The biblical teachingsabout the priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6; 5:10), soul competency (Joshua 24:15; John 3:16; Acts 5:17-42), and local church autonomy (Acts 6:1-6; 13:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:1-8) undergird the Baptist conviction that each church under the Lordship of Christ ought to be free to determine the place, elements, and leaders for worship. Religious freedom(Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29; Galatians 5:1) shines brightly in the Baptist concept of worship. In order to be genuine, worship must be free, never coerced. Churches ought to be free to decide the content of a worship service. Because of Baptists’ deep commitment to the leadership of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:18), such freedom ought not to result in confusion, but rather things should be done “in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14:40 NIV). Church Officers Hershel Hobbs, a respected pastor/theologian, wrote inThe Baptist Faith and Message, “The officers in a local New Testament church are pastors and deacons (Phil. 1:1).”In reference to pastors, Hobbs added, “The same office is variously called bishop, elder, or pastor.” In the Greek language, the language in which the New Testament was originally written, these three words indicate different functions and not different persons (Acts 20:17-28; Titus 1:7-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5). Baptist churches have used various titles for persons in pastoral leadership. At one time “elder” was commonly used and today it is usually “pastor.” Baptists believe in congregational church governance and the autonomy of churches. Therefore, pastors are not appointed by some entity outside of the local congregation. Each congregation is responsible for the selection of its pastor and deacons. While seeking to follow biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) Baptist churches differ in certain requirements that they have for a pastor; for example, some require a seminary degree while others have no educational requirement. Governance is in the hands of the church as a whole, not the pastor or deacons. A pastor, according to the Bible, is to exercise strong leadership, not dictatorship (1 Peter 5:1-5). The Bible teaches that all persons who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are priests with direct access to God (1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6; 5:10). Therefore, there is no need for a special priestly class (Hebrews 8–10). Thus, Baptists do not use the term “priest” when referring to the pastor nor consider the pastor as functioning in a priestly fashion, such as mediating between them andGod. Baptists believe that the biblical concepts of the priesthood of all believers and of soul competency do not underminethe important role of the pastor. While all “believer priests” are equal, some are called by God and selected by the church members to be “pastor leaders.” Believers are “…speaking the truth in love, into him who is the Head, th whole body, joined and held t ligament, grows and builds it does its work.”Eph
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