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Every Bible-Believing Baptist Should Belong To
An Independent Baptist Church
by Norman H. Wells
What is wrong with an organized Convention,
Association or Fellowship of churches? Such an
organization is unscriptural! The only organization
established and commissioned in the New Testament is
the local church. There is not one mention nor hint
of any other organization. If God had intended for
churches to organize themselves into bigger
organizations surely He would have given some
indication of this in the New Testament.
Search the Bible! A Baptist is supposed to believe
and abide by a "thus saith the Lord." By what
authority are Conventions, Associations, Fellowships,
etc. organized? One thing is sure
1. Organizations such as conventions, associations,
fellowships, etc. rob God of His glory.
Man has never been satisfied with God's way. Man has
never been satisfied with God's way of salvation
because it emphasizes man's helplessness and God's
greatness. Man seeks to change God's way of salvation
so that it will glorify man. This kind of effort robs
God of His glory.
Man has never been satisfied with God's church and
has tried to build something bigger that would
glorify man.
The Scripture says, "Unto him be glory in the church
by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without
end. Amen" (Eph. 3:21). This is the way that God has
chosen to be glorified. No other organization can
assume this responsibility. If other organizations
are built to carry on the work of the Lord then God
is robbed of His glory.
Man-made organizations glorify man. Take any
organization of Baptist churches you please and give
them an honest look. It will be seen that this
statement is true.
2. Man-made organizations produce compromise.
Compromise! This is one of the great evils of
man-made organizations of Baptist churches. In order
to keep unity in the organization each church has to
practice compromise! Churches within the organization
that drift away from distinctive Baptist doctrines
cannot be censored. Pastors cannot raise their voice
in protest to laxity in Baptist principles and
doctrines. Nothing must be done to bring any
disruption to the organization. Finally . . .
anything goes! Everything is tolerated for the sake
of the organization. Sound Baptist churches find
themselves identified with the worldliness,
modernism, false doctrine, etc., that exists in other
churches and helpless to do anything about it!
3. These groups strive to produce greater loyalty to
the organization than to the local church.
A pastor that would challenge the organization can be
belittled before his own people!! The organization is
held up as the only hope of the world. The church is
just a minor part. People are indoctrinated to
believe that they have a greater responsibility to
the organization than to the church Organizational
schools, youth camps, etc. are used to instill into
the young a greater loyalty to the organization than
to the church.
4. These organizations take the God-given
responsibilities from the church and place them in
man-made organizations. The organization controls the
indoctrinating of the young people. The organization
controls the world-wide missionary responsibility.
This responsibility is taken from the church and
placed in the mission board of the organization. The
ownership of schools, mission stations, papers, homes
for aged, orphanages, etc. is placed in the
organization. The church, instead of being the
sovereign, democratic, body that God intended,
becomes merely one little voice in a bigger
organization that God never authorized.
5. These organizations have always failed!
The pages of religious history are littered with the
wreckage of these man-made organizations. Every one
of them follow the same path that step by step leads
them to compromise. The amount of organization needed
always increases. The bigger the organization the
less important the churches. The end result is always
the same, compromise, apostasy, formality, and
finally oblivion! These organizations always fail . .
. only the churches live on! The promise of God is in
the church.
6. Christians and churches learn to rely upon the
organization rather than upon God.
Actually, although surely not deliberately, the
Christian and the Church are taught to put their
trust in the organization rather than God. This is
not too difficult to do because to be a part of any
such organization is to say that the way God has set
down is not to be trusted.
Generally, to be identified with one of these groups
of organized Baptists leads to being identified with
even larger groups; sometimes these are not even
Baptist. The average layman is not kept informed
as to the intricate movements and finances of the
organizational machinery. Sometimes they are kept
unaware that they are part of such an unscriptural,
man-made group!
7. These organizations will eventually stereotype
their preachers and rob them of their individuality
and initiative.
One of the greatest evils of these organizations is
the idea that the end justifies the means. Invariably
they will point at their numbers and finances as
justification for the unscriptural, man-made
machinery.
Great crowds and large numbers can indicate a number
of things. They could indicate a lack of preaching on
sin, judgment and hell. They could indicate a lack of
preaching on separation for Christians. They could
indicate a substitution of some kind of easy decision
for genuine repentance and faith. They could indicate
a compromising position on great Bible truths.
They could indicate that the church has a good
program of entertainment that is attracting the
carnal and lost. Numbers can be an indication of
success . . . but not always!
An independent Baptist Church believes that the only
organization given in the New Testament is the local
church. They believe that God has given the church as
the means of accomplishing His purpose in this age.
An independent Baptist Church, therefore, does not
affiliate or identify themselves with any organized
Convention, Association or Fellowship.
An independent Baptist Church sends forth its
missionaries by the authority of the church and not
through an unscriptural Mission Board. These
missionaries are supported directly by the churches.
An independent Baptist Church cooperates with other
Baptist Churches in missions, schools, etc. but does
so on a voluntary basis and without any unscriptural
organization binding the churches together.
An independent Baptist Church refuses to compromise
the historical Baptist doctrines for the sake of
popular appeal.
An independent Baptist Church has to rely upon God
and give Him all the glory.
True Baptists love the church that Jesus loved and
will not have this love and loyalty switched to some
man-made organization.
An independent Baptist Church is not dictated to nor
influenced by any head or headquarters except Jesus
Christ.
Why is it important that every Bible-believing
Baptist join an independent Baptist Church?
This would bring revival! It would be a return to
God! It would bring honor and glory to the name of
our God! It would be a return to God's Word and God's
Way!
We will be yielding ourselves to God . . . following
His message and His method.
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