This is not Baptist polity. Actions taken by a nationwide Baptist convention, for example, have no authority over Baptist state bodies, associations, or churches. Similarly, a church has no authority over an association or convention. Furthermore, associations and conventions, being autonomous, have the right to determine who will be included in their fellowship and to decide which other Baptist organizations they will relate to and which they will not. However, autonomy does not mean isolation of churches from one another or other parts of the denomination. Churches ought to recognize that they are part of the larger body of Christ and the worldwide family of Baptist Christians. Fellowship and cooperation are not the enemies of autonomy but rather should be its companions. Some Possible Threats to Baptist Autonomy Threats to Baptist autonomy exist today. They come both from outside local congregations and from within. Threats from outside a churchcome when some organization attempts to dictate to a church what to believe and/or how to conduct its ministry. Threats to Baptist church autonomy in the United States come more from within the Baptist denomination than from the government or other religious groups. Even when the basic concept of Baptist autonomy is understood, the application of autonomy in the complexity of Baptist organized life is not always clear. The temptation exists to compromise autonomy in favor of uniformity and control. An example sometimes cited is an effort by Baptist associations, state conventions, or national conventions to pressure churches to accept certain doctrinal statements by threatening to withdraw fellowship and/or financial support if they do not. A threat to autonomy from within a churchsurfaces when the members do not exercise biblical principles and give in to pressures from outside organizations. Church members ought to overcome any apathy, ignorance, or fear that would cause them to abandon the cherished biblical concept of autonomy. Some Difficulties Related to Baptist Autonomy Autonomy is not without its difficulties. For example, the denomination as a whole has no authority to either assist or reprimand a troubled church. Furthermore, the denomination has no authority either to discipline or protect persons employed by churches or other denominational entities since they are employed by autonomous Baptist organizations and not by the denomination. Another difficulty relates to carrying out the biblical mandate for missions, Christian education, and benevolence. Carried to an extreme, autonomy leads to isolationism that hinders a church from accomplishing all that it could do regarding these.
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