BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS for BAPTIST CHURCHES

A Contemporary Ecclesiology

JOHN S. HAMMETT

Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology

© 2005 by John S. Hammett

Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel, Inc., 2450 Oak Industrial Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews.

All Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hammett, John S.

Biblical foundations for Baptist churches: a contemporary ecclesiology / by John S. Hammett.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Church. 2. Baptists—Doctrines. I. Title.

BV601.H28 2005 262’.061—dc22 2005022167

ISBN 978-0-8254-2769-5

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

Introduction: Why This Book?

Part 1: What Is the Church?

Chapter 1: The Nature of the Church

Chapter 2: The Marks of the Church

Chapter 3: The Essence of the Church

Part 2: Who Is the Church?

Chapter 4: Regenerate Church Membership

Chapter 5: Where We Went Wrong and How We Can Get Right

Part 3: How Is the Church Governed?

Chapter 6: Baptist Church Polity

Chapter 7: Elders in Baptist Life

Chapter 8: The Office of Deacon

Part 4: What Does the Church Do?

Chapter 9: The Ministries of the Church

Chapter 10: More Than Simple Symbols

Part 5: Where Is the Church Going?

Chapter 11: In All Directions

Chapter 12: Into All the World

Conclusion: A Call for Faithful Churches

Scripture Index

Subject Index

Illustrations

1.1: How to Do Theology

1.1: Summary of Implications of the Church as the People of God

1.2: Summary of Implications of the Church as the Body of Christ

1.3: Summary of Implications of the Church as the Temple of the Spirit

4.1: Regenerate Church Membership as Central to Baptist Ecclesiology

5.1: How to Recover Regenerate Church Membership

5.2: J. Newton Brown’s Church Covenant

5.3: Saddleback Church Covenant

5.4: Capitol Hill Baptist Church Covenant

6.1: Episcopalian Church Government

6.2: Presbyterian Church Government

6.3: Congregational Church Government

9.1: The Ministries of the Church in Acts 2:42–47

9.2: The Life Development Process

9.3: An Overview of “The Life Development Institute”

11.1: Theology of Seeker Church Pastors

11.2: Key Characteristics of Modern and Postmodern Eras

Preface

This book has been brewing in my mind for close to twenty years. Along the way, many people have contributed to it in some way. Most important have been the ten churches on two continents and in five states that have been my spiritual homes and the living laboratories in which I have seen many of the principles of this book lived ...