Church of Christ vs. Baptist Beliefs

A Journey of the Heart: Understanding the Differences Between the Church of Christ and Baptist Beliefs

In the quiet moments of our faith, we often find ourselves asking questions. Perhaps you have a dear a neighbor, or a beloved family member who worships differently than you do. Maybe you are on a personal journey, seeking a church home that feels true to your heart and your understanding of God’s Word. Whatever has brought you here, know that your questions come from a place of love and sincerity. This desire to understand is a beautiful and vital part of our walk with Christ.

When we explore the beliefs of the Church of Christ and Baptist churches, we are not looking at two different religions. Instead, we are looking at two streams of faith that flow from the same river, both seeking to honor the same Lord. Before we walk through their differences, it is essential to stand on the vast common ground they share. Both traditions are built upon a bedrock of shared convictions: a belief in one God who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the full divinity of Jesus Christ; His sacrificial death for our sins and His glorious, bodily resurrection; and a deep, unwavering commitment to the Bible as the inspired and authoritative Word of God.¹ Both are passionately known as “people of the Book,” a point of powerful and powerful unity.⁴

To truly understand the distinctions that follow, we must first grasp a simple but foundational truth about their origins. The Church of Christ was born from a passionate desire to restore the original, unified church of the New Testament, wiping the slate clean of all human traditions. The Baptist church was born from the Protestant Réforme and a courageous fight for religious freedom and the authority of the individual soul before God. This difference in their spiritual DNA—one of restoration, the other of reformation—is the gentle key that unlocks nearly all the other doors of understanding.⁵

What Are the Historical Roots That Shape Their Beliefs?

To understand why these two groups of believers practice their faith differently today, we must travel back in time and walk the paths their spiritual ancestors trod. Their histories are not just facts in a book; they are the living soil from which their deepest convictions grow.

The Church of Christ: A Plea for Restoration

Imagine the American frontier in the early 1800s. It was a time of great spiritual energy, known as the Second Great Awakening, but it was also a time of heartbreaking division.⁷ The landscape was dotted with churches bearing different names—Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist—each with its own set of rules and creeds, often unable to share fellowship with one another. In this fractured world, leaders like Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell felt a deep ache in their souls. They believed that the denominationalism of their day was a wound in the body of Christ, a human-made system contrary to Jesus’ prayer for unity.⁵

Their solution was not to reform any one denomination, but to call for a radical restauration. Their plea was simple and powerful: let us shed all the man-made creeds, all the councils, and all the denominational names that divide us, and simply be “Christians”.¹⁰ Let us go back to the Bible, and the Bible alone, and restore the pure, simple church we read about in the New Testament.⁵ They believed that the New Testament provided a perfect “blueprint” for the and their goal was to follow it precisely, believing this was the only path back to true Christian unity.¹⁰ This deep desire to restore the “ancient order of things” is the very heart of the Church of Christ movement and explains their intense focus on following only what they see explicitly authorized in the New Testament.⁷

The Baptist Church: A Fight for Reformation and Freedom

The Baptist story begins over a century earlier, across the ocean in 17th-century England.⁶ It grew out of the English Separatist movement, a group of brave men and women who believed the state-run Church of England had become corrupted and was beyond reform.¹³ Leaders like John Smyth and Thomas Helwys argued that a true church could not be composed of every citizen in a parish; it must be a voluntary gathering, a covenant community of believers who had personally professed faith in Christ and been baptized.¹³

This belief was revolutionary, and it was met with fierce persecution. Baptists were imprisoned and harassed for their conviction that the government had no authority over a person’s conscience.¹⁵ This history forged in them a passionate, unshakeable commitment to two principles that define them to this day: religious liberty for all et la separation of church and state.¹³ The story of Roger Williams, banished from the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony for his “dangerous” ideas about freedom of conscience, only to found the colony of Rhode Island as a safe haven for all faiths, is a defining moment in the Baptist spirit.¹³ This heritage is the direct source of their cherished beliefs in soul competency—the conviction that every individual is accountable to God alone—and the autonomy of the local church, free from the control of any bishop, council, or government.⁴

How Do They View the Bible’s Authority in a Christian’s Life?

Here we find a beautiful and powerful point of unity. Both the Church of Christ and Baptist churches hold the Holy Bible as the supreme, inspired, and infallible Word of God.² It is their sole authority for what to believe and how to live. Both are truly “people of the Book”.³ But their different histories have led them to apply that authority in slightly different ways, particularly when the Bible is silent on a matter.

The Church of Christ: The Principle of Prohibitive Silence

Flowing from their desire to restore the New Testament church exactly as it was, the Church of Christ operates on a principle often summarized as: “Speak where the Bible speaks, and remain silent where the Bible is silent”.¹² This is sometimes called the regulative principle of worship. To establish authority for any practice, they look for a direct command, an approved apostolic example, or a conclusion that is a necessary inference from the text.¹⁰

This approach leads to a powerful conclusion: if the New Testament, their divine blueprint, does not explicitly authorize a practice for worship—such as the use of musical instruments—then that practice is considered a human invention and is therefore prohibited.¹⁹ For them, biblical silence is prohibitive. To add something that is not in the blueprint is to risk corrupting the pure pattern God has given. This is the theological foundation for why they worship with voices alone.

The Baptist Church: The Principle of Permissive Silence

Baptists are just as committed to biblical authority. For example, they reject infant baptism precisely because, as they read the Scriptures, it is neither commanded nor exemplified.¹⁷ But they generally approach biblical silence differently. For many Baptists, if a practice is not explicitly forbidden and does not violate any broader biblical principles, it is permissible.

They see the joyful use of instruments to praise God throughout the Psalms and, finding no prohibition against it in the New Testament, feel the freedom to incorporate them into their worship.²¹ They believe that as long as the worship is reverent and glorifies God, such matters can be decided by the local congregation’s conscience and wisdom. For them, biblical silence is often permissive. This difference in interpreting biblical silence, born from their differing historical missions of restoration versus reformation, is a key reason for their different worship expressions.

Creeds and Confessions: A Surprising Twist

This difference in approach also reveals itself in their views on creeds. The Church of Christ, born from a desire to escape man-made divisions, famously declares, “No creed but Christ”.¹² They reject all written creeds and statements of faith as unscriptural and divisive.²³ Their goal was to unite all believers on the simple foundation of the Bible alone.

But this noble goal has had an unintended consequence. Their strict insistence on a specific set of practices—such as a cappella worship, weekly communion, and a particular “plan of salvation”—has become, in effect, a very precise, though unwritten, creed. Adherence to these practices is necessary for fellowship, and disagreement has led to painful divisions, such as the schism with the Christian Churches over the use of musical instruments.⁵

In contrast, while many Baptist churches use written “confessions of faith,” like the Baptist Faith and Message, they are careful to state that these documents are only guides.² They hold no inherent authority. The final authority is always Scripture itself, and the conscience of the individual believer and the local church must remain free to follow the Bible as they understand it.¹⁸ This approach, born from their historic fight for liberty, paradoxically allows for more diversity of opinion within their fellowship than the anti-creedal stance often allows within the Church of Christ.

What Is the Meaning and Purpose of Baptism?

There is perhaps no topic that more clearly highlights the differences between these two traditions than the ordinance of baptism. Yet, even here, it is vital to begin with their major points of agreement. Both groups passionately affirm that baptism is for believers only, rejecting the practice of infant baptism.⁴ Both agree that the biblical mode of baptism is full immersion in water, a powerful picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.¹⁷ But from this shared starting point, they walk two distinct paths regarding its purpose and timing.

The Church of Christ: An Essential Act of Obedient Faith

For members of the Church of Christ, baptism is understood as an integral and essential part of God’s plan for salvation. It is not seen as a “work” that earns salvation, but as the God-ordained moment of obedient faith where a person contacts the blood of Christ and receives the forgiveness of sins.¹⁰ It is the culminating act of conversion, the point at which a person is saved, added to the and placed “in Christ”.²⁶

They find the foundation for this belief in key scriptures. When Jesus gives the Great Commission in Mark 16:16, He says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” On the day of Pentecost, when the crowds asked Peter what they must do, he replied, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).¹² For them, these passages clearly link baptism with salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

This belief is deeply and sincerely held. For many, like Jimmy Short, who shared his story of converting from a Baptist becoming convinced of this view of baptism was the turning point in his spiritual journey. After studying the conversion accounts in the book of Acts, he concluded that baptism was a necessary step of obedience for salvation.²⁷

The Baptist Church: A Symbolic Act of Public Obedience

For Baptists, the core of the gospel is salvation by God’s grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ seul (sola fide).¹⁷ They believe that a person is fully and completely saved at the moment they place their trust in Christ. Baptism, therefore, is not a condition for salvation but the beautiful first step of obedience après salut.21

It is a powerful and public outward symbol of a powerful inward reality that has already occurred.⁴ By being immersed in water, the new believer publicly identifies with their Savior, beautifully portraying their death to their old life of sin and their resurrection to a new life in Christ.²⁵

This conviction is also held with deep sincerity. One former member of the Church of Christ shared a powerful testimony of how reading the book of Romans changed his life. He became convinced that the Bible teaches that righteousness is a free gift from God “through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe,” apart from any work or act, including baptism. This understanding led him to leave the Church of Christ and join a Baptist fellowship, finding peace in the doctrine of salvation by faith alone.³⁰

How Is a Person Saved, and Can That Salvation Be Lost?

We now arrive at a topic that touches the deepest parts of a believer’s heart: how are we saved, and are we secure in that salvation? These are not merely abstract theological questions. The answers shape how we relate to God each day, how we view our struggles with sin, and whether we live with a spirit of peaceful assurance or anxious striving.

The Church of Christ: A Plan to Obey, A Salvation to Maintain

In the Church of Christ, the path to salvation is often presented as a clear, rational, and biblical plan that a person must obey. This plan, drawn from various examples in the book of Acts, typically involves five steps: one must Hear the gospel, Believe in Jesus Christ, Repent of their sins, Confess their faith in Jesus as the Son of God, and be Baptized for the remission of sins.¹⁰ This is seen as a person’s obedient response to God’s gracious offer of salvation.

Following this initial conversion, “living faithfully” is considered an ongoing requirement.¹⁰ This leads to a major belief that distinguishes them from most Baptists: the teaching that a person who is truly a Christian can, through persistent and unrepentant sin, commit apostasy and “fall from grace,” thereby losing their salvation.²⁴ This belief system naturally places a strong emphasis on a believer’s continued obedience to maintain their right standing with God. For some, this provides a powerful motivation for holy living. For others, as personal stories reveal, it can lead to a deep-seated fear and anxiety. One person who left the tradition shared, “I still have to remind myself not to think I’m going to lose my salvation if I don’t repent right away”.³¹

The Baptist Church: A Gift to Receive, An Assurance to Rest In

The Baptist understanding of salvation begins and ends with the concept of grace. Salvation is not a plan to be followed but a free gift to be received.²⁸ Based on the cornerstone Reformation principle of sola fide (faith alone), Baptists believe that a person is justified—declared righteous before God—at the very moment they place their faith in Jesus Christ.¹⁷

This leads directly to the cherished Baptist doctrine of sécurité éternelle, often summarized in the phrase “once saved, always saved”.³² The logic is simple and powerful: if salvation is a work of God from beginning to end, then it is perfect and secure. It depends on God’s power to keep, not on a person’s ability to hold on.³³ They point to the powerful promises of Jesus, such as John 10:28-29, where He declares of His sheep, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” They rest in the assurance of Romans 8:38-39, that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.³²

This belief is not seen as a “license to sin.” Rather, Baptists teach that a person who is genuinely saved is made a “new creation” by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17).³⁴ Although they will still struggle with sin, their life will inevitably begin to produce the fruit of righteousness, not as a means of staying saved, but as the natural evidence of a heart that has been truly transformed by God’s grace.²⁸

What Is Worship Like, and Why Is Music So Different?

When a visitor steps into a Church of Christ and then a Baptist the most immediate and noticeable difference is often the sound of the worship. One is filled with the unaccompanied harmony of human voices, the other with a blend of voices and instruments. These are not arbitrary preferences but two distinct, heartfelt expressions of praise, each rooted in a sincere desire to worship God in a way they believe is pleasing to Him.

The Church of Christ: The Purity of the Human Voice

La pratique de a cappella (unaccompanied) singing in the Church of Christ is one of their most well-known distinctives. This is not simply a tradition, but a conviction based on their core principle of restoring the New Testament church.¹⁰ Their reasoning is twofold.

And most importantly, is the argument from biblical authority. When they look to the New Testament for instructions on worship, they find commands to “sing” (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) but find no command, example, or authorization for the use of mechanical instruments of music.²⁰ Because their guiding principle is that biblical silence is prohibitive, they believe that adding instruments is to go beyond what is written and introduce a human element into God-ordained worship.¹⁹

They point to church history. Numerous scholars and early church fathers confirm that for the first several centuries of Christianity, worship was exclusively vocal.¹⁹ They see the introduction of the organ into the church around the 7th century as an innovation of what they would term the “Apostate Church,” an innovation that many of the great Protestant Reformers—including Calvin, Knox, and Spurgeon—also rejected.¹⁹

For members, this is not about a lack of music, but about a unique and powerful form of worship. It fosters full participation, as every person’s voice is the instrument. One minister, who moved from an instrumental tradition to a Church of Christ, found it refreshingly less performative and more engaging, allowing the congregation to unite their hearts and voices in a direct and simple offering of praise to God.³⁶

The Baptist Church: The Fullness of Joyful Sound

Worship in a Baptist church can vary greatly, from the traditional hymns accompanied by a piano and organ to a contemporary praise band with guitars and drums.²¹ This diversity flows from their principle of local church autonomy and their approach to biblical silence as permissive.

Their biblical rationale embraces the whole counsel of Scripture. Although they honor the New Testament commands to sing, they also look to the rich tradition of the Psalms, where King David calls on the people of God to praise the Lord with the lyre and harp, with trumpet and tambourine, with strings and pipe (Psalm 150).²¹ They do not see the New Testament as prohibiting this joyful expression of worship, and so they feel the freedom to use instruments to enhance their praise, so long as it is done with reverence and for the glory of God.²¹ Their focus is on the heart of the worshiper and the truth of the lyrics, with the instruments serving to help lift their voices and spirits to God.

How Do They Share the Lord’s Supper?

At the heart of Christian worship is the sacred meal that Jesus shared with His disciples on the night He was betrayed. Both the Church of Christ and Baptist churches treasure this observance, seeing it as a powerful act of remembrance and proclamation of the Lord’s sacrificial death.²¹ Both use bread and the fruit of the vine as symbols of Christ’s broken body and shed blood.³⁹ Yet, consistent with their different approaches to restoring the “New Testament pattern,” they differ in the frequency of this observance.

The Church of Christ: A Weekly Pillar of Worship

For the Church of Christ, observing the Lord’s Supper is a central and non-negotiable act of worship that takes place every Sunday, the first day of the week.¹⁰ This practice is based directly on the example of the early church found in Acts 20:7, which states, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them.” They see this as a clear apostolic pattern for the weekly observance of the meal.

The meaning they attach to this weekly act is rich and layered. It is a time to look in four directions: backward in solemn remembrance of Christ’s death; forward in hopeful anticipation of His return; inward for reflective self-examination and discernment; and outward in a faithful preservation of Christian unity.⁴⁰ This weekly rhythm keeps the cross of Christ at the very center of their collective life and worship.

The Baptist Church: A Periodic Moment of Reflection

Baptists hold the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, with equal reverence. They see it as a precious time for prayer, meditation, and gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice.²¹ It is a vital “means of grace,” a moment where believers experience a renewed sense of communion with their risen Lord.³⁸

But they do not see a biblical command for a specific frequency. Therefore, the practice varies widely from church to with some observing it weekly, but most doing so periodically, such as on the first Sunday of the month or once a quarter.²¹ The decision is left to the wisdom and custom of the autonomous local congregation. Though the timing may differ, the meaning is strikingly similar to that of their Church of Christ brethren: it is a remembrance of the past sacrifice, an anticipation of the future wedding supper of the Lamb, and a present experience of communion with Christ and one another.³⁸

Comment leurs églises sont-elles dirigées et organisées?

One of the strongest points of agreement between the Church of Christ and Baptist churches lies in their form of church government. Both traditions are passionately committed to the principle of congregationalism, which means that every local church is autonomous and self-governing, answering to no earthly headquarters or authority but to Jesus Christ alone.³ This shared conviction is a direct result of their respective histories—the CoC’s desire to cast off all “denominational hierarchies” and the Baptist fight for freedom from state-church control.¹⁰ Within this shared framework of autonomy, But they typically structure their local leadership differently.

The Church of Christ: A Plurality of Shepherds

Following what they see as the clear pattern of the New Testamentes of Christ believe that each local congregation should be led and cared for by a plurality of qualified men who serve as elders, also called bishops or pastors.²¹ These men must meet the spiritual qualifications laid out in passages like 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The preacher, or minister, is a respected teacher and evangelist, but he serves under the spiritual oversight and authority of this board of elders.²² This structure is seen as a safeguard against the concentration of power in one person and a reflection of the apostolic pattern.

The Baptist Church: A Pastor as Shepherd

The most common leadership model in Baptist churches is that of a pastor (or a team of pastors) who is called by the congregation to lead them.²¹ Although the congregation retains ultimate authority, they delegate the spiritual leadership, teaching, and shepherding of the church to the pastor.²¹ The pastor is often assisted in the spiritual and temporal needs of the church by a group of deacons, who are also chosen by the congregation.⁴³ This model emphasizes the pastor’s role as a humble, self-sacrificial shepherd, guiding and serving the flock entrusted to his care.²¹

Regarding their connection to other churches, the Church of Christ is strictly non-denominational, with no formal organization beyond the local church.¹⁰ Their unity is based on a shared faith and adherence to biblical teachings. In contrast, while Baptist churches are fully autonomous, many choose to voluntarily cooperate with one another in state and national conventions (like the Southern Baptist Convention) to pool resources for missions, evangelism, and education, believing they can accomplish more together than they can alone.⁴

What Do Personal Stories Tell Us About Life in These Churches?

Doctrines and histories are the framework of a house, but personal stories are the life lived within its walls. To truly understand these traditions, we must listen with a compassionate heart to the voices of those who have walked these paths. Their experiences give a human face to the theological points we have discussed.

Voices from the Church of Christ

The experience of growing up in the Church of Christ can be profoundly shaping, leading to both deep love and, for some, deep pain.

Many who have left the tradition speak of the heavy burden of legalism. Their stories are often filled with words of hurt. One person described their former church as becoming “more like a cult,” which separated them from family.³¹ Another felt they were “so messed up in the head” by the teachings.³¹ This pain often centers on the fear-based motivation that can arise from a works-oriented view of salvation. The constant pressure to follow the pattern perfectly and the fear of losing one’s salvation can, for some, overshadow the joy of God’s grace.³⁰

Yet, this is not the only story. Many members have a deep and abiding love for their church heritage. They cherish the simplicity, the focus on the Bible, and the beauty of congregational singing.⁴⁵ They see a group of believers earnestly trying to follow the New Testament as closely as possible. One member, acknowledging the imperfections of the people, affirmed, “I still have yet to find a group of believers whose teachings and practices more closely resembles what I find in the Bible than do the churches of Christ”.⁴⁸ From a pastoral viewpoint within the tradition, the church is a perfect institution founded by Christ but filled with imperfect people, and leaving it because of human flaws is never the right answer.⁴⁹

Voices from the Baptist Church

For many, the Baptist church is a place of powerful spiritual freedom. Personal testimonies often speak of discovering the liberating power of God’s grace. One man, who grew up in a very strict Independent Fundamental Baptist background, described his journey to a more grace-centered Baptist church as finding a “new freedom in Christ, and a deeper understanding of God’s grace”.⁵⁰

Others are drawn to the Baptist tradition out of deep theological conviction. They are not Baptist by convenience or family heritage, but because they have studied the Scriptures and become convinced of core Baptist beliefs, such as the necessity of a regenerate church membership and believer’s baptism.⁵¹ For them, being a Baptist is a thoughtful choice based on what they believe the Bible teaches about the nature and practice of the church.

Journeys Between Traditions

Perhaps most illuminating are the stories of those who have moved from one tradition to the other. These are not stories of animosity, but of sincere personal study and conviction. We have heard the story of the Baptist who, through study, became convinced that the Church of Christ’s view on baptism was the biblical one and was converted.²⁷ We have also heard the story of the Church of Christ member who, through reading the book of Romans, became convinced that salvation was by faith alone and found a new home in a Baptist church.³⁰

These opposing journeys are not a verdict on which tradition is “right.” Rather, they are a powerful testament to the sincerity of believers who, armed with the Bible, are earnestly seeking to follow Jesus according to the light God has given them. They remind us that the path of faith is personal and that God honors a heart that diligently seeks His truth.

What Is the Catholic Church’s View on These Protestant Traditions?

When we ask about the Catholic Church’s stance, we must first understand that it operates from a fundamentally different framework. The Catholic Church does not see itself as one denomination among many, but as the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church that Christ Himself founded.⁵²

According to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the Church of Christ “subsists in the Catholic Church”.⁵² This means that the fullness of the truth and the means of salvation are found within the Catholic which is governed by the successor of Peter (the Pope) and the bishops in communion with him.

From this perspective, Christians outside of her visible structure, such as members of the Church of Christ and Baptist churches, are considered “separated brethren.” The Catholic Church recognizes that these communities possess many “elements of sanctification and truth”—such as faith in Christ, a love for the Holy Scriptures, and the act of baptism.⁵² These are seen as genuine gifts of the one Church of Christ that are found outside of her visible boundaries. But these communities are understood to be in a real but “imperfect communion” with the Catholic Church.⁵² The Catholic view is that these very elements of truth should naturally impel all Christians toward full, visible unity with the Catholic Church.

Interestingly, from a Catholic perspective, the claim of the Church of Christ to be a “restoration” of the one true church highlights a key issue. Catholic theologians would point out that the Restoration Movement’s “Bible alone” approach, which rejected the authority of tradition and a teaching Magisterium, has not produced the unity it sought but has instead led to its own history of internal divisions and schisms.²³ This, they would argue, underscores the need for the living, teaching authority that they believe Christ entrusted to His Church to preserve unity and guard the faith against error.

How Can We Love Each Other Despite These Differences?

Our journey through the histories, doctrines, and heartfelt stories of the Church of Christ and Baptist traditions brings us to the most important question of all: how do we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, live in love and unity despite our differences? The answer is not to pretend our differences do not exist, but to anchor ourselves in the greater truths that bind us together.

Focusing on What Unites Us

The Apostle Paul pleaded with the church in Ephesus to “make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).⁵³ He reminded them that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:5-6). This is our starting point. Our shared allegiance is not to a denomination or a set of practices, but to King Jesus.⁵⁴ What unites us in Him is infinitely greater than what distinguishes us in our traditions. We can hold fast to the timeless wisdom: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love”.⁵³

A Guide for Difficult Conversations

Often, these theological differences become most challenging in our personal relationships with family and friends. These conversations can be painful, but they don’t have to be destructive. Scripture and the wisdom of those who have navigated these waters offer a gentle guide:  Listen with Humility. The goal of a conversation should be to understand, not to win an argument. Set aside your ego, ask curious questions, and truly listen to their heart without preparing your counter-argument.⁵⁵ Remember that beliefs are incredibly personal, and when they are challenged, it can feel like a personal attack.⁵⁶

• Set Loving Boundaries. You have a right to protect yourself from judgmental or disrespectful language. You can stand up for yourself and your beliefs without attacking the other person. It is possible to say, “I love you, but it is not acceptable for you to speak to me that way,” thereby protecting both your heart and the relationship.⁵⁵
• Choose Love over Anger. We cannot control how others respond, but we can always control our own response. We can choose to react with anger and division, or we can choose to respond with the love, patience, and gentleness of Christ.⁵⁷

Both the Church of Christ and Baptist traditions are filled with sincere, Bible-loving, and Spirit-filled followers of Jesus. They are our family. Let us learn to see the beauty in each other’s heritage: the powerful commitment of the Church of Christ to follow the New Testament pattern and engage in participatory worship, and the passionate defense by Baptists of God’s amazing grace and the freedom of the human soul. May we, with God’s help, learn to bear with one another in love, focusing on our shared mission to be the hands and feet of Jesus and a shining light to a world in need.⁴⁹