Our Burden
For many years a false stereotype has been made of independent Baptists. We’ve been told, “Baptists don’t write.” In 2024, Pastor David Townsley and Evangelist Dwight Smith began to discuss this matter and launched an initial investigation. What they discovered was very encouraging, to say the least! Through their initial search, they discovered one hundred and fifty authors and nearly one thousand titles before they stopped counting. If there are this many, that are known among two preachers, it is likely there are several more! This proved what they had long suspected. Actually, “Baptists do write.” Many simply don’t have the big publishing company or extensive cliental to make their work known. They have had their shoulder to revival work and pastoring work either here or overseas and have still found time to write. They only need a way to feature their work in a public manner.
Our History
After discussing this fact and the need for some way that several independent Baptists could bring their books into the public eye, David Townsley and Dwight Smith began praying about how they could make this a reality. After several months of prayer and effort, they decided to launch BaptistAuthors.org.After discussing this fact and the need for a way that several independent Baptists could bring their books into the public eye, David Townsley and Dwight Smith began praying about how they could make this a reality. After several months of prayer and effort, in July of 2025, they decided to launch BaptistAuthors.org.
Pastor David Townsley grew up in Southington, Connecticut, where his father is a pastor. For many years, Pastor Townsley and his wife, Annette, led the music ministry and young couples Bible study group at the Central Baptist Church of Southington. Annette grew up in Africa, where her parents were missionaries. In 2010, the Lord led the Townsleys to start the Riverside Baptist Church in Terryville, Connecticut. He has been the senior pastor of this thriving New England church since then. He and his wife Annette have five children and make their home in Terryville, Connecticut. www.riversidebaptistchurchct.com
Evangelist Dwight Smith and his family have traveled around the world since 1997, preaching God’s Word, singing about Jesus, winning folks to Christ, and calling God’s people to revival. He was saved and called to preach at a very early age and for many years has been involved in Christian work. He received his education from Ambassador Baptist College in Lattimore, North Carolina. The Lord has allowed him and his family to travel & preach in all fifty states and twenty-three foreign countries. The Smiths make their home in Shelby, North Carolina, and are members of Victory Baptist Church of Lattimore, North Carolina. www.dwightsmith.org
Brother Townsley and Brother Smith have a burden, through BaptistAuthors.org, to encourage independent Baptists that we do write, we can write, and we should continue to write for God’s glory. What we leave in print leaves a legacy for Christ. “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer” (Psalm 45:1)
Our Aim
BaptistAuthors.org exists to provide a simple and effective means for self-published independent Baptist writers to feature their work – printed, digital, or otherwise – and to make it available to the public.
It is a platform where independent Baptist local church pastors, evangelists, missionaries, preachers and individuals can list, publish, advertise, and/or distribute books to edify God’s people and evangelize the lost. This provides a trusted “catalog” for local church authors who do not have a major publisher’s promotional platform, independent Baptist or otherwise, to link their audience with their work.
Our Function – How it Works
BaptistAuthors.org is a website where Independent Baptists can find books or printed materials from like-minded local church authors. Searches for books on the site can be found by author, topic, or type of book. When the desired material is located, a person can click the link, e-mail, or call the author directly to purchase the book or materials. BaptistAuthors.org is supported by love offerings from contributing authors and those interested in our common mission.
Our Distinctives
We are Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We have placed simple, child-like faith in Jesus Christ, His bloody sacrifice on Calvary, and His triumphant resurrection and received His unspeakable gift of salvation.
We are Christians.
“…the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
We seek to order our lives, in such a manner, so when others make conclusions about our integrity, they “accuse” us of being like Christ.
We are Baptists.
Biblical Authority
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17).
Autonomy of the Local Church
“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).
Priesthood of the Believer
“Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6).
Two Church Ordinances
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).
“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:36-37).
Baptism is a picture of salvation but not a part of salvation. It follows salvation, pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and is a public confession of an internal reality.
Individual Soul Liberty
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).
Saved Church Membership
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).
When Christ said, “It is finished,” salvation’s payment was complete. There is nothing that can be added to or taken away from his sacrifice.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Two Church Offices
Pastor – “And he gave some, apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). There were only twelve apostles (Revelation 21:14). The gift of prophet has ceased (I Corinthians 13:9-10). The only two leadership and preaching gifts that remain in Christ’s churches are the evangelist and the pastor/teacher.
Deacon – “For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 3:13).
Separation of Church and State
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1).
These Biblical tenets have been historically understood and held by Baptists for millenia. While Baptists have not always been named such, they have held to these basic truths consistently since the apostles. Our name, as is true with “Christian,” has been given us by our enemies. We hold to it and to the Bible belief it represents without apology!
We are Independent.
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). We are loosely interconnected through friendships, family, fellowships, missions, camps and training institutions, yet we are independent. What unifies us is sound doctrine (I Timothy 1:3), fervent preaching of right doctrine (Titus 1:9), and a proper stand against false doctrine (II Timothy 4:2; I Timothy 6:3). We believe strongly in the independence and autonomy of the local church as held forth in Scripture (Matthew 16::17-19). Each church governs itself and answers directly to its Head, the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18). We do not hold to the term independent as in “new” or “young” or “modern” or “contemporary.” To the contrary, we hold to the term independent as in “Scriptural,” “historic,” and “timeless.”
We are Fundamental.
We hold to the fundamental or basic truths of the Word of God as vital pillars of Christianity. The Inspiration, Inerrancy and Preservation of Scripture (II Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm 33:11); the Virgin Birth of Christ (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:26-38); the Full and Complete Atonement of the Blood of Jesus Christ (John 1:29; John 19:30); The Bodily Resurrection of the Son of God (John 20:26-29); The absolute reality of all the Miracles of the Bible (Hebrews 2:3-4). We do not believe these are the only essential truths. We believe that every truth taught in the Bible is essential. Yet we do believe these truths are fundamental and basic to the Christian faith. Also, accompanying this position is a willingness to contend for the faith by warning against and separating from those who refuse to obey it (Jude 3).
We are sound in our Bibliology.
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5). The Bible corrects us. We do not correct the Bible. We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God preserved for us in English in the King James Bible. We further believe that the Holy Scriptures faithfully translated into other languages from the Textus Receptus are God’s Word. We reject the extremes of unbelief and Textual Criticism, on the one hand, and Ruckmanism and extra-revelation, on the other hand. The King James and TR are exclusively used in the books and resources featured on our site.
We are literal, scriptural and dispensational in our Interpretation.
“God forbid: yea, let God be true and every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (Romans 3:4). We believe when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, we should seek no other sense, or it becomes nonsense. We reject the allegorical interpretations of Origen and Augustine and their offspring.
We are pre-tribulational and pre-millenial in our Eschatology.
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). We believe in the pre-tribulational rapture, when Christ comes for His saints (I Corinthians 15:51-58; I Thessalonians 4:13-18), and the pre-millenial return of Jesus Christ with his saints (Revelation 19:11-16).
We are local church in our Ecclesiology.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). God’s plan today is fulfilled in and through the New Testament church. The authors are faithful members of New Testament Baptist churches.
We are Biblicists; thus, we are against Reformed Doctrine, Covenant Theology and Calvinism.
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (II Peter 3:15-16). We reject the fascination with and wedding of intellectualism and Calvinism that has become more prevalent in recent years. We believe Calvinism and its stepsisters of Reformed & Covenant theology are false doctrine, holding positions contrary to God’s Word, and wresting the Scriptures to fit their own ideas.
We are Scriptural in our Soteriology; thus, we are against the extremes of Lordship Salvation and Fake Professions.
“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We believe it is an equal sin to add works to grace (lordship salvation), thus confusing the “simplicity that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3) as well as to promote an insincere “quick prayer” by one who has not had the gospel clearly presented to them nor who understands their need to escape coming judgment by simply receiving Christ (John 1:12).
We are timeless in our worship; thus, we are against contemporary church culture and its accompanying disobedience.
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). We reject the modern contemporary trends in church culture that promote insincerity, carnality, little-to-no consecration and no separation from the world. This affects our music, dress, entertainment, lifestyle and much more. We believe “Love not the world” (I John 2:15), and “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:1) are timeless commands to be obeyed, not held under museum glass as a quaint relic of the past. This ideal, held forth in the Scripture, is what we seek to emulate and encourage.
We are cessationists; thus, we reject the modern Pentecostal & Charismatic tongues and sign gifts.
“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether ther be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (I Corinthians 13:8-10). Modern sign gifts and the tongues movement are unscriptural, have bred untold confusion and further opened the door to the ecumenical movement disobeying clear commands on church purity and polity. For these reasons we reject the modern tongues movement. We have no need for it, because “We also have a more sure word of prophecy” (II Peter 1:19). God’s Word is sufficient!
We are servants; thus, we reject a man-centered, big shot philosophy of ministry.
“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (II Corinthians 4:5). As many false ideas, the ministry mindset that places the preacher on a pedestal who can never be questioned, who is never wrong, who can mistreat people in a myriad of ways, who can cover sin, and it is all ok as long as he is a good pulpiteer, has a big church or “wins” souls is antithetical to Scripture (I Peter 5:3) and an abomination to God (Revelation 2:15). Our aim is to feature authors who have maintained a clear testimony of humility and servanthood throughout their ministry. As those who follow the One who washed His disciple’s feet, we long to imitate His example of lowliness through our own testimony and those with whom we partner to proclaim God’s Word.
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