You may be wondering

What does it mean to be baptist?

People often associate it with restricting behavior like drinking, dancing, or gambling. In reality, baptists are defined more by their convictions.

Here are our five baptist convictions, or as people sometimes call them, baptist distinctives:

1. Jesus Relates to People Directly

Every person who follows Jesus has direct access to him. In other words, people do need a priest (or any other mediator) to talk to Jesus for them. The Bible says everyone who follows Jesus is a priest: they have direct access and they can help other people have direct access also. Historians call this distinctive The Priesthood of the Believer. See 1 Timothy 2:1-6; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 5:9,10

2. People Should Be Free to Believe

Every person, whether they follow Jesus or not, has received from God the ability to choose what they believe. No person, church, or government should force someone to believe anything because God has made each person responsible for their choices. Respecting that means making room for people to choose, even if they choose poorly. Historians call this distinctive Soul Liberty. See John 3:36; Romans 14:4-12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Titus 1:9

3. Every Church Leads Themselves

Each church is an independent family of believers, accountable to Jesus alone because He is the Head of the Church. Baptists recognize that every church should be self-governing and has no religious hierarchy above it except Jesus Himself. Churches should be free to cooperate with any church or other ministry as they feel led. Historians call this distinctive Local Church Autonomy. See Colossians 1:18; Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 15:22-21; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 19, 23

4. The Bible is Our Authority

The Bible stands as God’s revelation to man. All other information stands in subjection to it, whether they be religious creeds, popular opinions, or scientific observations. The Bible is breathed out by God, and baptists seek to live in conformity to it, teach from it, and seek God through it. Historically, this conviction is called Biblical Inerrancy. See Psalm 12:6-7; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21

5. Churches are Families of Believers

Jesus took great care to tell his disciples that their love and service toward one another will help the world know that He is real. This is an amazing promise, and it puts a proper weight to any family of believers who carry Jesus’ Name. For this reason, baptists believe churches should have membership. It is not to judge people who are in or out, but to distinguish between those who carry Jesus’ Name and those who are still exploring how they might do that with a church. Historians call this Regenerate Church Membership. See Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12,18; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Hebrews 10:23-25

Like many other Southern Baptist churches, we confess the truth in The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which lines out basic doctrinal statements about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, eternity, and sin. Read more about these statements in our beliefs. Both are a good read, specifically when you’re looking for answers to particular questions.