Baptist Foundations ─ Church Government for an Anti-Institutional Age

Ours is an anti-polity age, perhaps more than any other time in the history of the church. Yet polity remains as important now as it was in the New Testament.

What then is a right or biblical polity? The contributors to this volume make an exegetical and theological case for a Baptist polity. Right polity, they argue, is congregationalism, elder leadership, diaconal service, regenerate church membership, church discipline, and a Baptist approach to the ordinances.

Each section explores the pastoral applications of these arguments. How do congregationalism and elder leadership work together? When should a church practice church discipline? How can one church work with another in matters of membership and discipline?

To be read sequentially or used as a reference guide, Baptist Foundations provides a contemporary treatment of Baptist church government and structures, the first of its kind in decades.

Mark Dever is senior pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC; president of 9Marks; and adjunct professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Jonathan Leeman is editorial director at 9Marks, occasional lecturer at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.