What It Means to Be a Confessional Baptist Church

In a time when churches often define themselves by style, programs, or leadership personalities, the term confessional Baptist may seem unfamiliar to some. Yet, it is an identity rooted in deep theological conviction, historical continuity, and biblical fidelity.

But what does it mean to be a confessional Baptist church?

Rooted in Historic Confession

At its core, being a confessional Baptist church means that we do not simply affirm the Bible in a vague or generic way—we express our understanding of Scripture through a historic confession of faith.

For most confessional Baptist churches, this means holding to the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. This document, shaped by the Reformed tradition, carefully articulates biblical doctrines concerning God, salvation, the church, and Christian living.

By embracing a confession, we stand in continuity with faithful believers who have gone before us, recognizing that we are not the first to wrestle with theological questions. Rather than treating theology as a blank slate in every generation, we humbly receive the wisdom of those who have studied and systematized biblical truth before us.

Committed to Sound Doctrine

A confessional church does not simply say it believes the Bible—it defines how it understands the Bible.

While Scripture alone is our final and infallible authority, a confession functions as a faithful summary of biblical teaching. It serves as a safeguard against doctrinal drift and a means of ensuring that our preaching, teaching, and leadership remain biblically grounded.

This does not mean that a confessional church places the confession above Scripture. Rather, it recognizes that the confession is a time-tested expression of what the church has understood Scripture to teach. Being confessional means that both pastors and members can have confidence in the theological stability of the church.

This is crucial in an age of doctrinal fluidity. The 1689 Confession provides a clear and comprehensive framework for theology, ensuring that our teaching is consistent and aligned with Scripture.

Key doctrines that shape a confessional Baptist church include:

• The Sovereignty of God in Salvation – We affirm that salvation is entirely by grace, through faith in Christ alone, according to God’s purposes (Eph. 1:4-5; Rom. 9:16).
• Covenant Theology – We understand the unity of Scripture through the lens of God’s covenantal dealings with humanity, culminating in the New Covenant in Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20; Heb. 8).
• Law/Gospel Distinction – We recognize the distinction between the Law and the Gospel: the Law commands and condemns sinners, while the Gospel announces Christ’s fulfillment of the Law on our behalf (Rom. 3:20-22; Gal. 3:10-14). This distinction is essential for rightly understanding Scripture, preserving the purity of the Gospel, and avoiding both legalism and antinomianism.
• Redemptive/Historical or Christocentric Hermeneutic – We interpret Scripture with a Christ-centered, redemptive-historical approach, seeing the unfolding plan of redemption throughout both Old and New Testaments, with Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promises (Luke 24:27; John 5:39; 2 Cor. 1:20).
• The Two Kingdoms Principle – We affirm that Christ rules over all things but that He governs the church and the civil realm in distinct ways. The church is the spiritual kingdom of Christ, where His Word and sacraments are central, while the civil realm is ordained by God for common grace and justice (John 18:36; Rom. 13:1-7).
• The Centrality of the Local Church – We believe Christ has established the church as the means through which believers are discipled, the gospel is proclaimed, and worship is rightly ordered (Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Tim. 3:15).
• Baptism and the Lord’s Supper – As Baptists, we believe in the baptism of professing believers by immersion as a sign of their union with Christ, and we hold to a meaningful, Christ-centered observance of the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
• Ordinary Means of Grace – A confessional Baptist church is committed to the ordinary means of grace—the preaching of the Word and the sacraments as the primary way God grows His people. In contrast to the entertainment-driven or pragmatic approaches that dominate many churches today, we believe that the Spirit works most powerfully through the ordinary, yet supernatural, means God has ordained (Acts 2:42; Rom. 10:17).

The Authority of the Confession

While Scripture alone is our final and infallible authority, a confession functions as a secondary authority.

This does not mean that a confessional church places the confession above Scripture. Rather, it recognizes that the confession is a time-tested expression of what the church has understood Scripture to teach.

The confession does have real authority inasmuch as we willingly submit to it. Just as church members submit to the leadership of elders, not because elders have inherent power but because they serve under Christ’s authority (Heb. 13:17), so too does a church submit to its confession as a it serves the authority of scripture.

True confessionalism is not just about having a statement of faith—it is about actively submitting to its teaching as a guide for faith and practice.

A Distinct Identity

In an age of theological ambiguity, being a confessional Baptist church is, in a real way, countercultural. It keeps us standing firm in historic Christianity rather than being swept away by modern trends. It keeps us trusting that God’s Word and His church are sufficient to sustain His people.

Soli Deo Gloria.