* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The History of the Baptist Church: from John the Baptist - Present "With an emphasis on the African American Culture" (This article was written by Pastor Brown while in Seminary at Howard University School of Divinity - 2000)
Introduction America is currently experiencing an information revolution unlike any other time in the history of the world. As early as Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone in 1875 through the continual upgrades of computer chips which are the size of a normal finger nail or smaller, the world is overwhelmed with the availability of information, any information, at any given time. The church has done its best to keep up with the promotion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ via the various methods of technological communications. On any given day or time, one can tune in via radio, television or internet to hear a word from the Lord. With this wide range of variety, I feel that it is important and necessary to have a document which provides a comprehensive and orthodoxed understanding of the Baptist faith to as many who would inquire. I specifically have emphasized on the Baptist tradition as it has been influenced by the African-American community. Now more than ever, an orthodoxed understanding of scriptures and the doctrines that have become essential to what it means to be Baptist is needed and necessary. The Baptist denomination has many branches. For the purpose of this study, I will only discuss those that have been recognized on a national level by the overwhelming majority of churches and theologians across the country. Much of the information found within this study was taken from the Directory of African American Religious Bodies, edited by Wardell J. Payne, 1995. Significant portions of this study were taken from an article that appears in the Directory. The article was written by Rev. Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, former Dean, Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, DC.
The Origins of the Baptist Denomination The Baptist faith is one of several religious denominations and non-denominational churches referred to as protestant. Protestant is the general name given for all Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. Protestants number about 397 million. Protestantism resulted from a great religious and political movement, the Reformation, which began in the 1500's in Europe and was led by a priest named Martin Luther. The word 'protestant' comes from the Latin word 'protestan' one. The name soon came to mean all those who separated from the Catholic church. There are hundreds of Protestant denominations and sects that differ greatly from each other. Protestants accept the Bible as the reliable and final source of information about God and the salvation of man. Baptist are known as the most democratic of all the Protestant churches in that it is governed by the people, with the people choosing their own minister and leaders. However, it is common in most Baptist churches that the congregation and church leaders respects and honors the entrusted Senior Pastor’s authority to spiritually lead the church as he or she is so led by the Holy Spirit. Each church is an individual state in itself, having no outside or overseeing council that it has to ask of or answer to. They encourage each person and each church to rely on his/her own conscience and to listen to his own judgement as God speaks to him. Baptist in general oppose the baptism of infants and insist that baptism should be restricted to believers who are old enough to make their own declaration of faith. Also, baptism is most properly done by immersion rather than by pouring or sprinkling. However, pouring and/or sprinkling forms of baptism are recognized when it is medically impossible to emerge the candidate into water. The first Baptist congregation was started by Rev. John Smyth and 36 exiled Englishmen, who later became the pilgrims of New England. Roger Williams, an Englishman, has been called the father of the American Baptist Church. He formed a Baptist church in the United States in Providence, Rhode Island in 1639. During the years just before and after the Revolution, the number of Baptist increased greatly. The Methodist, at one time, ranked as the largest Protestant denomination in America. Pentecostals are now the largest with 105.7 million members world-wide. Lutherans follow with 84.5 million members and Baptist are the third largest with 67.1 million members world-wide (please see pie chart on the following page). Due to extensive missionary work, most countries have at least a small Baptist community. Religion for African-Americans was, is and forever shall be the source of all life and meaning. It is in religion that we live, move and have our being. All life is sacred in Africa and such deep religious feelings and practices were brought to the Americas by Africans. The North American slave owners suppressed the African cultures and forced them to imitate the worship of their white slave masters. Two attributes that helped the preachers of African descendent were his/her ability to dramatize and illustrate the Word of God and his/her ability to sing and rhythmically proclaim the enthusiasm of their faith. An innate method took shape within the African American church heritage, affectionately referred to as the “call and response” between the preacher and congregants – example, Preacher – “Can I get an Amen?” Congregational Response “Amen” - - Preacher “Say Yeah!” Congregational Unified Response “Yeah!” Since those of African descendent have long been associated with verbal and artistic expressions of their faith, the African form of the Baptist Church got off to a good start. Although African-Americans had churches other than Baptist, this church seemed to flourish more than any other. After the Emancipation, Baptist churches continued to lead within the African American community. Presently, the size of African-American Baptist churches range from a handful to thousands. In methods of worship, Baptist range from “highly emotional” to a more “conservative sophisticated” form of faith expression. African American Baptist churches are not confined to their four walls. Active outreach programs extend into the community and even foreign countries. African-American communities have traditionally come to expect that the Church will provide for quality religious, social, economic and political leadership. About half of the Baptists in the United States are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The two major African-American National Baptist groups form another large segment, the National Baptist Convention, USA and the Progressive Baptist Convention. A fourth major group, the American Baptist Convention is the oldest active Baptist group. A contemporary group that has experience tremendous growth and support is the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship Conference. In March of 1993, Pastor Paul S. Morton, Sr., Pastor of Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church, New Orleans, Louisiana heeded the voice of God and was obedient to the appointment of God as he organized a group of African American Baptist churches who believed and accepted the free operation of spiritual gifts as stated and described in the latter books of the New Testament of the Bible. They also believe and accept the presbytery titles used in these books such as Elder, Bishop, Overseer, etc. They also freely accept women in ministry, all while sustaining their Baptist affiliation. Pastor Morton was ordained in the office of a Bishop shortly after starting the “fellowship” of like-minded churches of any or no denominational affiliation. It was on the 19th day of March that Pastor Morton was elevated to the office of Bishop and became the First Presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. Greater St. Stephen serves as the "mother church" of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. The first Conference was held in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1994. It was expected that approximately 5,000 people would attend. The response was so overwhelming that the Conference had to be moved first to an arena and then to the Louisiana Superdome. Over 30,000 people attend the very first conference. In 1995, forty thousand were in attendance. In 1995, the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship acquired their own building for national operations located at 4140 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. The Fellowship has held Annual Conferences since 1994 and the number of participants has grown tremendously. (1)
The Origins of Blacks of Baptist Faith and Their Efforts to Unite Nationally The origins for African Americans into the national Baptist arena had drastically different beginnings than their European-American counterpart although their Baptist heritage is the same. For European-Americans and all who followed the Baptist tradition, their identity and relationship with what it meant to be Baptist surfaced as a result of the Protestant Reformation in the decades surrounding 1555 AD. European-Americans carved out the essential doctrines of this newfound denominational faith and distinguished it from the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England and the Puritan Movements. These founders received God’s true covenant of mercy and His willingness to offer grace to any many regardless of their personal family community and/or affiliated status. They upheld a standard, which suggested that every person, must acknowledge God as Savior for themselves versus receiving an inherited faith. For the African American, their origin into the Baptist faith came by way of their enslavement and the consequential proselyzation. As more African Americans became enlightened, there existed an undercurrent need that beckoned for mobilization, empowerment and independence. As those that received Christ would multiply themselves, they sought to establish their own worship environment/church, as that environment was eventually established, these gathered churches, once truly out in the open and exposed from the former invisibleness, they desired to independently unite themselves in the form of their European-American counterparts, into Baptist Associations (locally and/or regionally based). By 1822, approximately thirty-seven African American Baptist churches were in existence. By 1834, some of these had begun to organize themselves into all Black associations. The only major difference between the Black Baptist associations and their White counterparts was the fact that the Black associations were actively opposed to slavery along with its systematic societal entanglements. Both associations desired cooperative endeavors in such activities as domestic missions, mutual aid, and education. For Blacks, a significant step toward achieving recognized denominational status was the organization of two conventions prior to the Civil War, both of which enjoyed wide regional influence. In 1840, the American Baptist Missionary Convention was created at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. The convention consisted of Zion Baptist in New York and Union Baptist of Philadelphia along with Abyssinian. After various historic attempts to consolidate a prominent national body for African American Baptist, the goal was reached in 1895 with the establishment of the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc (NBCUSA). The convention began with three working boards, The Boards of Education, Foreign Mission, and Home Mission. Soon after, other ministries were added such as, the Baptist Young People’s Union, the Women’s Auxiliary, and the National Baptist Benefit Association. NBCUSA essentially gave roots/birth to the other major Black Baptist Convention. These conventions will be discussed in the narratives to follow.
The Major National "Predominately Black" Baptist Conventions: National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc., National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, National Primitive Baptist Convention of the U.S.A., United American Free Will Baptist Denomination, Inc. and the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. (NBCUSA, Inc.) - 1895: The NBCUSA, Inc. has a long history of supporting foreign missions. The Convention is active in the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Swaziland. Its home missions program includes the support of a number of institutions of higher learning. They include American Baptist Theological Seminary, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Morehouse School of Religion, National Baptist College, Selma University, Shaw Divinity School, and Shaw University. NBCUSA represents thirty thousand churches, with membership in excess of 7.5 millions. National Baptist Convention of American, Inc. (NBCA) - 1915: NBCA has a similar charge as many of the predominantly African American Baptist conventions. NBCA maintains missions in Ghana, West African; Cameroon, West Africa; Haiti; St. Ann, Jamaica; Kingston, Jamaica; the Virgin Islands; and Panama. With an annual disbursement running over three-quarters of a million dollars, foreign missions constitute the single largest disbursement item in the Convention. Through its various ministry boards, NBCA publishes three major newsletters, Go Preach, The Crier, and the Lantern. The Convention is actively involved with partnering with other Conventions to the pursuit of social and domestic harmony in America and abroad. NBCA helps to support fifteen institutions of higher learning including Union Baptist Seminary, Florida Memorial College, and Morris College. Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. (PNBC) - 1961: PNBC is commonly known for their stands concerning social injustices. One of its pioneering members was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The have been very active in protesting South African apartheid and supporting the NAACP; the Urban League; the SCLC; the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change; the Baptist World Alliance; the North American Baptist Fellowship; the Baptist Join Committee on Public Affairs; the National Council of Churches and the General Commission of Chaplains and Armed Forces Personnel. In addition, the PNBC includes a number of institutions of higher learning in its budget: Central Theological Seminary, Howard University School of Divinity, Morehouse School of Religion, Morris College, Shaw Divinity School, Shaw University, Virginia Union Divinity School and Virginia Union University. Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention (LCBFMC) – 1897: The Lott Carey Convention primary thrust is foreign missions. They serve as the foreign mission liaison for affiliated Baptist groups and churches to the actual mission work/location in which the affiliate would like to influence through ministry. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are affiliated and support 133 missionaries in Guyana, India, Kenya, Liberia, and Nigeria. The work of the convention is performed through: evangelism, education, hospitals and leporasaris, and alleviation of hunger in crisis areas. National Primitive Baptist convention of the U.S.A. (NPBCUSA) – 1907: Primitive Baptist view(ed) missionary societies, Bible societies, and theological seminars, stating that the association saw these as the “inventions of men, and not warranted from the Word of God.” A distinction of the doctrine within the Primitive Baptist faith are that they practice closed communion, and that foot-washing is regarded as an ordinance of the church. United American Free Will Baptist Denomination, Inc. (UAFWBD) – 1827: This united effort by mostly Black Free Will Baptists main effort of outreach, as a group is there continued and ongoing support of Kinston College in North Carolina. The denomination has varied forms of congregational polity, and has district, quarterly, annual and general conference. Local churches are autonomous in government, but the conference decides questions of doctrine. The church practices anointing the sick with oil, foot-washing and baptism. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America (NMBCA) – 1988: This Convention was established in 1988. Their basic premise was to have exclusive control over a publishing house. The purpose of the NMBCA is to serve as an agency of Christian education, church extension, and missionary efforts. It seeks to maintain and safeguard full religious liberty and engage in social and economic development. They have several members and churches to date and are expected to do great works in the future.
The Baptist Denomination Historical Time-Line, (with an emphasis on the African American Culture): from John the Baptist to 1895 John the Baptist and his ministry methods of preaching repentance, the coming of the Messiah and public acknowledgement of faith through water baptism by immersion. Jesus’ encouragement of the act of water baptism as performed by disciples and apostles. (Some scholars will not substantiate the time of John the Baptist and the baptism administered by the disciples of Jesus (John 4:2) due to the total embryo-atic state of the New Testament Church during that time.) AD-early 1500’s - Period of spiritual and organizational development of the Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church. 1530’s - The formation of the Church of England (CoE) when King Henry VIII wished to obtain a divorce from Queen Catherine of Aragon for not producing a male heir. The Roman Catholic Pope would not grant it. After a long campaign to reverse this decision, the King ran out of patience and proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church of England and the Church began its separate existence from Rome. 1550-1560’s - The beginning of the Puritan Movement from the CoE tradition. 1560–early 1600’s - Establishment of Separatist Puritan (Separatist did not favor any of the CoE’s methods. They believed that “belief in Christ” was not a birth right. Members were considered a “gathered” faith community versus a “parish” community because their belief was based on their own individual commitment rather than their family or geographical residence.) and Non-Separatist Puritans (favored some of the CoE methods). 1608 - Fearing intense persecution several Separatist moved to Holland led by Rev. John Smyth (who pastored a church in Gainsborough, England). 1609 - Another Separatist Puritan group of believers left England for Leyden, Holland led by Rev. John Robinson. 1610 - The Doctrine of “Believer’s Baptism” emerges and Rev. Smyth baptized himself by pouring water over himself. His congregation also adopted and imitated this method of baptism, thus bringing into existence the first Baptist Church of record. 1611 or 1612 - Rev. Thomas Helwys and members of Rev. Smyth’s congregation returned to England to start a church. 1611 or 1612 - Rev. Helwys’ church deviated from the Calvinistic believe of limited atonement (Christ died for a limited few) in favor of general atonement believing that Christ died for all. This began the General/Arminian or Missionary Baptist Movement. 1616 - Rev. Henry Jacobs, a member of Rev. John Robinson’s group (who departed England in 1609) returned to England and organized a church. 1619 - The first slaves were brought from Africa to America. African slaves were introduced to Christianity in American by their slave masters. 1620 - The “Gathered Church” Baptist Church concept came to America. It was first introduced in New England by a small contingent from Rev. John Robinson’s Church (which separated from England in 1609). 1633 - Rev. John Spilsbury led a group of members from Rev. Henry Jacob’s church to form a church who believed in limited atonement, yet under the Baptist faith, thus beginning the Particular Baptist Movement. 1638-1639 - The first official Baptist Church in America was constituted in Providence, Rhode Island by Rev. Roger Williams and Rev. Ezekiel Holliman. 1641 – Rev. Spilsbury’s group officially adopted baptism by immersion as the proper mode of baptism. 1641 - Baptism by immersion had become the tradition form of baptism by all the Baptist Churches in England, both in the General and Particular Baptist Movements. 1700’s-early 1800’s - The Baptist denomination experienced tremendous growth of both General and Particular Baptists in the America. 1701 - The first organized effort to Christianize slaves and Native Americans was the creation of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel by the Anglican Church. The earliest efforts to convert the slaves were made within the context of family life, where White master and the slave mistress sought to share the liberating message of salvation. Yet, Christianity, with its emphasized message of “freedom,” was overcome by its limits to provide spiritual freedom only. 1720’s – Another phase of the Baptist denomination emerged in America which established the foundation for the common worship style of many Black Baptist Churches in America. They were called the New Light Baptist Movement (the First Spiritual Awakening Period in America). These men and women generally regarded the free expression and outward emotionalism of revivalistic meetings as authentic signs of a true and efficacious work of God through the activity of the Holy Spirit. 1720’s - Baptist who did not regard this new found revivalistic part of the worship experience as valid and/or necessary were referred to as Regular Baptist. 1758 – There was a small number of outspoken white Christians that existed, referred to as the “righteous remnant” of who sensed that there was a deep contradiction between the Gospel and the practice of slavery. They initiated the first efforts to abolish the slave trade. Among these were some members of the Quaker movement, Anthony Benezet and John Woolman to name a few, led the passing of legislation within the Philadelphia Quaker Meeting, which condemned the practice of trading slaves, within their local faith practice. 1770’s - Few slaves joined churches of their own. They attended the church of their slave owners which promoted slavery as a legitimate Christian practice for the superior European race. 1770’s - Slaves were prohibited from establishing religious institutions. However, despite such limitations, the first religious institution primarily controlled and administered by African Americans was established at Silver Bluff, South Carolina. Mid-1770’s on - The number of separate Black Baptist Church proliferated. Late 1700’s - Only about 4%-5% of African Americans were enrolled on the rosters of the Christian churches. 1814 - Compelled by a call to win new people to the Gospel and to serve the poor through the Second Great Spiritual Awakening period, a fifth type of Baptist emerged, the Missionary Baptist. This group was led to organize all Baptist of like thought and it also haphazardly included Blacks and Indians. This group became know as the Triennial Convention, which ultimately served as the central stem by which all national Baptist affiliated denomination (White and Black) groupings grew from in America. 1822 - Approximately 37 Black Baptist churches were in existence. 1834 - Some of these 37 churches had begun to organize themselves into all-Black Baptist associations. 1834 – Six churches in southeastern Ohio organized the Providence Association (later name the Providence Anti-Slavery Colored Baptist Association) 1835 - Baptist who did not believe that the process of organizing believers into systematic missionary activities, Bible Studies, Sunday Schools, and State Conventions were all scriptural activities. This group of people separated themselves from the Triennial Convention to form their own entitled, the Primitive Baptist Church (PBC). 1836 – The Union Association was formed when churches in the state of Ohio banded together The churches were located in Cincinnati, Columbus, Chillicothe, and Brush Creek. 1839 – The Colored Baptist Association and Friends to Humanity (CBAFH) was organized by three churches in Southwestern Illinois. 1841 – A Canadian-based association, the Amherstburgh Association was formed. They were originally called the Baptist Association for Colored People. This organization united black Baptist churches in southern Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. 1840 – The American Baptist Missionary Convention was created at the Abyssinian Baptist (parent church) and Zion Baptist Church, both located in New York City, New York, and Union Baptist church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1845 – The Southern Baptist Convention was formed due to the growing motivation to have a stronger stand against slavery within the national Triennial Convention. This division was the first of several splinterings of the denomination on a national level which continues to occur this day. This divided Baptist along racial and geographical lines 1849 – The American Baptist Missionary Convention (AMBC) was formed due to disagreements within the national Triennial Convention over the slave trade issue(s). 1849 – The CBAFH group divided into two groups due to geographical reasoning to give rise to the Colored Baptist Association and the Mount Olive Association. 1853 – The Wood River Association (from 1856) sponsored the Western Colored Baptist Convention (WCBC) founded in Mississippi. 1856 – The Providence Anti-Slavery Colored Baptist Association changed its name to the Wood River Colored Baptist Association. 1857 – The final association established prior to the Civil War was the Colored Baptist Association of Indiana. 1860 - The African American population of the United States was 4,444,830. Of this number, approximately 12%-15% were enrolled as members of the churches, including men, women, and children. 1864 - WCBC reorganized and renamed itself the Northwestern and Southern Baptist Convention (NwSBC). The new organization had representative churches from eight states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. The new emphasis of this group was to offer more of a ministry effort to the free men in the valley of the lower Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri. 1866 – The AMBC (1849) and NwSBC (1864) merged to form the Consolidated American Baptist Missionary Convention (CABMC). This marked the first organization of denomination proportion among African-American Baptists. 1874 – The northern membership of the CABMC organized to form the New England Baptist Missionary Convention. 1879 – Due to internal and external problems, national politics, financial support, and White denominational paternalism, the CABMC dissolved. 1880 – African American Baptist once again made an attempt to organize on a national level. In this year, the Baptist Foreign Mission Convention (BFMC) was created. 1886 – The most formidable attempt to found an African American Baptist national denomination after the dissolvement of the CABMC was the American National Baptist Convention (ANBC). This Convention united with the hopes of dispelling unfactual intellectual stereotypes concerning the people and religious leaders within the African American community. The Convention was organized by Rev. William Simmons of Kentucky, Rev. Richard de Baptiste, former president of CABMC and other honorable leaders from St. Louis, Missouri. 1893 – The varying African American Baptist denominational leaders met at the ANBC Annual Meeting and had intensive discussions about merging all foreign mission efforts which was favorably considered. (The vision for such unity was first officially expressed by Pastor D.W. Wisher, Olivet Bapist Church, New York City, New York at the ANBC Annual Meeting in 1889.) 1894 – The Baptist leaders again met at the ANBC Annual Meeting and agreed to consolidate their separate education, foreign missions and national efforts respectively. They all agreed to officially adopt the consolidation at the next ANBC Annual Meeting. 1895 – At the ANBC Annual meeting the majority of all African American Baptist leaders voted to consolidate the three major ministry emphasis into the following groups: the Boards of Education, Foreign Mission, and Home Mission. Everyone endorsed the idea, thereby creating the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. (NBCUSA). With the establishment of NBCUSA, African-American Baptist denominationalism was firmly established in American ecclesiastical soil. (Other national African American Baptist groups were established before and after (please see “The Major National Predominately Black Baptist Bodies” Section for details), however, this was the first group that had the influence and impact that was desired by the majority community of Baptist leaders.)
(1) Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church Homepage: www.fullgospelbaptist.org | 
