American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Churches USA | |
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Baptist | |
Theology | Evangelical
International Ministries |
Tertiary institutions | 16 |
Seminaries | 10 |
Other name(s) | Northern Baptist Convention (1907–1950) American Baptist Convention (1950–1972) |
Official website | www |
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The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a
Headquartered in
History
Colonial New England Baptists
American Baptist Churches USA have their origins in the First Baptist Church in
Triennial Convention
Having a
In 1845, a majority of Baptists in the
In 1882, May Jones became the first ordained woman minister in the convention.[6]
Northern Baptist Convention
The Northern Baptist Convention was founded in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 1907.[7] Charles Evans Hughes, then Governor of New York and later Chief Justice of the United States, served the body as its first president.
The purpose of the Northern Baptist Convention was to bring about a consistent cooperation among the separate Baptist bodies then existing. It was the first step in bringing together Baptists in the North "with ties to the historic American Baptist mission societies in the nineteenth century."
Due to the development of theological liberalism in some affiliated seminaries, such as
American Baptist Convention
The name of the convention was changed in 1950 to the American Baptist Convention (ABC), and it operated under this name until 1972.[11] It was the second step at bringing together on a national level Baptists with ties to the mission societies. The ABC was characterized from 1950 to 1966 with annual resolutions at its conventions having to do with the civil rights movement and race relations.
Without exception, these resolutions were progressive and genuinely encompassing. They addressed both the need for individual change in attitude and action, and the need for broader social change that could only be instituted through political action.[8]
As in many cases, the rhetoric of the annual conventions was sometimes ahead of local activity, but the denomination gradually made progress. In 1964, it created the Baptist Action for Racial Brotherhood (BARB), which early the next year produced a pamphlet outlining actions for change in local churches. In 1968, the national convention was challenged by "Black American Baptist Churchmen Speak To the American Baptist Convention," demands that challenged how the denomination had "conducted its business relative to black American Baptists."[8]
The black churchmen said the convention had excluded them from decision-making positions, even while working with good intentions on behalf of black American Baptists. The following year, Dr. Thomas Kilgore Jr., pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles, was elected the first black president of the convention. The 1968 convention also voted to create the Study Commission on Denominational Structure (SCODS). Its recommendations changed the denomination in a variety of ways, after being adopted at the 1972 convention.[8]
American Baptist Churches USA
To reflect its new structure, the convention in 1972 changed its name to the American Baptist Churches USA.[11] Rather than relying on decision-making at the annual convention by whichever churches happened to send delegates, the SCODS restructuring resulted in the following:
A General Board was composed of duly elected representatives from geographically designated districts. Three-fourths of those representatives would be elected by the American Baptist regional bodies; one-fourth would be elected as at-large representatives, or in the official terminology, "Nationally Nominated Representatives". These representatives would be "chosen so as to provide the necessary balance among the Representatives in respect of racial/ethnic inclusiveness, geographic area, age, gender, and desirable skills.[8]
Governance
The American Baptists Churches USA has a
However, board resolutions are not binding on local congregations. Three-fourths of the representatives to the ABCUSA General Board are nominated and elected by the regions. One-fourth of the representatives are nominated by the ABCUSA Nominating Committee and are elected by the regions. The General Secretary of the ABCUSA executes the policies and decisions of the General Board. Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer was called as ABCUSA General Secretary on May 8, 2017.[13]
A substantial portion of the ABCUSA consists of historically and predominantly African American churches that may have joint affiliations with the ABCUSA and historic bodies such as the National Baptist Convention or the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City is one of the many African American churches jointly affiliated with the ABCUSA and National Baptist Convention.[14] Since 1970, the ABCUSA and Progressive National Baptists have officially partnered.[15]
Regions
The ABCUSA consists of 33 regional associations and conventions:
Region | Headquarters | Area(s) served | Number of churches | Executive minister | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Baptist Churches of Alaska | Anchorage, Alaska | The state of Alaska | 11 | Alonzo B. Patterson | |
American Baptist Churches of Connecticut | West Hartford, Connecticut | The state of Connecticut | 120 | Rev. Dr. Harry Riggs II | |
American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis | Indianapolis, Indiana
|
The Indianapolis Metro Area | 39 | Rev. Joan C. Friesen | |
American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky | Franklin, Indiana | Most of Indiana (except for Indianapolis), and five churches in Kentucky | 290 | Rev. Mark A Thompson | Previously known as: General Association of Baptists in the State of Indiana (1833–64) Indiana State Baptist Convention (1864–1896) Indiana Baptist Convention (1896–1987) American Baptist Churches of Indiana (1987–2000) American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky (since 2000) This region's legal name is still the Indiana Baptist Convention. |
American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles, Southwest, and Hawaii | Glendale, California | Las Vegas Metro Area
|
151 | Andrew Quient | |
American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts | Groton, Massachusetts | The state of Massachusetts | 246 | Rev. Dr. Mary Day Miller | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago | Chicago, Illinois
|
The Chicago area
|
57 | Rev. David Gregg | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
American Baptist Churches of Metro New York | New York City, New York
|
The New York Metropolitan Area | 191 | Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
American Baptist Churches of Michigan | East Lansing, Michigan | The state of Michigan | 137 | Rev. Brian Johnson | Formerly known as the Michigan Baptist Convention |
American Baptist Churches of Nebraska | Omaha, Nebraska | The state of Nebraska | 63 | Rev. Dr. Robin D. Stoops | |
American Baptist Churches of New Jersey | Trenton, New Jersey | The state of New Jersey | 277 | Rev. Miriam Mendez | |
American Baptist Churches of New York State | Syracuse, New York | Most of New York, except for the Rochester-Genesee and Metro NYC areas | 282 | Rev. Dr. James Kelsey | |
American Baptist Churches of Ohio | Granville, Ohio | Most of Ohio, except for the Cleveland area | 250 | Rev. Mark E. Click |
|
American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Most of Pennsylvania (except for Philadelphia) and all of Delaware | 300 | Rev. Mark Mahserjian-Smith & Rev. Jeffrey Johnson | |
American Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico | Carolina, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico | 113 | Rev. Edgardo M. Caraballo | Known in Spanish as "Iglesias Bautistas de Puerto Rico" |
American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island | Exeter, Rhode Island | The state of Rhode Island | 69 | Rev. Dr. Courtny Davis Olds | |
American Baptist Churches of the Central Pacific Coast | Portland, Oregon | Central and Northern California, western Oregon, and two churches in Washington | 72 | Steve Bils | |
American Baptist Churches of the Central Region | Topeka, Kansas | Kansas, 14 churches in Oklahoma, one church in Arkansas | 205 | Gregg Hemmen | Formerly known as the Kansas Baptist Convention until 1979 |
American Baptist Churches of the Dakotas | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | North Dakota and South Dakota | 50 | Rev. Dr. Aaron Kilbourn | |
American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region | Springfield, Illinois | Most of Illinois (except for the Chicago area), and all of Missouri | 205 | Patty King Bilyeu | |
American Baptist Churches of the Rochester/Genesee Region | Rochester, New York | Mainly the Rochester/Genesee area, but other churches from 11 states affiliate with this region (see notes) | 51 | Rev. Dr. Sandra L. DeMott Hasenauer | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life. Churches from other states that either left or were removed from their region over the LGBTQ+ issue affiliate with this region. |
American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains | Centennial, Colorado | Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming | Rev. Dr. Steve Van Ostran | ||
American Baptist Churches of the South | Woodlawn, Maryland | Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
|
234 | Rev. Dr. James Mitchell Harrison | |
American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire | West Lebanon, New Hampshire | Vermont and New Hampshire | 147 | Rev. Dale R. Edwards | |
American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin | Elm Grove, Wisconsin | The state of Wisconsin | 61 | Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
Cleveland Baptist Association | Cleveland, Ohio
|
The Cleveland metropolitan area | 39 | Rev. Dr. Yvonne B. Carter | |
District of Columbia Baptist Convention | Washington, D.C. | Washington, D.C. | 139 | Rev. Trisha Miller Manarin | This body has 151 churches total, but only 139 are affiliated with the ABCUSA. This body was dually aligned with the ABCUSA and the Southern Baptist Convention until May 2018. |
Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches | Kent, Washington | Washington and portions of Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah | 55 | Douglas Avilesbernal | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
Growing Healthy Churches | Clovis, California | Mainly central California, but churches from several states affiliate with this region. | 167 | Dr. Timothy H. Brown | |
Mid-American Baptist Churches | Urbandale, Iowa | Iowa and Minnesota | 123 | Rev. Jacquline Saxon | |
Mission Northwest | Post Falls, Idaho | Primarily Idaho, Washington, Montana, and Utah, with one church each in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Alaska | 156 | Dr. Charles E. Revis | |
Philadelphia Baptist Association | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|
Philadelphia metropolitan area | 121 | Rev. Dr. James E. McJunkin, Jr. | Oldest continuous association of Baptist churches, established in 1707. One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
West Virginia Baptist Convention | Parkersburg, West Virginia | The state of West Virginia | 345 | Dr. Michael Sisson |
Statistics
In 1925, there were just over 1.4 million members.[16] Membership peaked in the early 1980s at around 1.6 million. Since the beginning of the 21st century, membership began to decline and stagnate again, with the ABCUSA reporting 1,145,647 members in 5,057 churches at the end of 2017. According to a census published by the denomination in 2023, it claimed 4,973 churches and 1,211,744 members.[17]
The majority of its congregations are concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast United States.[18] Numbers of the most wealthy and affluent American families, such as Rockefeller family, are American Baptists.[19][20]
According to a study by the Pew Research Center in 2014, 21% of its members were aged 18–29; 28% 30–49; 32% aged 50–64 and 19% aged 65 and older. While 51% of its membership were Baby Boomers, the Silent Generation, and the Greatest Generation, the remainder were Generation X, older millennials, and younger millennials,[21] making it slightly younger than the National Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist Convention.[22][23] Approximately 40% of its membership were men and 60% were women, and the ABCUSA's churches were 73% non-Hispanic white, 10% Black or African American, 1% Asian, 11% Hispanic or Latino American, and 5% multiracial or other.
Theologically, the Pew Research Center's 2014 study determined 83% of the ABCUSA believes in God with absolute certainty, and 15% believed fairly certainly; 73% believed religion was very important and 24% considered it somewhat important. About 42% of members attended churches at least once a week, while 41% attended once or twice a month; 16% seldom or never attend church. An estimated 69% prayed daily, and 19% prayed weekly. Among its membership, 48% read Scripture at least once a week, and 15% once or twice a month; 53% believe the Bible should be taken literally, while 27% believe it is still the Word of God, yet shouldn't be taken completely literally.[21]
Beliefs
American Baptists believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and the final authority in matters of faith.
ABCUSA churches recognize two ordinances: believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is by immersion, and those being baptized must be of an age to understand its significance. Believing in the priesthood of all believers, the ABCUSA avoids using creeds, affirming the freedom of individual Christians and local churches to interpret scripture as the Holy Spirit leads them. The ABCUSA affirms the ordination of women.[25]
LGBTQ and same-sex marriages
LGBTQ issues have been a point of contention in the ABCUSA since the 1987 Biennial Meeting.[26] In 1992, the ABCUSA General Board adopted a resolution that stated, "We affirm that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."
Since 1995, regional conventions of the church have carried out excommunications of various churches which have become members of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists founded in 1993, an association favorable to inclusion LGBTQ people, a belief contrary to a resolution adopted by the denomination.[27][28]
So far, at least seven regions in the ABCUSA—Evergreen, Wisconsin, Rochester-Genesee, Metro Chicago, Metropolitan New York, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia—support full inclusion of LGBTQ persons into Baptist life.[29] Many ABCUSA churches have also partnered with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, which formed at the 1993 Biennial Meeting.
However, several other ABCUSA regions and churches have opposed affirmation of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender identity. In 2004, the ABC Central Region reaffirmed the 1992 resolution.[30] At its 2005 annual meeting, the West Virginia Baptist Convention, which had a history of proposing resolutions opposing liberal views on LGBTQ inclusion,[26] narrowly rejected a proposal to withdraw from the ABCUSA over its refusal to discipline those regions that have supported LGBTQ-friendly policies.[29] The Indiana-Kentucky region has also proposed a change in the denomination's bylaws that would prohibit the transfer of churches into another region if removed from the region because of the issue of homosexuality.[29]
In 2006, American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest split from the convention due to the convention's laxity with churches on enforcing a 1992 resolution that opposes the inclusion of LGBTQ people and have been renamed Transformation Ministries.[31] The convention responded that it wanted to respect the autonomy of local churches and that it did not want to carry out excommunications.
Each local congregation is autonomous and permitted to perform same-sex marriages if they opt to do so.
The ABCUSA has consistently allowed each congregation to determine whether or not to perform same-sex marriages, or ordain LGBT clergy.[35] The ABCUSA General Board voted in 2005 to amend the declaration We are American Baptists to define marriage as "between one man and one woman" and maintain that "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Biblical teaching."[35] However, the denomination has never officially adopted the board's statement, and has also stated "We respect and will continue to respect congregational freedom on this issue".[35]
Schools
The ABCUSA has 16 affiliated universities and colleges affiliated with it,[36] and a number of home and foreign missionary societies such as the American Baptist Home Mission Society and International Ministries. Among its universities and colleges, some are also dually-affiliated with the National Baptists—a predominantly African American or Black Baptist denomination founded by freedmen and slaves. Additionally, there are 10 seminaries affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA:[37]
- Andover Newton Theological School, Newton, Massachusetts, part of Yale Divinity from 2018
- Berkeley School of Theology (formerly called the American Baptist Seminary of the West), Berkeley, California
- Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Shawnee, Kansas
- Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Rochester, New York
- Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Northern Seminary, Lisle, Illinois
- St. David's, Pennsylvania
- Shaw University Divinity School, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University, Richmond, Virginia
Notable members
- Includes Northern Baptists (1907–1950) and American Baptists (1950–present)
- Wayland Hoyt (1838–1910), minister and author
- John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937), oil magnate and philanthropist
- Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918), theologian and pastor, key figure of the Social Gospel and single tax movements
- 36th Governor of New York, 11th Chief Justice of the United States, and first president of the Northern Baptist Convention
- Rev. Lena B. Mathes (1861-1951), educator, social reformer, ordained minister
- John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874–1960), financier and philanthropist
- Tony Campolo (b. 1935) American sociologist, pastor, author
- Kamala Harris (b. 1964), Vice President of the United States
See also
- Born again
- Baptist beliefs
- Worship service (evangelicalism)
- Believers' Church
- Christianity in the United States
References
- ^ McBeth, H Leon (1987), The Baptist Heritage, Broadman, pp. 596–608.
- ^ Earle E. Cairns, Christianity Through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church, Zondervan, USA, 2009, p. 362
- ^ William Cathcart, The Baptist Encyclopedia – Volume 3, The Baptist Standard Bearer, USA, 2001, p. 977
- ^ Robert E. Johnson, A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2010, p. 142
- ^ "Report on Slavery and Racism in the History of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary" (PDF). Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. December 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ Erich Geldbach, Baptists Worldwide: Origins, Expansions, Emerging Realities, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2022, p. 110
- ^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 9
- ^ a b c d e Martin, Dana (Winter 1999), "The American Baptist Convention and the Civil Rights Movement: Rhetoric and Response", Baptist History and Heritage.
- ^ James Leo Garrett, Baptist Theology: A Four-century Study, Mercer University Press, USA, 2009, p. 330
- ^ William H. Brackney, Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education, Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 295
- ^ a b George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 61
- ^ ABCUSA. "General Board". Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
- ^ "Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer Called as ABCUSA General Secretary". May 9, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "Find A Church". ABCUSA. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ "PNBC 1970 Minutes" (PDF). Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives. 1970. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ "American Baptist Churches in the USA". The Association of Religion Data Archives. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023
- ^ Data from the 2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study, The Arda[permanent dead link].
- ISBN 9781480446007.
Although the Nixon family was Quaker and the Rockefeller family Baptist
- ISBN 9781469626987.
The names of fashionable families who were already Episcopalian, like the Morgans, or those, like the Fricks, who now became so, goes on interminably: Aldrich, Astor, Biddle, Booth, Brown, Du Pont, Firestone, Ford, Gardner, Mellon, Morgan, Procter, the Vanderbilt, Whitney. Episcopalians branches of the Baptist Rockefellers and Jewish Guggenheims even appeared on these family trees.
- ^ a b "Religious Landscape Study: American Baptist Churches USA". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ "Religious Landscape Study: National Baptist Convention". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ "Religious Landscape Study: Southern Baptist Convention". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ ABCUSA. "10 Facts You Should Know About American Baptists". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ^ a b ABCUSA. "We Are Guided by God's Word". Archived from the original on September 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ^ a b Timeline of Responses / Actions Pertaining to Homosexuality (PDF) (Report). Topeka, KS: American Baptist Churches USA. September 25, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021 – via American Baptist Churches Central Region (abccr.org).
- ^ Religion News Service, 4 Churches Expelled for Outreach to Gays, Los Angeles Times, January 13, 1996
- ^ Jeff Brumley, 25 years ago this week, five Baptist churches were booted for affirming gay members, baptistnews.com, USA, January 5, 2021
- ^ a b c Tomlin, Gregory (May 18, 2006). "Split among American Baptists over homosexuality is final". Baptist Press (baptistpress.com). Southern Baptist Convention.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". American Baptist Churches Central Region (abccr.org). Topeka, KS.
- ^ ABPNEWS, Pacific region leaves ABC over homosexuality issue, baptistnews.com, USA, May 15, 2006
- ^ "Meet Allyson Robinson, the first openly transgender Baptist minister". Christian Today (christiantoday.com). London, UK. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Allen, Bob (July 10, 2014). "Baptist church ordains transgender woman". Baptist News Global (baptistnews.com). Conversations that matter. Jacksonville, FL. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Roach, David (July 20, 2015). "Gay marriage: Mainline denominations affirm SCOTUS". Baptist Press (bpnews.net). National News, World & Politics. Nashville, TN: Southern Baptist Convention. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
- ^ American Baptist Home Mission Societies, Colleges and Universities, abhms.org, USA, retrieved October 22, 2022
- ^ American Baptist Home Mission Societies, Seminaries, abhms.org, USA, retrieved October 22, 2022