Baptist vs Presbyterian Churches Compared

What Baptist Churches Are

Baptist churches practice believer's baptism. Baptism is for people who profess faith in Christ, and it is usually done by immersion, so infants are not baptized. Baptist churches are Protestant and trace their origins to the seventeenth-century English Separatist movement.

Baptists recognize two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and most Baptists hold a memorial view of the Lord's Supper. Baptists hold Scripture alone as the final authority. Governance is congregational.

Each Baptist congregation governs itself, and no pope or bishop stands over congregations. Groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA are voluntary associations of congregations. Baptists teach salvation by grace through faith.

They do not teach Purgatory and do not pray to saints. Baptist worship typically centers on the preaching of Scripture, alongside congregational singing and prayer. Baptist pastors may marry, and practice on ordaining women varies by Baptist group.

Baptists vary among themselves, so practice can differ from one congregation to the next. A reader who wants a particular church's practice should ask its pastor.

What Presbyterian Churches Are

Presbyterian churches belong to the Reformed tradition. That tradition grew from the sixteenth-century Reformation and the teaching of John Calvin, and John Knox carried it to Scotland. Presbyterians are Protestant and hold the authority of Scripture. Presbyterian churches are governed by elders, also called presbyters.

A congregation is led by a session of elders, and elders from many congregations meet together in a presbytery. No single bishop or pope rules the church. Presbyterians recognize two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and they baptize infants as well as adults. Presbyterians emphasize the sovereignty of God and salvation by grace through faith.

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a major Presbyterian confession of faith. Presbyterian ministers may marry. Many Presbyterian bodies ordain women as ministers and elders, and practice varies by church body. Presbyterians do not teach Purgatory and do not pray to saints, though they honor them.

Questions about one church body's practice are best put to one of its ministers or elders.

Shared Ground and the Main Difference

Baptist and Presbyterian churches share a good deal of teaching. Both are Protestant. Both hold the authority of Scripture, confess the Trinity, and recognize Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Both teach salvation by grace through faith, neither teaches Purgatory, and neither prays to saints. Baptism and church government are two places where the traditions differ. Baptists baptize believers, usually by immersion, and Presbyterians baptize infants as well as adults.

Baptist congregations govern themselves, while Presbyterian congregations are led by a session of elders and sit within a presbytery. The traditions also differ in origin. Baptists trace their origins to the seventeenth-century English Separatist movement.

Presbyterians belong to the Reformed tradition, which grew from the sixteenth-century Reformation. Both traditions allow pastors or ministers to marry, and both have internal variation on ordaining women.

Baptism and Church Government Compared

Baptism is one contrast between the two traditions. Baptists hold that baptism is for people who profess faith in Christ, so infants are not baptized. Presbyterians baptize infants as well as adults.

A reader who wants baptism tied to a personal profession of faith will find that matches Baptist practice. A reader who wants infants baptized will find that matches Presbyterian practice. Baptists usually baptize by immersion.

Government is another contrast. In a Baptist church, each congregation governs itself, a system called congregational polity. Baptist groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA are voluntary associations of congregations.

In a Presbyterian church, a session of elders leads the congregation, and elders from many congregations meet in a presbytery. No single bishop or pope rules in either tradition. Each tradition also varies internally.

Baptists vary among themselves, and Presbyterian church bodies differ on ordaining women. For a specific congregation's answer on any of these points, the pastor or minister is the person to ask.

Readers Who Should Look Elsewhere

A reader who wants to know how one specific congregation handles ordination, infant baptism, or its statement of faith should ask that church's pastor, priest, or minister. A reader who is weighing a Catholic church alongside a Baptist one can read the Catholic vs Baptist comparison on this site.

Conditions That Would Change This Recommendation

The recommendation turns on two points, baptism and church government. A reader who puts baptism first should lean Baptist if baptism is reserved for those who profess faith, and lean Presbyterian if infant baptism matters most. A reader whose main priority is governance should lean Baptist if each congregation governing itself matters most.

That reader should lean Presbyterian if government by a session of elders within a presbytery matters most. For a reader who weighs ordination of women most, practice varies by Baptist group and by Presbyterian church body. A specific congregation's answer would then be the one to ask about.

Baptist vs Presbyterian: at a glance

Frequently asked questions

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