Why Spurgeon?

Of all the names one could call an association of churches, why name one after Charles Haddon Spurgeon? Church history is filled with worthy men like Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin, Bunyan, Coxe, Fuller, Bavinck, and Lloyd-Jones. Why Spurgeon? At the same time, does naming an association after a man break the First of the Ten Commandments? Are we placing Spurgeon on a pedestal above God? Why not name our association after a region or a biblical term?

To answer that question, the Spurgeon Baptist Association of Churches has adopted Spurgeon’s name, because we confess his same doctrine and practice. We do not worship him, but we look to him as a guide in the same way Timothy looked to Paul. As an Association, we stand in the same heritage of Spurgeon, because we believe it to be biblical and pleasing to God. To that end, this article will enumerate on seven qualities—though more could be listed—our Association has in common with Charles Spurgeon.

1. Doctrines of Grace

To commemorate the opening of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in April 1861, Spurgeon arranged a conference on the five points of Calvinism. He viewed these doctrines as essential to the gospel even though he would associate with Arminians. “[T]here is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.” How did he define Calvinism? He explained, “If anyone should ask me what I mean by a Calvinist, I should reply, ‘He is one who says, Salvation is of the Lord.’”[1]  

2. Confessional

In 1855, Spurgeon had the Second London Confession of Faith (1689) republished and recommended it to all Christians and especially to his church. In a preface addressed to his congregation, he exhorted them to read the confession, because “This ancient document is a most excellent epitome of the things most surely believed among us. By the preserving hand of the Triune Jehovah, we have been kept faithful to the great points of our glorious gospel, and we feel more resolved perpetually to abide by them.”[2]

3. Baptist

Spurgeon held to the three pillars which distinguish Baptists from other groups—credobaptism, congregational polity, and a Free Church. The Prince of Preachers taught the need for a profession of faith in Jesus Christ before joining the church. He desired a regenerate membership whom the gatekeepers would be the members of the congregation. Throughout his ministry, the church held hundreds of business meetings where the members heard testimonies and voted in new members. Meanwhile, the church also exercised discipline on members who went astray. Finally, Spurgeon stood against the Established Church in England as a dissenter. For him, the nation should enforce the second table of the law, but it did not have the authority from God to enforce the first table.

4. Centrality of Preaching

Spurgeon’s philosophy of ministry stood on the preaching of the Word, because God had ordained it as the means to save sinners and to build His church. “Moreover, remember that you are bidden to preach to every creature, each of you, as far as you can, because it is by this means that the elect are gathered out from among the sons of men. You know not who they are, therefore tell of Christ to every one. You know not who will accept it; you know not whose heart will be broken by the divine hammer.”[3] Spurgeon did not trust in programs, eloquence, or entertainment to save souls. Rather he trusted that God would keep His promise to save through the preaching of the Word.

5. Evangelistic

Beginning with his conversion in 1850, the gospel gripped Spurgeon, and he could not remain silent about it. On Saturdays as a teenager, he would hand out tracts all day. After taking the pastorate in London, the church would regularly tell members to stay home from the Sunday evening service, so that unbelievers could fill the pews and hear the good news. Spurgeon also open-air preached and encouraged other men to do likewise. Furthermore, he cherished the Sunday school ministry which taught non-Christian children about the Lord on Sunday afternoons. He even raised money for Colporteurs to travel to the countryside distributing gospel literature from house to house. For him, without the gospel, he would be without a purpose.

6. Prayer

Every Monday evening, 900 souls would gather at the Metropolitan Tabernacle to pray to God. Spurgeon believed that the church would accomplish nothing without beseeching God for His blessing upon the ministry. To that end, he exhorted Christians to be fervent in prayer. “If any believer should chance to live where the prayer meeting is neglected, let him now resolve to revive it. Let us make a solemn league and covenant that the churches shall pray, or that it shall not be our fault if they do not. To strengthen the prayer meeting is as good a work as to preach a sermon. I would have you vow that the prayer meeting shall never be given up while you live.”[4]

7. Associational

Even though the Metropolitan Tabernacle was the largest church in the world, Spurgeon saw the value and biblical justification for associating with like-minded churches. For years, his church joined hands with the Baptist Union to support one another in kingdom work. Only at the end of his life with the Down grade controversy—when false teaching became accepted by some of the ministers in the denomination—did Spurgeon pull out. He and the Tabernacle, however, did not stop working with other churches, but they required an adherence to orthodoxy before locking arms.

Conclusion

J.C. Ryle, an Evangelical Anglican and contemporary of Spurgeon, wrote a book called Old Paths, because it laid out orthodox, biblical teaching while rejecting modern inventions. Ryle commented, “From theses ‘paths’ I see no reason to depart. They are often sneered at and ridiculed, as old-fashioned, effete, worn out, and powerless…Be it so. ‘None of these things move me.’”[5]

Similarly, we as an Association seek to walk in the old paths. We do not seek to invent new doctrines in an attempt to win the world while losing our souls. Instead we seek to take the baton from Spurgeon, whose race has finished, and faithfully move it forward to another generation. The Prince of Preachers is not God and should not be worshiped, but we can learn from his example. By God’s grace, we will live out these same seven values to His glory.

If you are in agreement with these biblical principles and desire to associate with like-minded churches, would you consider partnering with us?

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[1] Charles Spurgeon, C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography: The Early Years, vol.1 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2011), 168. Italics are in the original.

[2] Ibid., 398.

[3] Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 15 (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 2006), 632. Italics are in the original.

[4] Charles Spurgeon, Only A Prayer Meeting (Fern, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2022), 149.

[5] J.C. Ryle, Old Paths (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2013), viii.