of groups of Baptists within the broader category. ... The name Reformed Baptist does not refer to a distinct denomination but instead is a description of the churchs theological leaning. ...

Doctrinal distinctives Prima scriptura Sola scriptura Baptist ordinances Baptist offices Baptist confessions Autonomy of the local church Separation of church and state The Bible is considered as first or above all sources of divine revelation. ... Sola scriptura (Latin ablative, by scripture alone) is the assertion that the Bible as Gods written word is self-authenticating, clear (perspicuous) to the rational reader, its own interpreter (Scripture interprets Scripture), and sufficient of itself to be the only source of Christian doctrine. ... Baptist ordinances, the term for the sacraments within Baptist theology, are the Lords Supper and Believers baptism. ... 1600s 1644 First London Baptist Confession - revised in 1646 1651 The Faith and Practice of Thirty Congregations 1654 The True Gospel-Faith Declared According to the Scriptures 1656 The Somerset Confession of Faith 1655 Midland Confession of Faith 1660 The Standard Confession 1678 The Orthodox Creed 1689 Second London Baptist... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... Separation of church and state is one of the primary theological distinctions of the Baptist tradition. ...

Pivotal figures John Smyth Thomas Helwys John Bunyan Andrew Fuller John Gill Charles Haddon Spurgeon Samuel Sharpe John Smyth (1570 - c. ... Thomas Helwys, born c. ... John Bunyan. ... Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) was an eminent Baptist minister, born in Cambridgeshire, and settled at Kettering. ... John Gill (born at Kettering, Northamptonshire on November 23, 1697 and died October 14, 1771) was an English Baptist, Biblical scholar. ... Charles Haddon Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892) was Englands best-known and most-loved preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. ... Samuel Sharp, also called Daddy Sharpe (or Sam Sharp), he was a Deacon at the Burchell Baptist Church in Montego Bay, Jamaica, during the 19th century. ...

Major Baptist Associations American Baptist Baptist World Alliance Cooperative Baptist Fellowship National Baptist Convention Southern Baptist Convention Baptist Union of Great Britain Brazilian Baptist Convention ABCUSA American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a group of Baptist churches within the United States; headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. ... The Baptist World Alliance was formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London, England during the first Baptist World Congress. ... Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Inc. ... The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based cooperative ministry agency serving Baptist churches around the world. ... Baptist Union of Great Britain - the oldest and largest national association of Great Britain. ... The Brazilian Baptist Convention or Convenção Batista Brasileira is the oldest Brazil. ... This box: view • talk • edit

Baptists generally recognize two Scriptural offices, those of pastor-teacher and deacon. A pastor is a minister or priest of a Christian church. ... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ...

Theological basis

The office of elder, common in some evangelical churches, is usually considered by Baptists to be the same as that of pastor, and not a separate office. A religious elder (in Greek, πρεσβυτερος [presbyteros]) is valued for his or her wisdom, in part for their age, on the grounds that the older one is then the more one is likely to know. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a broad collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions which are found among conservative Protestant Christians. ...

The office of overseer or bishop is almost always considered to be the same as that of pastor. Some Southern Baptist and other Baptistic churche, such as the Episcopal Baptists in Congo may ordain bishops over small regional groups of churches. This article is about a title or office in religious bodies. ... The Eglise Episcopale Baptiste is a baptist denomination in Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

Gender and character

The historical view among Baptists is that these offices are limited to men only, following the model of Christ and His apostles and interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:12-14. However, the issue of women pastors and deacons has surfaced as controversy in some churches and denominations. In recent years, a number of denominations, especially the American Baptist Churches, USA, have commmonly ordained women. As the decision to call a pastor or appoint deacons typically falls to the local congregation, acceptance of women in these roles often varies from congregation to congregation. Christ is the English of the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ... For other uses, see Twelve Apostles (disambiguation). ...

Another controversial issue is whether divorced individuals may serve as pastors and deacons. Of note was the controversy surrounding Charles Stanley's highly publicized divorce. One extreme view is that a divorced individual cannot serve under any circumstances. The other extreme is that divorced individuals can serve under all circumstances. There are also many views in between these two extremes with consideration for divorces which took place before conversion, infidelity of the other spouse, or other circumstances surrounding the divorce. For the record label, see Divorce Records. ... Charles F. Stanley (born September 25, 1932) is the senior pastor of megachurch First Baptist Church Atlanta in northern Atlanta, Georgia. ...

It should be noted that the issue of women holding the offices of pastor and deacon are often separate debates.

Pastor

In Baptist churches, the primary role of the pastor is to deliver the weekly sermon.

In smaller churches, the pastor will often visit homes and hospitals to call on ill members, as well as homes of prospective members (especially those who have not professed faith). The pastor will also perform weddings and funerals for members, and at business meetings serve as the moderator. The pastor may also be required to find outside work to supplement his income.

Larger churches will usually have one or more "associate" pastors, each with a specific area of responsibility, whereby the overall pastor is considered the "senior" pastor. Some examples are:

• music (the most common)
• youth (in smaller churches this office is often combined with music)
• children
• administration (in larger churches)
• evangelism
• college-aged persons

Some Baptists, especially Reformed Baptists, believe in a plurality of elders. In that case usually only full-time paid elders will be called Pastor, while part-time volunteer pastors are more often called Elder, but these are regarded as the same office. The name Reformed Baptist does not refer to a distinct Christian denomination, but instead is a description of the churchs theological leaning. ...

Deacon

The main role of the deacon is to assist the pastor with members' needs. Deacons also assist during communion. However, in many more modern Baptist churches, deacons have become administrators or governing body of the church. In many churches, the pastor takes on the role of spiritual leadership, while a deacon serves as moderator of board meetings. Deacons are usually chosen from members who have demonstrated exceptional Christian piety (see 1 Timothy 3:8-12), and serve without pay.

A common practice is for each family to be assigned a specific deacon, to be the primary point of contact whenever a need arises. Some larger megachurches which use cell groups have the cell group leaders serve the role of deacon.

See also

• Baptists
• Deacon