Baptist Beliefs: Congregational Church

One of the essentials of Baptist beliefs is the focus on the local congregation. This is something that differentiates Baptists from other groups.

Although we belong to a “denomination” called that Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, the focus is more on a bottom up than a top down structure.

I put denomination in quotes because many Baptists deny we are a denomination because we operate so differently. We do not have a bishop or other denominational authority instructing us what to do. The denomination is mainly there as a resource and as a means for us to do ministry together.

Baptists believe in a congregational government, which means that the congregation determines its own direction. No other human authority can tell the congregation what to do, although they are available to give advice.

For example, imagine that our denominational leaders decided were were not allowed to have potlucks anymore. That would have no effect on us if the congregation decided that potlucks were still important.

It is true that congregations trade off on some of their congregational autonomy for the sake of association. We choose to associate with other like-minded congregations. But in the end, the congregation decides how far to take that.