Southern Baptist North American Mission Board trustees recently approved a
34-page document to serve as a guideline for what constitutes a New Testament
church.
Southern Baptist North American Mission Board trustees recently approved a
34-page document to serve as a guideline for what constitutes a New Testament
church.
The action is significant since the mission board starts 1,500 new Southern
Baptist churches each year.
“It is important that the North American Mission Board have a very clear
statement of what we see to be a Baptist church,” board President Robert
Reccord said.
“We are not planting baptistic churches. We are not planting
churches that resemble what Baptists are. We are planting Southern Baptist churches
that reflect what a biblical New Testament church is.”
Reccord said the document was needed because of the rapid proliferation of
some non-biblical church models including family or simple
church networks.
“A church cannot be myself and my wife meeting in our home, and its
we two and no more,” he said. “That is not a church. What were
doing with this document is giving guidelines to ensure that Southern Baptists
are starting biblically sound New Testament churches.”
The document is titled “Ecclesiological Guidelines to Inform Southern
Baptist Church Planters.”
It was written by Stan Norman, associate professor of theology at New Orleans
Baptist Theological Seminary. Norman also serves as director of the Baptist
Center for Theology and Ministry and holds the Cooperative Program Chair of
SBC Studies.
“Church planting strategies and endeavors must be conducted in such a
way that they are obedient and submitted to the New Testament for faith and
practice as well as committed to Baptist ecclesiology as stated in the Baptist
Faith and Message 2000,” Norman wrote.
The guidelines review and comment on such issues as the authority of a Baptist
church, classic marks of a true church; congregational polity; autonomy; and
the offices, ordinances and mission of a New Testament church.
It offers a closing summary of key points, noting that a Baptist church should
be defined by several traits:
“Committed to the authority of Scripture for faith and practice
while recognizing that all Scripture is God-breathed.
“Submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
“Visible, local body that is independent and autonomous.
“Composed of members who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
“Members covenanted together voluntarily for worship of and service
to God.
“Observes the two ordinances of Christ –
“Baptism of believers by immersion as profession of faith
in Christ as initiatory rite for membership.
“Lords Supper regularly observed by members in good
standing as commemoration of the sacrifice of Christ.
“Practices congregational polity.
“Practices church discipline.
“Scriptural officers are men who serve as pastors and deacons.
“Invisible, universal body that includes all the redeemed of all
the ages.
The paper was approved by North American Mission Board trustees with two dissenting
votes. The complete document is available at www.namb.net.
The guidelines do not apply to existing Southern Baptist congregations but
can be applied to the new churches planted by the board each year.
Although the guidelines could be used to exclude funding of new congregations
that decline to adhere to its standards, officials of the Southern Baptist agency
said they will not be used for that purpose.
“Its a statement of guidelines, not a checklist of dos and donts,”
said Martin King, a mission board spokesperson.
The document says all Baptist congregations should require members to accept
a church covenant affirming the inerrancy and authority of Scripture, among
other things.
“Whether a church is a new work or an existing, well-established congregation,
each Baptist church should have a covenant,” the guidelines state. “Church
covenants are usually written, and each person must agree to the covenant as
a condition of membership into a local congregation.
“Covenants are based upon and must reflect biblical principles. Although
they may state the various beliefs and convictions of the congregation, the
covenant of a Baptist church must minimally affirm three things – the Lordship
of Jesus Christ over the church and its members; the divine inspiration, inerrancy,
and authority of the Bible; and the membership of the church consisting only
of regenerate persons who have professed their faith in believers baptism
by immersion.”
The guidelines also address such issues as women deacons, even though it acknowledges
the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message statement does not do so.
Nevertheless, Norman states in the guidelines – “My position is that,
if a local church ordains its deacons, then women cannot serve in this capacity.
“In SBC life, ordination carries with it implications of authority and
oversight, and I believe the Bible relegates authority and oversight to men,”
Norman adds in the guidelines. “If a church, however does not ordain its
deacons, then the authority-oversight prohibitions would not apply. In that
case, the generic meaning of the term deacon … is that of a servant
or a table waiter. Thus, any member of the congregation is qualified to serve.”
King said trustee approval of the document does not mean Normans opinion
is now missions boards official position on women deacons.
The agencys support of a new church with women deacons might depend on
what the deacons are doing, whether they are ordained and the opinion of the
boards church planting partners, he said.
(This article includes information from Associated Baptist Press and Baptist
Press releases and from the “Ecclesiological Guidelines to Inform Southern
Baptist Church Planters”)