Whats the official policy of the Baptist Church on excommunication?
There is no official policy of the Baptist Church because there is no “Baptist Church,” only Baptist churches. No hierarchy, no bishops, no creed. We can speak generally of Baptist polity, but that’s still almost an oxymoron — like the “official” symbol for anarchy. Baptist polity derives from soul liberty, which is the central and essential Baptist distinctive. Q: OK, then, what does Baptist polity say about excommunication? A: Baptists can’t be excommunicated because they were never “communicated” to begin with. Excommunication is primarily about the denial of the sacraments of the church, and therefore the denial of access to divine grace. Baptists don’t have sacraments, so it is impossible to withhold them. And as for access to divine grace, that’s between you and God. Q: But don’t Baptists take the sacrament of communion? A: Baptists celebrate the Lord’s Supper, but this is an “ordinance,” not a sacrament. (The distinction here has to do with how God’s grace is mediated to humani
