Southern Baptists have the Baptist Faith & Message to encapsulate our believe, but there are 7 “distinctives” for Baptists:
Biblical authority, Autonomy of the local church, Priesthood of all believers, Two ordinances (believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper), Individual soul liberty, Separation of Church and State, and Two offices of the church (pastor and deacon)
#3 Priesthood of All Believers
Every Believer has a common relationship to God. There is no hierarchy of higher saints or lower laity in the Baptist faith. There is no priest or intermediary between you and God the Father other than Jesus Christ. Each person has the same access and the same ability, through the power of the Spirit, to seek the Lord and determine his will.
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…. you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
-1Pet 2:5-9
We are also called to care for one another and minister to each other (cf. 1Tim 5). We don’t have “professionals” who take care of our ministry for us (even though some churches do seem to function this way), we are all called to be “priests” to do the “work of ministry” (cf. Eph 4:11-16).
