Most folks are swayed into Presbyterianism by the unity of the covenant argument (which IS a good argument).
If I ever become a Presbyterian, it will be over this issue: Connectionalism.
In many calvy baptist churches there is such a stress on the local church, that ministries that cross paths with other churches are sometimes frowned upon.
Here is a list of some of my recent activities which some say would put me at odds with a baptistic ecclesiology:
--I am working overseas doing missions work with a solid national denomination, and this has disturbed a few of my baptist friends because I am, by virtue of planting churches and mentoring local evangelists in the territory of the X denomination I am thereby forsaking my principle of independancy (because I am blessing this denomination).
--I am all for a cooperation in efforts such as evangelism and publishing, and I have contributed data to the Joshua Project, an evangelical group that gathers data on the world's unreached people.
--I preach for whoever will have me and have preached for charismatics and "Full Gospel" folks and am always looking for entires into these groups to help teach them.
--I am doing missions with a missionary organization and therefore, I am not sent out directly by a local church without any outside help. I am sent out by my local church, but I am sent through an organization so that visa, paperwork, taxes, insurance can be processed, things impossible to do at the local church level. My organization speaks of my home church sending me out and asserts that they only help the local church send out the missionary, but this assistance is still too much for a few cavly baptist men and they keep reminding me that the local church has everything needed in it already to do missions and needs no experts.
Can one belive in independancy and still be very cooperative and "connectional?
I see the Church Universal as a global body and yet many calvy baptists seem infected with the taint of Landmarkism and exclusively see church as a local body. You can't join an invisible church, so they say.
Do ALL ministries have to be directly answerable to one local church? Do all missions efforts have to produce a local, independant church to be valid? Is their a place fo parachuches and missionary soceities in broader works of evangelism and publishing? Am I inconsistent to be an independant baptist and see strive for connectionalism?
See also this thread: http://www.puritanboard.com/f71/can-missionary-work-national-denominations-while-field-49552/
If I ever become a Presbyterian, it will be over this issue: Connectionalism.
In many calvy baptist churches there is such a stress on the local church, that ministries that cross paths with other churches are sometimes frowned upon.
Here is a list of some of my recent activities which some say would put me at odds with a baptistic ecclesiology:
--I am working overseas doing missions work with a solid national denomination, and this has disturbed a few of my baptist friends because I am, by virtue of planting churches and mentoring local evangelists in the territory of the X denomination I am thereby forsaking my principle of independancy (because I am blessing this denomination).
--I am all for a cooperation in efforts such as evangelism and publishing, and I have contributed data to the Joshua Project, an evangelical group that gathers data on the world's unreached people.
--I preach for whoever will have me and have preached for charismatics and "Full Gospel" folks and am always looking for entires into these groups to help teach them.
--I am doing missions with a missionary organization and therefore, I am not sent out directly by a local church without any outside help. I am sent out by my local church, but I am sent through an organization so that visa, paperwork, taxes, insurance can be processed, things impossible to do at the local church level. My organization speaks of my home church sending me out and asserts that they only help the local church send out the missionary, but this assistance is still too much for a few cavly baptist men and they keep reminding me that the local church has everything needed in it already to do missions and needs no experts.
Can one belive in independancy and still be very cooperative and "connectional?
I see the Church Universal as a global body and yet many calvy baptists seem infected with the taint of Landmarkism and exclusively see church as a local body. You can't join an invisible church, so they say.
Do ALL ministries have to be directly answerable to one local church? Do all missions efforts have to produce a local, independant church to be valid? Is their a place fo parachuches and missionary soceities in broader works of evangelism and publishing? Am I inconsistent to be an independant baptist and see strive for connectionalism?
See also this thread: http://www.puritanboard.com/f71/can-missionary-work-national-denominations-while-field-49552/
There are Reformed Baptists who believe in the propriety of associations of local churches which are in essence a form of connectionalism albeit a less structured one. There is a small book written by various Reformed Baptist pastors which discusses this issue. I haven't had the time to read it however. The name of the book is Denominations or Associations? Essays on Reformed Baptist Associations.
