The Local Church
{All quotations
unless otherwise stipulated are taken from the 1689 Baptist Confession of
Faith.}
What Is The True
Church?
Ch. 26, para. 1, “... It consists of
the whole number of the elect who have been, who are being, or who yet shall
be gathered into one under Christ.” It is the local expression of the one
true universal Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Constitution of the
Church is detailed throughout the New Testament with regard to its doctrine,
practice, leadership, behaviour, ordinances, meetings, work and discipline.
The Church is God’s instrument in the world.
Who Are Its Members?
What Is Its Purpose?
Ch. 26, para. 6, “The members of these
churches are saints by reason of the divine call, and in a visible manner
they demonstrate and declare, both by their confession of Christ and their
manner of life, that they obey Christ’s call. They willingly consent to hold
fellowship together according to Christ’s instructions, giving themselves to
the Lord and to one another as God wills, and yielding full assent to the
requirements of the Gospel”. Scripture clearly teaches that the Church -
universal and local - is comprised of those who know Jesus Christ as Saviour
and Lord. But no church is totally pure and infallible in its judgements,
yet it has a duty to require Scriptural standards of belief and practice
from its members.
Membership Of The
Local Church
In the New Testament there is a sharp
distinction between the Church and the world, and a church has the right to
examine applications for membership. In Baptist churches there is no place
for the State to interfere. Children of Christian parents have no privileged
position, except, of course that they have the great advantage of a
Christian upbringing. Baptists believe that it is Biblical teaching for
Christians to be baptized.
Why Join A Church?
[F.B. Meyer]
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1. A spiritual home helps spiritual
development. |
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2. The Church is a means of
confessing Christ. |
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3. The Church is the most orderly
way of partaking of the Lord’s Supper. |
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4. The Church is a Divine
Institution (Mt. 18:17-20); Christ loved and died for the Church (Eph.
5:25), therefore we must not fail to be part of its local embodiment. |
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5. In New Testament times all
Christians belonged to a church. |
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6. The ability to serve God better
in the world. |
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7. The Holy Spirit works through
the Church. Ch. 26, para. 12, “All believers are under obligation to
join themselves to local churches when and where they have opportunity
to do so”. |
What Are The Duties
Of Membership
1. Faithful attendance at the
Sunday services (Heb. 10:24-25).
2. Faithful attendance at the
Midweek Bible Study and Prayer Meeting.
3. Regular attendance at the Lord’s
Table
4. Attendance at the church
meeting.
5. Loyalty to the Truth by
obedience to it.
6. A genuine practical love for
fellow-believers.
7. An ability to accept admonition
in a Christian spirit.
8. Support evangelism through
prayer, gifts, and active service.
9. Service in the church and in its
organizations.
10. Preserving the good name of the
church before the world.
11. Generous systematic giving.
Tithing.
12. Support for and encouragement
of the leaders.
13. Interest in the wider church.
14. Responsibility to the world.
What Does ‘Local
Church Government’ Consist Of?
Baptists believe in ‘the priesthood of
all believers’. And we believe in a ‘theocracy’ rather than a ‘democracy’.
We also believe that there are those who are set aside for the specific
purpose of leadership, - elders and deacons - who have been called and
appointed by the Church after much prayer: “It is their special
responsibility to arrange for the carrying out of what the Lord has
ordained, and to use the powers entrusted to them for the execution of their
duties ... .” Ch. 26, para. 8.
What Does ‘Autonomy
Of The Local Church’ Mean?
Each local church is fully independent
with its own congregational church government. An outside association can
give advice but it can not legislate. Independence does not mean isolation.
The ‘success’ of the local church depends upon its spiritual quality, not
necessarily its numerical quantity.
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