One of the key distinctives of Baptist life is the doctrine of the autonomy of the local church. In a nutshell, this means that there is no hierarchy over local Baptist churches that is outside of that church’s governance model. There are no Baptist bishops, presbyteries, archbishops, or popes. Local churches operate independently under the headship of Christ and the governance of the local congregation and church officers (elders and deacons). This is a model that I believe to be […]