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Presbyterian / Reformed vs. Baptist

A side-by-side comparison of Presbyterian / Reformed and Baptist teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Presbyterian / Reformed

The Reformed tradition follows the teaching of John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli and their heirs, and Presbyterian churches are its best-known family. It stresses the sovereignty of God, the authority of Scripture, and government by elders (presbyters).

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Baptist

Baptists arose from English Separatist churches in the early 1600s. They baptize only those who profess faith, govern each congregation independently, and hold to the Bible as the sole authority for belief and practice.

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At a glance

Where they differ: Baptism; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Sacraments or ordinances; Church government; Style of worship.

Varies within one or both: Predestination and free will; Clergy and women in ministry; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.

Where they agree: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Can a saved person fall away?; Mary and the saints; Death, purgatory and hell; Day of worship.

Side by side

Question	Presbyterian / Reformed	Baptist
Authority: Scripture and traditionAgree	Scripture alone is the supreme authority. Confessions such as the Westminster Confession are subordinate standards that summarize its teaching.	The Bible alone is the authority for belief and practice. Many Baptist bodies adopt confessions, but none is binding on a local church.
Books of the BibleAgree	66 books. The Westminster Confession says the Apocrypha is not inspired and has no authority in the church.	66 books.
The TrinityAgree	One God in three persons, as defined at Nicaea and Constantinople and restated in the Reformed confessions.	One God in three persons. Baptists rarely use creeds in worship, but their confessions affirm the Trinity.
How a person is savedAgree	Justification by grace alone through faith alone, with salvation entirely God’s work from election to glory. Good works are the fruit and evidence of faith.	Saved by grace through personal faith in Christ, usually described as a conversion experience. Baptism follows salvation and does not cause it.
Can a saved person fall away?Agree	No. The “perseverance of the saints” holds that those whom God has truly chosen will be kept in faith to the end, though they may stumble seriously.	Most Baptists, notably Southern Baptists, teach eternal security, often summarized as “once saved, always saved.” Some General Baptists disagree and hold that faith can be abandoned.
Predestination and free willVaries	God unconditionally chose those he would save before the foundation of the world, which is the classic Calvinist position. Its five points are often summarized by the acronym TULIP.	Divided. Particular Baptists are Calvinist and hold to election, and General Baptists hold that Christ died for all and that election is based on God’s foreknowledge of who would believe. Southern Baptists include both.
BaptismDiffer	A sign and seal of God’s covenant promise. Infants of believers are baptized, generally by sprinkling or pouring, and baptism is not thought to save automatically.	Only those who have professed faith are baptized, and by full immersion. It is an ordinance that pictures death and resurrection with Christ and does not save.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Differ	Christ is truly present, but spiritually, through the Holy Spirit, for those who receive by faith. It is a sign and seal, not a change in the elements.	An ordinance in remembrance of Christ’s death, observed periodically. The bread and cup are symbols, and many churches use grape juice.
Sacraments or ordinancesDiffer	Two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.	Two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptists avoid the word “sacrament” because it can imply that grace comes through the act itself.
Church governmentDiffer	Governed by elders. Each congregation is led by a session of elders, which belongs to a presbytery, then a regional synod and a national General Assembly.	Each local church governs itself, calling its own pastor and deciding its own doctrine. Churches cooperate voluntarily through associations and conventions.
Clergy and women in ministryVaries	Varies. The PC(USA) ordains women as pastors and elders, while the PCA and other conservative bodies reserve those offices for men.	Varies. The Southern Baptist Convention limits the office of pastor to men, and other Baptist bodies ordain women.
Mary and the saintsAgree	Mary is honored as the mother of Jesus, and saints are remembered as examples. Prayer is directed to God alone.	Mary is honored as the mother of Jesus and the saints as examples. Baptists give them little role in worship and do not pray to them.
Death, purgatory and hellAgree	Purgatory is rejected. Believers pass at once into Christ’s presence and await the resurrection. The unsaved face eternal punishment.	Believers go immediately to be with Christ, and unbelievers to eternal punishment. There is no purgatory.
Style of worshipDiffer	Centered on the preaching of the Word. Worship is more sober than in Catholic or Lutheran churches and traditionally uses hymns and psalms, with some congregations now using contemporary music.	Free-form, built around preaching, congregational singing and prayer. Order is set by each church.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsVaries	The Spirit gives gifts to the church. Traditionally, many Reformed teachers held that miraculous gifts ended with the apostles (cessationism), while others, including charismatic Presbyterians, disagree.	Varies. Many Baptists are cessationist or cautious about tongues, and others are charismatic.
Day of worshipAgree	Sunday, called the Lord’s Day. Some Reformed churches apply the Sabbath commandment to Sunday strictly.	Sunday.
Best known for	The sovereignty of God, careful doctrine, government by elders and a long history of education and biblical scholarship.	Believer’s baptism, local church independence, religious liberty and a strong emphasis on missions and evangelism.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Presbyterian / Reformed vs. Baptist