Baptist Church vs Pentecostal Church — what is the difference?

By Vinay Koshy, Editor

Both Baptist and Pentecostal churches baptise only believers and hold the Bible as final authority. The difference is where the emphasis sits. Baptist churches are older, congregation-governed, and sermon-centred, with 1,195 listings in this directory. Pentecostal churches are network-based, worship-and-Spirit-centred, and teach that tongues, healing, and prophecy are still for today. Australian Christian Churches (formerly the Assemblies of God) is the largest Pentecostal network in Australia.

Last verified: 2026-07-04. Directory counts pulled live from the Australian Church Directory database. Census figures from the 2021 Australian Census.

Comparison at a glance

Aspect	Baptist	Pentecostal
Origin	17th-century English Nonconformist movement; General Baptists 1609 (Amsterdam), Particular Baptists 1638 (London).	Early-20th-century revival; Topeka Bible School 1901 (Kansas), Azusa Street Revival 1906 (Los Angeles), then global.
Arrived in Australia	24 April 1831 — first Baptist service held by John McKaeg at the Rose and Crown Inn, Sydney.	1908 — Sarah Jane Lancaster founded Good News Hall in North Melbourne, the country's first Pentecostal church.
Australian national body	Australian Baptist Ministries (renamed from Baptist Union of Australia in 2009). Fellowship of 6 state / territory unions.	No single Pentecostal body. Multiple networks — largest is Australian Christian Churches (formerly Assemblies of God in Australia).
Governance	Congregational — each local church is autonomous. State unions and the national body are fellowships, not authorities.	Network / episcopal-lite — local churches affiliate with a network (ACC, C3, Foursquare, Vineyard, Apostolic) with regional overseers and national leaders.
Believer's baptism	Yes — full immersion of people old enough to profess faith. Infant baptism rejected.	Yes — same practice. Infant baptism rejected. Baby-dedication services used instead.
Speaking in tongues + charismatic gifts	Not usually part of Sunday worship. Most Baptists are cessationist or open-but-cautious. A minority identify as charismatic Baptist.	Central. Tongues, prophecy, and healing prayer are expected as ordinary Christian experience. Many Pentecostals teach tongues as initial evidence of Spirit baptism.
Worship style	Sermon-central, 30-45 min preaching, mix of hymns and contemporary songs. Order-of-service is structured but flexible.	Worship-band-led, 25-40 min of contemporary songs, then preaching, altar call, and prayer ministry. Room left for spontaneous prayer and prophetic words.
Clergy training	Bible college or seminary standard — Whitley College (VIC), Malyon College (QLD), Morling College (NSW), Vose Seminary (WA).	Bible college with a stronger emphasis on ministry experience. Alphacrucis College (ACC), Harvest Bible College, C3 College.
Ordination of women	Varies by state union. Baptist Union of Victoria and Baptist Association NSW & ACT ordain women as pastors; other states range from permissive to restrictive.	Yes across the major networks. ACC, C3, and Hillsong all commission women as pastors. Sarah Jane Lancaster founded the movement in Australia.
2021 Census members	347,300 (1.4% of Australians)	259,800 (1.1% of Australians)
Directory listings (this site)	1,195 churches	~1,434 churches across 9 networks (ACC 777, Pentecostal 331, Apostolic-family 149, C3 87, Foursquare 54, Hillsong 19, Planetshakers 9, Vineyard 6, CityLife 2)
Community services	Baptist World Aid Australia, Global Interaction, state-level community services agencies.	ACC Care, Compassion Australia (originally Assemblies-linked), Hillsong CityCare, congregation-run food and homeless outreach.

Origin — three centuries apart

The Baptist movement began in the 17th century among English Separatists who wanted a Reformed church free of state control and made up of believers only. John Smyth baptised himself and the first General Baptist congregation in Amsterdam in 1609; the first Particular Baptist congregation formed in London in 1638. Baptist ministry reached Australia less than fifty years after European settlement — on Sunday 24 April 1831, John McKaeg held the first Baptist service at the Rose and Crown Inn on the corner of Castlereagh and King Streets in Sydney.

Pentecostalism is a 20th-century movement. Its trigger events were the 1901 outpouring at Charles Parham's Bethel Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, and the 1906–1909 Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles led by William Seymour. The movement reached Australia in 1908 when Sarah Jane Lancaster, a Melbourne evangelist who had been baptised in the Spirit after reading a British pamphlet called Back to Pentecost, opened Good News Hall in North Melbourne. Australian Pentecostalism has an unusual feature — most of its founding leaders were women.

Governance — one church at a time vs a family of networks

Baptists hold that the local congregation is the fundamental unit of the church. Every Baptist church in Australia is autonomous — it calls its own pastor, decides on its own budget, owns its own property, and sets its own doctrinal statement within the limits of a shared Baptist confession. The state unions (Baptist Association NSW & ACT, Baptist Union of Victoria, Queensland Baptists, Baptist Churches SA & NT, Baptist Churches Western Australia, Tasmanian Baptists) and the national body (Australian Baptist Ministries, renamed from the Baptist Union of Australia in 2009) exist to serve local churches with training, mission, and community services, not to govern them.

Pentecostalism in Australia is not one denomination but a family of networks. The largest is Australian Christian Churches (ACC), which began as the Assemblies of God in Australia through a 1937 Sydney merger, changed its public name to ACC in April 2007, and formally re-incorporated under the new name in 2013. It reports more than 1,100 affiliated churches and more than 225,000 adherents. Other significant networks include C3 Church Global — founded in Dee Why, Sydney in 1980 by Phil and Christine Pringle and now based at Oxford Falls, with 500+ churches across 60 countries — plus Foursquare, Apostolic, Vineyard, Planetshakers, CityLife, and independent Pentecostal congregations. Hillsong Church was part of ACC from its founding until 2018, when it formally separated to operate as an independent global Pentecostal movement.

Theology and the Holy Spirit

Baptists and Pentecostals agree on more than they disagree on. Both hold that Scripture is the final authority for faith and practice, both teach justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, both practise the Lord's Supper as a memorial ordinance rather than a sacrifice, and both baptise only people old enough to make a personal profession of faith. Both reject infant baptism and use baby-dedication services instead.

The theological divide is over the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Pentecostals teach that the gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 — tongues, interpretation, prophecy, healing, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits — are ordinary Christian experience today, and most Pentecostals teach that a distinct experience called the baptism in the Holy Spirit follows conversion, often evidenced by speaking in tongues. Baptists generally teach that the Spirit is received in full at conversion; historically most have held that the miraculous gifts either ceased with the apostolic era (cessationism) or continue only in extraordinary circumstances, though a growing minority of Australian Baptists identify as charismatic or open to the gifts.

Worship — what a Sunday looks like

A Baptist service is usually 60-75 minutes long, structured around a 30-45 minute expository sermon. Music is a mix of hymns and contemporary songs, often led from a piano or a small band. Communion is celebrated monthly or weekly depending on the congregation. There is a prayer time, sometimes a spoken confession, and typically a short response or reflection at the end. Congregational singing is central and preaching is the anchor.

A Pentecostal service is usually 90-120 minutes and structured differently. The first 25-40 minutes is a continuous set of contemporary worship songs led by a full band, with hands raised, sung repetition, and moments where the congregation is invited to pray or sing in the Spirit. A 25-40 minute message follows. The service typically closes with an altar call — an invitation to come forward for prayer, salvation, or ministry — during which pastors and prayer team members lay hands on individuals and pray for healing, guidance, or a Spirit-filling. Spontaneous prophecy or a "word of knowledge" may be shared from the front. The atmosphere is participatory and emotive rather than reflective.

Australian Pentecostal networks in this directory

Because Pentecostalism organises as networks rather than one denomination, the Australian Church Directory lists Pentecostal churches under multiple labels. The largest networks in Australia today:

Australian Christian Churches (ACC) — 777 listings. Formerly Assemblies of God in Australia (renamed 2007), founded 1937. Largest Pentecostal network in the country.
Pentecostal (unaffiliated / general) — 331 listings. Independent Pentecostal congregations that are not part of a named network.
Apostolic family — 149 listings across Apostolic (98), New Apostolic (28), Apostolic Church of Queensland (22), and Apostolic Faith Mission (1).
C3 Church Global — 87 listings. Founded 1980 in Dee Why by Phil and Christine Pringle, now headquartered at Oxford Falls, Sydney.
Foursquare — 54 listings. Part of the global International Church of the Foursquare Gospel founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in Los Angeles in 1923.
Hillsong — 19 listings. Founded 1983 (as Hills Christian Life Centre) by Brian and Bobbie Houston, separated from ACC in 2018 and now an independent global Pentecostal movement.
Planetshakers — 9 listings. Founded 1997 in Adelaide by Russell Evans, now based in Melbourne.
Vineyard— 6 listings. Part of the international Vineyard Movement founded by John Wimber, focused on the "empowered evangelical" middle ground between charismatic and Reformed.
CityLife — 2 listings. Melbourne-headquartered network that grew out of the Waverley Christian Fellowship.

Frequently asked questions

Are Baptist and Pentecostal churches the same?

No. Both are Protestant, both baptise only believers (not infants), and both hold the Bible as their final authority. They differ on the charismatic gifts. Pentecostals teach that speaking in tongues, prophecy, divine healing, and other gifts of the Holy Spirit are active today and are often the sign of a "second experience" called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Most Baptists either regard those gifts as having ceased with the apostles (cessationism) or accept that God can still give them but do not build worship around them.

Which is bigger in Australia, Baptist or Pentecostal?

Baptist is larger by Census identification. The 2021 Australian Census recorded 347,300 people identifying as Baptist (1.4% of the population) versus 259,800 as Pentecostal (1.1%). Church-attendance figures are closer, because Pentecostal churches attract a higher share of weekly attenders per person who identifies with them, and the biggest Pentecostal networks in Australia claim more than 225,000 regular adherents just within Australian Christian Churches.

Do both Baptist and Pentecostal churches baptise adults?

Yes. Both practise believer's baptism by full immersion, and both reject infant baptism. Children are usually welcomed at a "baby dedication" or "child dedication" service instead, with baptism happening later once the person makes a personal profession of faith. This is one of the strongest points of agreement between the two traditions.

Do Baptists speak in tongues?

Most Baptist churches in Australia do not include speaking in tongues in Sunday services. A minority of Baptist congregations describe themselves as charismatic or open to the gifts, and members may pray in tongues privately, but the movement as a whole treats charismatic gifts as either no longer active or as extraordinary rather than expected. This is one of the clearest practical differences from a Pentecostal service.

What is Australian Christian Churches (ACC)?

Australian Christian Churches (ACC) is the largest Pentecostal denomination in Australia, with more than 1,100 affiliated churches and more than 225,000 adherents. It was founded in 1937 as the Assemblies of God in Australia through a merger in Sydney, and the movement changed its public name to Australian Christian Churches in April 2007, updating its legal incorporation in 2013. It sits within the global Assemblies of God World Fellowship.

Is Hillsong a Baptist or Pentecostal church?

Pentecostal. Hillsong was part of Australian Christian Churches (formerly the Assemblies of God in Australia) from its founding until 2018, when it formally separated to operate as an independent global movement while retaining Pentecostal theology and worship style. It is not, and has never been, a Baptist church.

Can a Baptist church be charismatic?

Yes. Some Baptist congregations in Australia — particularly newer plants and those in the Baptist Union of Victoria — identify as "open" to charismatic gifts and may include contemporary sung worship, prophetic prayer, or prayer for healing. They still baptise only believers and remain congregation-governed. The distinguishing feature is that the church is autonomous and self-governing rather than affiliated with a Pentecostal network like ACC or C3.

Do Pentecostals believe salvation is by faith alone?

Yes. Both Baptists and Pentecostals hold the Reformation position of justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and both reject the idea that sacraments or good works save a person. Where they differ is on whether a "second experience" (baptism in the Holy Spirit, usually evidenced by speaking in tongues) is expected after conversion. Baptists generally teach that the Holy Spirit is received in full at conversion; Pentecostals generally teach a subsequent Spirit-baptism.

Do Pentecostals dedicate babies?

Yes. Because Pentecostals share the Baptist view that baptism is for people old enough to make a personal profession of faith, most Pentecostal churches hold baby-dedication (or child-dedication) services instead. The parents commit to raising the child in the faith and the congregation prays a blessing over the family, but no water is used and the ceremony is not treated as baptism.

How do I find a local Baptist or Pentecostal church?

The Australian Church Directory lists Baptist and Pentecostal churches across all 8 Australian states and territories, with addresses, denominational affiliation, and contact details. Baptist is currently one canonical group in the directory. Pentecostal churches are listed under several labels — Pentecostal, Australian Christian Churches, C3, Foursquare, Apostolic, and others — reflecting how the movement is organised as a family of independent networks rather than one denomination.

Find a local congregation

Use the directory to find a church near you:

Sources

Australian Bureau of Statistics — 2021 Census, Religious affiliation (Baptist: 347,300 / Pentecostal: 259,800).
Australian Baptist Ministries — official site (baptist.org.au).
Australian Christian Churches — official site (acc.org.au); denomination membership and rename history.
Wikipedia — Australian Baptist Ministries, Australian Christian Churches, Sarah Jane Lancaster, C3 Church Global, Hillsong Church.
Christian Research Association — Religion in the Census 2021 analysis.
Australasian Pentecostal Studies journal — Waters to Swim In: Adelaide's First Three Pentecostal Churches, 1910-1935.