We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His churches.

Above is the doctrinal statement of the work I am part of, the American Baptist Association, concerning the place and role of the churches. I include that here to provide a framework for what follows. I will try to be brief yet thorough. So many words could be said about all of this but will try to be succinct.

First, I agree with the sentiment of the above meme.