9Marks Churches

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

[Sandy]

I don't think the BFM 2000's description of church polity is descriptive or specific enough to be used to deny an elder led church membership in the convention body.

Here in Western PA, most Baptist churches are independent of denominational affiliation, but most of them aren't like the IFB folks down south. There are a few GARBC churches as well, and all of them are elder led. So that's existed in the greater Baptist family for a long time.

[Tim Bonney]

[Haruo]

How about "Its scriptural officers are pastors and bishops and overseers and shepherds and deacons and servants and old folks and elders"? And can't an argument be made for "apostles and evangelists" being officers as well?

[Haruo]

In AA the tradition is that "Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern", which is routinely misquoted as "Our leaders are but twisted serpents; they try to govern"... AA is at least as much into congregational autonomy as the Baptists. I felt right at home.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

[Haruo]

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

[Sandy]

[Tim Bonney]

[Haruo]

[Tim Bonney]

[Haruo]

[Dave Roberts]

My eye doctor told me I am presbyopic. Where do we fit that one in?

[William Thornton]

[Tim Bonney]

[KeithE]

[David Flick]

[Lamar Wadsworth]

Reference was made several posts back in this thread to Sovereign Grace churches. In my experience, the churches that self-identify with this term are not only strict Calvinists but Landmarkers with a strong emphasis on Baptist successionism (The Trail of Blood), the teaching that Baptists are the only true gospel churches in a line of unbroken succession from Jesus and the apostles.

[William Thornton]

Churches that are identified as Sovereign Grace churches are identified with the largest evangelical sex abuse case to date. ABP's story below.