A Closer Look
Though the discussions and information listed below deal with a important topics, they are not the most spiritually important ones. The key issue is how a person or church becomes truly Christian - anointed, Biblical, fruitful. Not all Southern Baptists are Christians; some have proven to be nominal Christians - Christians in name only. And not all, or even most, Christians are Southern Baptists. Countless non-Southern Baptists, and indeed, non-Baptists, have received Christ as Savior and Lord. Having said this, we believe that it is a wonderful thing to be a Southern Baptist, and commend the denomination to you. Our aim is not to recruit members from other groups, but to have ready information for those interested.
Why a Denomination
Some people feel that denominations are constrictive, and that when you identify with other churches, you suffer compromise.
Southern Baptists are sympathetic to these concerns and so firmly hold to the principle of church autonomy and self-rule. The Southern Baptist Convention does not ordain ministers, assign staff to churches, levy contributions to denominational causes, dictate literature and calendar, or assign persons to churches according to place of residence. These are local church matters.
Southern Baptists are wary of interdenominational councils. While Southern Baptists work with other churches on matters such as abortion and pornography, read and hear non-Southern Baptists, and join with other Baptists in the work of the Baptist World Alliance, they do not enter into covenants with others who wish to speak for them.
The Convention is an alliance of churches working in friendly cooperation under the heading "Southern Baptist." A Southern Baptist church is about as independent as you can get and still be counted as part of a denomination.
Why belong to a denomination? Well, denominations give churches a way to collectively express their convictions and realize their vision. In such a free land as ours, it is natural that churches would take the opportunity to identify with like-minded churches.
Denominations allow churches to be a part of a larger enterprise, pooling their resources to establish and advance Great Commission work. A denomination can have an impact larger than the sum of the impacts of the individual churches.
The Bible pictures financial and operational cooperation among New Testament churches, and virtually all churches cooperate with other churches in some fashion or other. Southern Baptists have merely formalized that spiritually-natural phenomenon, and God has blessed their blend of freedom and cooperation.
Within the Body of Christ, there is a great diversity of gifts, temperament, taste, and experience. Churches benefit from this range of qualities within their own fellowship and across the denomination. Churches learn from and complement each other.
This is not a matter of moral or doctrinal compromise. You cannot believe and do just anything and remain a part of the Southern Baptist fellowship. All Baptist bodies have limits. But within those limits, there is room for significant cooperative diversity.
While there is a place for Biblical separation, a coming apart for the sake of holiness, separation can go to extremes. No church is perfect. Each will have sinful and wasteful features. The same goes for denominations. Just as with churches, denominations must find their way between putting up with anything and fighting over everything. There are rocks on both sides and the need for a great deal of patience as we chart our course between them.
Why a Convention
Isn't a convention a meeting and not a denomination? Technically, the Southern Baptist convention exists for only two days a year, at the annual gathering. The rest of the year, denominational entities carry out the instructions of the messengers to the Convention. The authority, then, resides with the messengers elected by churches and participating in the two-day meeting. Still, those churches and individuals who identify with this enterprise typically call themselves Southern Baptist.
Churches
A church technically becomes Southern Baptist by contributing to the mission causes of the Convention. If that contribution is made within the fiscal year (October-September) preceding a particular annual meeting (June), then the church is entitled to send as many as ten messengers to the Convention. The messenger card spells out the criteria. These cards can be secured from your state Baptist convention. We encourage churches who wish to identify with the Southern Baptist Convention to notify the convention offices. Even if they've not yet qualified to send messengers to the annual meeting, their report of current giving to denominational causes will signal their prospective affiliation and prompt their addition to the convention mailing list.
State Conventions and Local Associations
Though a church may be a Southern Baptist church without affiliating with a state convention or local association of Southern Baptist churches, it is customary to participate in all three. Each has its particular ministries, fellowship, and mission outreach, and there is a great deal of cooperation among them. The state and national bodies have traditionally relied upon local associations to determine the baptistic character of churches. There are currently 42 state conventions and fellowships listed. There are more than 1,200 local associations. A list is readily available at both the national and state offices.
Individuals
Individuals do not join the Southern Baptist Convention per se. Rather, they become Southern Baptists by joining one of more than 40,000 Southern Baptist churches. Each church can tell you their enrollment procedure. Those wanting to familiarize themselves with the denomination will want to check out the other pages on this site such as "Meet Southern Baptists" and "We'd Thought You'd Like To Know." Many Southern Baptist churches have printed copies of these publications for distribution.
Materials, Training and Service Opportunities
The Southern Baptist Convention offers churches a wide array of literature, workshops, retreats, conferences, consultants, volunteer mission opportunities, video and audio materials, fellowships, and prayer requests. As one pastor who moved to a non-Southern Baptist church observed, "There's one thing worse than being a Southern Baptist pastor and getting all that material in the mail. It's not being a Southern Baptist pastor and not getting it." It's great to have such a support system, such a network of resources to assist churches and members in their development.
Ministers
Within the Southern Baptist Convention, the licensing and ordination of ministers is a local church matter. There is no denominational ordination service. The list of Southern Baptist ministers is simply a compilation from the reports of the churches. The Southern Baptist convention neither frocks nor defrocks ministers.
Career Mission Service
Those seeking to be career missionaries should contact either the North American Mission Board (NAMB) (770-410-6000) or the International Mission Board (IMB) (888-I-CAN-GO-1 [888-422-6461]). Each has a carefully prescribed candidate process.
Insurance and Annuity
Guidestone (1-888-984-8433) provides avenues for Southern Baptist ministers and employees to insure themselves and to financially undergird their retirement years.
Education
Southern Baptists subsidize seminary education for ministers who are members of Southern Baptist churches which have voted to commend them to a Southern Baptist seminary.