American Baptist Churches USA
Encyclopedia : A : AM : AME : American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a group of Baptist churches within the United States; headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization's general secretary is A. Roy Medley. The ABCUSA should not be confused with the American Baptist Association. The organization is usually considered a "mainline" denomination.
Historically, the ABCUSA descends from the old Triennial Convention formed in 1814, a loosely structured foreign missions organization. Baptists in the south withdrew support from the Triennial Convention and formed the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in 1845, utilizing a more centralized organizational structure for carrying on missionary and benevolent enterprises. The majority of churches in the north continued to work through loosely associated societies for missions and benevolence, until the formation of a new convention in 1907. The Baptist churches in the north have not grown to the extent of those in the south, perhaps being less evangelical, and having greater ecumenical interests. The organization was founded as the Northern Baptist Convention on May 17, 1907 in Washington, D.C. The name was changed in 1950 to American Baptist Convention, and again in 1972 to American Baptist Churches, USA. The ABCUSA is a member of the National Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance. In 2000, this group was composed of 1,417,543 members in 5780 churches [source, Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States, 2000, Glenmary Research Center], and is the fifth largest Baptist denomination in the United States. Perhaps the most well known American Baptist Minister in the 20th century was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Autonomy
Traditionally, the ABCUSA has valued the autonomy of the local church. A statement from the ABCUSA webpage reads: "As early Baptists overcame oppression by establishing a congregational church system emphasizing local church autonomy and separation from state influence, so contemporary American Baptists continue to emphasize both the importance and the responsibility of every church and the individual believer before God."
Statements by the ABC
- "American Baptists believe that the Bible is inspired by God. The primary purpose, of the Bible, is to point to Jesus Christ, the living Lord of the Church, and to be the ultimate guide of faith and conduct."
See also
External links
- [ABC-USA.org]
- [American Baptist Evangelicals] a grassroots group advocating evangelical renewal within ABC/USA
- [Roger Williams Fellowship] a grassroots group advocating Baptist principles since 1935.
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