If you look up Baptist on Wikipedia, the first sentence of the article reads: “A Baptist is a Christian who subscribes to a theology and may belong to a church that, among other things, is committed to believer's baptism (as opposed to infant baptism) and, with respect to church polity, favors the congregational model.” Though we might justifiably regard the information in an open-source encyclopedia as suspect, it is interesting to note what are widely recognized as two of our defining traits: believer’s baptism and congregational polity.

Most of us understand believer’s baptism: we don’t baptize someone until they have gotten saved. But what of congregational polity? In its simplest form, it means that a congregation governs itself. It stands in contrast to the two other forms of church government: Episcopal polity, under which churches are governed by a hierarchy of bishops, and Presbyterian polity, under which churches are governed by an assembly of congregational representatives.

Congregational polity is the practical extension of several truths. As born-again Christians, we are all indwelt by the Holy Spirit, having the same standing before God, the same access to His wisdom, and the same right and responsibility to govern ourselves according to our understanding of God’s Word and God’s Will. As members of the congregation, we have all made the same commitment to the church and its ministry.

The problem with Congregational polity isn’t that it is unbiblical—it’s not. The problem is that it can be difficult to maintain.

The New Testament is clear that God ordained Pastors, called bishops, overseers, and elders interchangeably, to lead individual churches (or individual groups within larger churches). Since Pastors are men, a hierarchy will naturally develop among them. As their groups within a larger church grow and become independent of one another, that hierarchy remains and the church’s government drifts from a Congregational polity to an Episcopal polity.

The New Testament is also clear that the Apostles commissioned men chosen by the congregation to meet an administrative need. The appointment of Deacons validated the recognition that some tasks require the appointment of men who can administrate. Since these administrators are men, they naturally desire to increase their influence. As their combined influence increases, so does their tendency to make decisions for the congregation and the church’s government drifts from a Congregational polity to a Presbyterian polity.

So, why do Baptists make such a fuss about church government? Because in both Episcopal and Presbyterian forms of church government, men usurp the authority given to the congregation by God. 1 Peter 5 makes it clear that Pastors are to lead their churches, governing them to a degree that does not compromise the congregation’s authority, thus lording over them. Acts makes it clear that Deacons, and other men appointed to specific tasks, are to serve their churches, working to a degree that does not compromise the congregation’s obligation or encourage the congregation’s submission.

Another Baptist trait is that we believe the Bible is the final authority for all matters of faith and practice. The Bible teaches and models Congregational church government, so we believe that it is the right form of church government even if it is a bit of a balancing act.

You attend a Baptist church. Do you know what a Baptist is? Do you know what Baptists believe? Or how Baptists differ from other denominations? We live in a day when denominational "tags" are being shed. Many people, not just Baptists, don’t know the basic beliefs that make their church distinct from others.

There are seven key beliefs that historically distinguish Baptist churches from others. No one belief is distinct by itself, many of them are held by most Christians. It is holding all seven beliefs together that distinguishes a Baptist from others. These seven beliefs are sometimes referred to as Baptist Distinctives and can be arranged to form an acrostic.

Bible is the final authority for faith and practice. We believe that that the Bible’s authority is final. Tradition and experience help guide our faith and our practice, but if there is disagreement the Bible wins.

Autonomy of the local church. We believe that each local church is self-governing. This accounts for much of the diversity among those who call themselves Baptist.

Priesthood of all believers. We believe that being a Christian is about entering into a relationship with God Himself. We need no priest to intercede for us since we can go directly to God for ourselves.