The Baptist denomination is the largest protestant Christian denomination in the United States, comprising roughly one-third of American Protestants. It is hard to say just how many Baptist churches there are, because the Baptists themselves are broken up into several different organizations; however, the Southern Baptist church, the largest group, comprised some 47,000 churches as of 2018.
While there may be a few of these churches which do not currently have a pastor serving in them and there might be a few ordained Baptist pastors and ministers who are not currently serving in a church, it is safe to assume that there are nearly as many Baptist pastors as there are churches, as well as other Baptist ministers who are not ordained or serving as pastors.
The various Baptist organizations are always looking for pastors, just as many other denominations are. But this is mostly done at a local level, with churches seeking out their own pastors. The organization helps out on a local level, but rarely does it go farther than that.
Minister or Pastor?
Not all Baptist ministers or Christian ministers in general are pastors, although the pastor is the most commonly known ministry calling. But the Bible doesn’t limit the ministry to just pastors and neither should we. There are five basic categories of ministers, known as the “five ministry gifts.”
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. – Ephesians 4:11
Other types of ministers included in the five-fold ministry will usually be a part of a local church and may or may not minister within their own church. By and large however, Baptists do not accept the ministry of the apostle and prophet as being active in the church today. Many spirit-filled churches, such as Pentecostal and Charismatic churches do.
This isn’t a definitive list though, as we can also include other ministry offices which we find in the Bible, such as worship leaders and deacons. Since the word “minister” literally means “one who serves,” we can take any office of serving in the church and call the people in it ministers. However, this title is customarily reserved for those who are in charge of an area of ministry. For example, the worship leader might be referred to as a “worship minister,” but the singers and musicians working with them on that team are usually just referred to as worship team members.
Not all ministers are licensed and/or ordained either. While it is common to ordain pastors, it is less common to ordain evangelists, teachers, worship leaders and Sunday school superintendents. Rather, the person who feels called to those areas of ministry will usually just start doing it, either at the pastor’s request or on their own.
Licensing and Ordination
The two terms “licensing” and “ordination” are sometimes used interchangeably, although there is an actual difference between them. The confusion comes in that some denominations license and ordain at the same time, while others separate the two events, holding the ordination as a higher-level of recognition from the church or denomination.
Licensing is a legal recognition of a person’s calling to ministry. In many states, a ministry license is required to perform weddings. Depending on the laws in that state, the minister’s license may need to be registered with the county clerk’s office, in order to perform weddings.
Ordination belongs strictly to the church, with the state having no interest in it. Ordinations can be performed by individual churches or para-ministry organizations or by the denomination or organization that the church belongs to. This is determined by the organization and is often included in the bylaws.
Some churches or denominations will license a minister for a period of time, provisionally, as a time of proving. Once they have proven that they are called to the ministry, by functioning in that ministry calling, the same organization will ordain them, generally making it a permanent appointment that doesn’t need to be renewed annually. Some denominations may require an annual renewal, more as a way of maintaining contact with that minister than anything else.
The word “ordain” literally means “to fill the hands” and makes reference to the Old Testament ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests over Israel (Leviticus, chapters 8-10). During that ceremony, Moses, who was acting as the priest of Israel, was to place the offering in the hands of Aaron and his sons, who were to lift up that offering and wave it before God. That’s where the name comes from. However, there were many other things that were included in that ceremony, including dressing them in their priestly garments, animal sacrifices made for them and anointing them with oil.
We don’t do those things today, as we no longer give animal sacrifices in the church. That was done away with by the death of Jesus on the cross, who became the last sacrifice for all (Hebrews 10:1-18). Nevertheless, many Christian denominations still have an ordination service, especially for pastors, where they are “set apart for the office they will fulfill” by being prayed over and are presented to the congregation of believers as ordained ministers.
While people make a decision whether or not to ordain a minister and the ordination ceremony is performed by people too, in reality, an ordination ceremony is nothing more than man’s recognition of the calling, anointing and ordination that God places on their lives. People can ordain without God, but it should not be so; rather, it should be God, working through His people.
Ordination in the Baptist Church
Ordination within the Baptist denomination varies from one specific denomination to another and from one convention to another. However, the basic requirements include understanding of Baptist policy and doctrine, theology, articles of faith and the testimony of the candidate’s personal conversion experience to Jesus Christ. In general, Baptist churches follow the method listed above, where a minister is first licensed and then ordained after a time of proving.
There is no specific educational requirement to be ordained as a Baptist pastor, although Bible school or seminary completion is recommended. Baptists recognize the value of Christian education, without making it a requirement. This education generally combines Biblical knowledge, with courses on church management, counseling and other subjects which are useful to pastors.
Selection and ordination of pastors is generally held at the local level, within the church. Most pastors and ministers are selected from amongst the laity of the church, picking leaders who have shown a calling and aptitude for ministry. Even so, it is not uncommon for the board of deacons in a church to ask for help and guidance from their local denominational leadership. Even so, the pastor is selected and approved for ordination by the local deacon board, in most cases. This is primarily because Baptist churches operate with a high degree of autonomy from their denomination, even while belonging to it.
As such, the pastor reports to the board of deacons of their own church. Any issues that the church has with the pastor are taken up by those deacons. There is no hierarchy in the Baptist denomination, where a bishop or superintendent exercises authority over local pastors.
In addition to ministering the Word of God in church services, and performing weddings and funerals, a Baptist pastor also functions as an administrator and manager of the church, specifically of the church staff. The board of deacons takes care of the physical plant of the church, while the pastor takes care of the church ministry and personnel.