Our church is a Baptist church. Is Baptist just a name? Can a church have the name Baptist and not be Baptist? South Decatur Church started as a Baptist church and continued as a Baptist church.
Several qualities make a Baptist church in fact a Baptist church. I couldn’t give all of them in this short space, but, not necessarily in this order, a Baptist church traces itself to the first church in Jerusalem, started by Jesus Christ.
The gates of Hell would not prevail against His churches (Matthew 16:18). Those churches with Christ as their Head and the Bible as their only authority continued from that first church until today. Baptist churches are in the line of true churches proceeding from the Jerusalem church — independent, self-governing (autonomous), separate from a state church, having New Testament officers (the pastor and deacons) and practicing New Testament ordinances (immersion and the Lord’s Table), and faithfully goes about obeying Christ’s Great Commission. These are Baptist distinctives.
Having the Bible as sole authority is not some arbitrary standard. These churches believe and practice the Word of God. They take it literally, that is, grammatically and historically.
Many professing Baptist churches today do not preach a true gospel. True Baptist churches always taught repentance, turning from one’s will and way and sin to follow Christ, is necessary for true conversion.
Members of true Baptist churches practice separation from the world and those churches also separate ecclesiastically from institutions and other churches that will not characteristically believe and practice the Word of God.
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