A Missionary Baptist church is a Baptist church that believes in the Great Commission, which is Jesus’s command to his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Missionary Baptists believe that spreading the gospel message through missions and evangelism should be a primary focus of the church.
Some key beliefs and characteristics of Missionary Baptist churches include:
- Autonomy of the local church – Each local church is self-governing and independent from denominational control.
- Priesthood of all believers – All Christians have direct access to God through Christ and do not need a priest to intercede.
- Two offices of the church – Pastor and deacon. Missionary Baptists have a congregational church governance.
- Baptism by immersion – Baptism is done by fully immersing a professing believer in water.
- Closed communion – Only baptized members of the local church participate in the Lord’s Supper.
- No alcohol or gambling – Missionary Baptists teach abstinence from alcohol and gambling.
- Evangelism – Spreading the gospel is a primary mission of the church.
- Bible is the sole authority – Missionary Baptists believe the Bible is the divinely inspired and inerrant word of God.
History
Missionary Baptist churches descended from Baptists who settled in the American colonies in the 17th century. Early Baptist settlers such as Roger Williams established some of the earliest Baptist churches in America.
In the 19th century, controversy arose among Baptists over whether missionary societies were biblical. Some Baptists believed that missionary work should be done directly through local churches, while others supported creating mission boards and societies to facilitate missions. This led to a split, with those who opposed mission boards becoming known as Primitive Baptists, while those who favored mission societies and unified efforts in missions became known as Missionary Baptists.
Prominent Baptist preachers and evangelists such as William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Luther Rice, and Andrew Fuller were influential in spreading Missionary Baptist beliefs about missions, evangelism, education, and moral reform. This further established the Missionary Baptists as a major force in Protestant Christianity in America and worldwide.
Today, Missionary Baptist churches remain one of the largest Baptist denominations in the United States, with churches in many communities across the country.
Worship and Practices
Worship services at Missionary Baptist churches tend to be simple, without liturgy, and focus primarily on biblical preaching. Music is usually a cappella hymns or contemporary worship songs led by a song leader rather than a choir. The worship style can vary between traditional and contemporary.
Typical practices in a Missionary Baptist church include:
- Preaching – The pastor delivers a sermon, usually verse-by-verse expositional preaching through books of the Bible.
- Ordinances – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances practiced.
- Prayer – A time of prayer for different needs may be included in the service.
- Sunday School – Sunday School classes are held for all ages to study the Bible.
- Discipleship – Members are actively involved in discipleship ministries of the church.
- Fellowship – Time for members to fellowship together over meals or other activities.
- Missions – The church supports and participates in mission trips and evangelism outreaches.
Decisions about the practices and activities of a Missionary Baptist church are made by the local congregation, not imposed by any higher denominational authority.
Beliefs and Doctrines
Missionary Baptist churches subscribe to evangelical and Baptist theology. Some key doctrines include:
- The Bible – The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, sufficient and authoritative word of God.
- God – There is one God who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Sin – All people are sinners by nature and choice. Sin separates people from God.
- Salvation – Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
- Jesus – Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay for sins, rose again physically, ascended to heaven, and will one day return.
- Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit indwells and empowers believers for godly living and service.
- Church – The church is the local body of baptized believers who join together for worship, discipleship, service, and missions.
- Baptism – Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- Lord’s Supper – The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ’s death and should be participated in by obedient believers.
- Eternity – There is a heaven for those saved by grace and a hell for those who reject Christ.
Missionary Baptists hold to distinct Baptist beliefs like baptism by immersion for believers only, local church autonomy, the priesthood of all believers, and liberty of conscience. They differ from Reformed Baptists by rejecting Calvinism and believing salvation can be lost. They try to strike a balance between doctrinal fidelity and diversity, allowing for some minor differences.
Church Government
Missionary Baptist churches adhere to a congregational form of church government. Each local church is autonomous and democratically governs itself. This means the congregation as a whole has the final authority in the local church, not any external bodies.
The two main offices of the church are pastors and deacons. The pastor is responsible for preaching, teaching, and leading the congregation. Deacons assist the pastor and help meet the material needs of church members. These officers are chosen from within the local congregation.
Major decisions like nominating and electing officers, matters of church discipline and membership, financial matters, and affiliating with parachurch groups are made through a vote of the congregation. Committees may be formed to investigate matters and make recommendations, but the congregation makes the final determinations.
This congregational governance allows each local Missionary Baptist church to be self-determining under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Cooperation and affiliation with other Missionary Baptist churches is voluntary.
Christian Living
Missionary Baptists place a strong emphasis on holy Christian living and obedience to God’s word. Some values and practices encouraged include:
- Reading and studying the Bible daily
- Having a prayerful relationship with God
- Being involved in the local church
- Telling others about Christ
- Living with integrity and moral purity
- Honoring marriage and family commitments
- Pursuing righteousness, peace, and justice
- Abstaining from sinful practices like drinking, gambling, pornography, etc.
- Being a godly example to others
- Letting your light shine before others to glorify God
While recognizing that Christians still struggle with sin, Missionary Baptists emphasize the need for obedience, holiness, and faithful discipleship in how believers live.
Missions and Evangelism
As the name implies, missionary work and evangelism are central to Missionary Baptist identity and purpose. Missionary Baptists believe that spreading the gospel to unbelievers both locally and globally is a primary mission of the church.
Individual churches may support missionaries serving through mission boards or directly through the church. Local outreach ministries to share the gospel with the surrounding community are emphasized. Mission trips to other cities and foreign countries are common.
Some key evangelistic practices promoted include street preaching, door-to-door visitation, distributing gospel tracts, evangelistic revival meetings, planting new churches, radio or television broadcasting, social media outreach, and personal evangelism wherever there are opportunities to share the good news.
Missionary Baptists believe every church member should be involved in witnessing and telling others about salvation in Christ. Evangelism training is often provided to equip members to effectively share their faith. Missions giving is encouraged to support missionary efforts worldwide.
Comparison to Other Baptist Groups
Missionary Baptists share common beliefs and practices with other Baptist groups but also have some noteworthy differences:
- Southern Baptists – Missionary Baptists and Southern Baptists both support missions but MBC puts more emphasis on local church autonomy while SBC has a denominational structure.
- Primitive Baptists – Do not support unified mission societies or efforts. Primitive Baptists avoid modern technology while Missionary Baptists use radio, TV, internet for evangelism.
- Independent Baptists – Similar beliefs but Independent Baptists allow more separation from traditional Baptist beliefs like Calvinism vs Arminianism.
- Reformed Baptists – Reformed Baptists adhere to Calvinism while Missionary Baptists reject the doctrines of grace associated with Calvinism.
- Free Will Baptists – Both groups reject Calvinism but Free Will Baptists are more Arminian, while Missionary Baptists try to find a balance between the two perspectives.
There are also African-American Missionary Baptist denominations that have the same theology and mission but with important historical and cultural differences.
Affiliated Organizations
Missionary Baptist churches promote unity and cooperation through state, national, and international associations and fellowships. However, affiliation is voluntary and the local church remains autonomous.
Some of the larger organized fellowships include:
- American Baptist Association – Founded in 1924, the ABA is one of the largest fellowships representing over 2000 churches.
- Baptist Missionary Association of America – Formed in 1950, the BMAA is associated with over 1300 churches.
- Southwestern Baptist Missionary Association – Founded in 1943, the SBMA includes around 300 churches.
- Central Baptist Missionary Association – Organized in 1949, the CBMA includes churches mostly in the Missouri area.
- Independent Baptist Missionary Association – Formed in 1983 from churches separating from the BMAA.
In addition to these larger groups, there are many independent Missionary Baptist churches not formally affiliated with any national association. Local state and regional fellowships also exist. These provide opportunities for fellowship, resources, coordination of efforts like disaster relief, without impinging on local church autonomy.
Educational Institutions
To train pastors and other church leaders, Missionary Baptists have established Bible colleges and seminaries across the country. These schools uphold Missionary Baptist beliefs and practices. Some prominent examples include:
- Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary (Texas)
- Central Baptist College (Arkansas)
- Shasta Bible College and Graduate School (California)
- Mid-South Bible College (Tennessee)
- Harvesters Bible College (Indiana)
- Freedom Missionary Baptist Institute (Texas)
- Victory Baptist College (North Carolina)
Students can pursue associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees focused on theology, ministry, education, and counseling from a biblical worldview. Some schools offer distance learning options.
These schools help train pastors, missionaries, teachers, counselors, and other church leaders according to Missionary Baptist principles. This provides churches with workers adeptly prepared for ministry roles and missions.
Contrast with Other Denominations
Missionary Baptists have some notable differences from other major Christian denominations:
- Catholicism – Reject papal authority, infant baptism, veneration of saints, and other Catholic doctrines.
- Methodism – Differs on church government, mode of baptism, and Arminian theology.
- Lutheranism – Disagree on baptism, Lord’s supper, and predestination issues.
- Presbyterianism – Differ on baptism, church government, and adherence to Calvinist theology.
- Pentecostalism – Disagree with Pentecostal beliefs about the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit.
- Church of Christ – Have different views on instrumentation in worship and whether baptism is essential for salvation.
While Missionary Baptists share core doctrines like the Trinity with other orthodox Christian groups, their specific Baptist distinctives set them apart on key issues that have historically divided Protestants.
Controversies and Debates
Some ongoing controversies and tensions within Missionary Baptist circles include:
- Bible Translations – Debate over which English Bible translations are acceptable, especially KJV-onlyism vs. use of more modern versions.
- Calvinism – Despite rejecting five-point Calvinism, some Missionary Baptist churches and members lean toward these doctrines, creating conflict.
- Worship Styles – More progressive churches adopting contemporary styles while traditionalists argue for hymns and pianos only.
- Ecumenism – Involvement in ecumenical alliances with other denominations is controversial.
- Women in Ministry – Most Missionary Baptists prohibit women pastors, but some now allow female deacons or associate pastors.
- Speaking in Tongues – While most Missionary Baptists do not practice tongues, some charismatic influences have created disagreements.
Debates around these issues reflect larger trends and tensions within evangelical Christianity that Missionary Baptists continue to work through. Cooperation across difference of opinion is encouraged for the sake of gospel witness and ministry effectiveness.
Presence and Influence
Missionary Baptist churches can be found in all 50 states in the U.S. and in many countries around the world. Exact membership statistics are difficult to confirm due to their congregational church government.
Estimates suggest there are at least 10,000 Missionary Baptist churches worldwide with over 2 million members. The greatest concentrations are found in the Southern United States, but Missionary Baptists have spread to Russia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and other regions.
Missionary Baptists have contributed to Christian history through their stalwart defense of biblical authority, emphasis on missions and evangelism, growth of religious liberty, and founding of many Bible colleges and seminaries.
While not the largest Baptist group, Missionary Baptists continue to have an influential voice within evangelical Christianity. Their commitment to sharing the gospel, planting churches, training leaders, and revering God’s word has helped advance the kingdom of Christ around the world.