Throughout Church History, 5 major Distinctives set apart various groups of believers from all other churches and religions. Today these Distinctives are peculiarly Baptist. Some non-denominational churches hold these Distinctives and thus they are Baptist in their doctrine though not in their name. We are not ashamed of these Distinctives, so we are a Baptist church and want those who "check us out" to know that we hold these Distinctives. In addition to the 5 major Distinctives, we will list 2 more that identify us as a Bible believing Baptist Church.

1. The Autonomy of the Local Church

The local church is an independent organization of believers who are accountable directly to the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the body of Christ, the living organism that is his Church (Col. 1:18). Thus, he is the head of the local church (1 Pet. 5:4; 2:25). He has appointed two offices for his churches. The first office is pastor, also known as bishop or elder (Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:1; 1 Pet. 5:1-3). The second office is deacon (1 Tim. 3:8). Consequently, the local church should not be under the authority of a convention, conference, synod, presbytery, pope, or such (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5:12; 6:4-5).

2. The Separation of Church and State

The church and state are two separate authorities ordained by God. One is not authorized by God to control the other (Acts 18:12-17; 1 Cor. 6:6-7; Acts 4:13-20; Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 12:1-4, 23; Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:17).

3. No Baptismal Regeneration

Salvation is by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary (Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; Rom. 10:9-10). Salvation is not by water baptism (Acts 2:38 contrasted with Acts 10:43-48 and Acts 8:36-38). Hence, infant baptism is rejected. Babies do not need to be baptized in order to wash away original sin, to be elected, or to be safe (Lk. 18:15-16; Rom. 4:15; 5:13; Deut. 1:39).

4. A Regenerated Membership

Only saved, born-again believers are received into the membership of the local church. They may become members after they have been baptized by immersion in water (Acts 2:41-47). That’s because immersion is the only form of baptism that pictures the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 6:3-5; Acts 8:38-39). As a result, sprinkling and pouring are rejected and baptism before salvation is rejected.

5. The Priesthood of the Believer

Every believer is a priest and need not approach God through any other mediator than the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 5:10). As priests, believers have the responsibility to live a separated life unto God (2 Cor. 6:14-18; 1 Thes. 1:9; Acts 26:18).

6. Eternal Security of the Believer

Once a person has been born again, he is secure in Christ and cannot lose his salvation (Jn. 5:24; 6:37; Rom. 8:38-39; Eph 1:13; 4:30; 1 Jn. 5:13; etc.).

7. The King James Bible as the Final Authority

A believer is to believe the Bible and be under its authority (Matt 22:29; Acts 17:11; Mk. 4:24; Matt. 4:4; Rev. 22:18-19; Jas. 1:22; Ecc. 8:4; Rom. 10:17; Heb. 11:6). There is a major difference between believing a doctrine and then going to the Bible to prove that doctrine true, and believing the Bible and judging everything by it. A believer is to believe the Bible regardless whether it contradicts his doctrine or way of life.