Church of Christ and Baptist denominations differ in several ways, including teachings about whether baptism is necessary for salvation and how church leadership should be structured. When you’re looking for a new church home, understanding what makes a church’s denomination different from others can be vital to your selection process.
The Church of Christ: Baptism For Salvation
The Church of Christ teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation. This denomination does not practice infant baptism. They believe it’s important to wait for baptism until someone is old enough to believe in Jesus for salvation. However, among other key verses, they interpret Mark 16:15 to mean that belief and baptism are both essential elements in salvation, and if one is missing, a person is not saved.
Therefore, when someone in the Church of Christ professes belief in Jesus, they are baptized as quickly as possible, so that no accident can occur before salvation is complete. Rather than waiting for a baptism service, church members encourage new believers to undergo a simple baptism immediately after their decision to follow Jesus.
Baptist Churches: Baptism As a Sign
Baptist churches treat baptism as a visible, outward sign of an internal spiritual transformation. However, Baptists do not consider baptism to be a necessary ingredient in order for a person to be saved. Baptists view the decision to get baptized as a new believer’s first step in obedience to Christ after salvation.
A key passage supporting this view is the account of Jesus’ crucifixion, in which one of the thieves being crucified nearby professes belief in Jesus (Luke 23:33–43). Jesus tells the thief he will be with him in heaven, later that very day. This statement clearly indicates that the thief has been saved, and yet he did not have the opportunity to be baptized before death.
Baptist churches, like those that identify as Church of Christ, do not practice infant baptism. Generally, Baptists consider it important to wait for baptism until a person is spiritually mature enough to fully understand its implications and rich symbolism. For Baptists, baptism represents Jesus’ burial and resurrection, as the person is “buried” under the water and then “rises again” moments later.
Baptism By Immersion: a Point of Agreement
Baptists and members of the Church of Christ both agree that baptism should be done by full immersion into water, not by sprinkling water onto the recipient’s head. In Romans 6, Paul describes baptism as symbolic of burial, representing a believer’s decision to “die” to sin and live a new life in Christ. Additionally, in Acts, when Philip baptizes an Ethiopian eunuch, the eunuch spots a large amount of water and points out that it presents a good opportunity for baptism. Then, he goes down into the water and comes back out. This serves as a model for church baptisms; the account raises the question of why Philip chose to fully immerse the eunuch if sprinkling would have been enough.
Church of Christ: Elders as Core Leadership
The Church of Christ believes that a group of elders should lead and make decisions for a local church body. Sometimes an elder will preach sermons to the congregation, but the Church of Christ avoids appointing a single pastor as a church leader.
Baptist Churches: Pastor as Local Shepherd
Baptist church structure often includes a body of multiple leaders and decision makers, such as elders and deacons. It may also include more than one pastor whose focus is on teaching, serving, and guiding the congregation. Depending on church size and needs, there may only be one pastor. However, Baptists do not view the pastor as a ruler over the congregation, but as a servant to the congregation. His role is often compared to that of a shepherd, guiding church members through teaching and counseling and serving their needs. The role of shepherd has historically been humble and self-sacrificial, and shepherds are devoted to the well-being of their flocks rather than to wealth, fame, or prestige. Baptists find these parallels to be an excellent model of a godly pastor’s role and attitude.
Church of Christ: Avoids Musical Instruments in Church Services
The Church of Christ teaches that using musical instruments such as pianos, flutes, violins, drums, guitars, or organs during worship services is wrong. They believe that singing is the only acceptable way to praise God collectively during church services. Church of Christ services do feature group singing, but avoid any musical accompaniment. Church of Christ members often express concern that instrumental music during a church service will become a performance and distract from group singing.
Baptist Churches: Incorporate Both Instrumental Music and Singing
Baptist services tend to feature a variety of musical styles, including singing with and without instrumental accompaniment. A Baptist service may also feature solo or group performances that don’t involve the entire congregation, like choral singing, solo singing, instrumental ensembles, or organ or piano interludes. Baptists model their approach to church music on David’s Psalms, in which David describes praising the Lord with a variety of instrument types. Baptists follow this biblical model while taking care to ensure worship music is reverent and not performative.
Church of Christ: Lord’s Supper Every Week
The Church of Christ points out that believers in Acts “broke bread” together on the first day of every week. They interpret this to mean that every Sunday worship service should include a time for the Lord’s Supper, where some form of bread and wine/grape juice is served.
Baptist Churches: Lord’s Supper at Intervals
Baptists view the Lord’s Supper as deeply symbolic of Christ’s broken body and shed blood, and they treat the Lord’s Supper as a time for reflection, prayer, meditation and gratitude. Baptists may celebrate the Lord’s Supper weekly, or they may hold it at less frequent intervals. Baptists tend to emphasize keeping the time set apart from the ordinary so that it does not become overly familiar or routine.
Conclusion: Which Church Should I Attend?
A church’s teaching on salvation is perhaps the most crucial to consider. Romans 10:9 clearly teaches that confession and belief are all that’s necessary for salvation. When additional requirements are added, such as baptism, it’s probable that “another gospel” is being preached, as Paul warns against in Galatians 1:8. We invite you to check out our “About Us” page to see what we believe. You can also reach out to us directly with any questions using the information on our “Contact” page.
