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Southern Baptist Convention

Reaching the world for Christ.

Classification Protestant

Theology Evangelical Baptist

Governance Congregational

Region United States

Origin May 8–12, 1845Augusta, Georgia

Separated from Triennial Convention

Separations American Baptist Association,Alliance of Baptists,Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,Church on the Rock- International

Congregations 45,010[1]

Members 15.98 million

Official website www.sbc.net (http://www.sbc.net/)

Statistics for 2005[2]

Southern Baptist ConventionFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Southern Baptist)

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is aUnited States-based Christian denomination. It is theworld's largest Baptist denomination and the largestProtestant body in the United States, with nearly 16million members as of 2012.[3] This also makes it thesecond largest Christian body in the United States,after the Catholic Church.[4]

The word Southern in Southern Baptist Conventionstems from its having been founded and rooted in theSouthern United States. In 1845, members at aregional convention being held in Augusta, Georgia,created the SBC, following a split from northernBaptists over the issue of forbidding Southern slave-owners from becoming ordained missionaries. Afterthe American Civil War, another split occurred: mostblack Baptists in the South separated from whitechurches to set up independent congregations,regional associations, and state and nationalconventions, such as the National Baptist Convention,the second largest Baptist convention.

Since the 1940s, the SBC has moved away from someof its regional identification.[5] Especially since thelate twentieth century, the SBC has sought newmembers among minority groups and become muchmore diverse. In addition, while still heavilyconcentrated in the Southern US, the SBC hasmember churches across the United States and 41affiliated state conventions.[6][7]

At its annual convention in 2012, the SBC elected aspresident Fred Luter Jr., the first African American tohold the position. A SBC presidential term is for oneyear, with a term limit of two terms. Each president iselected by Messengers sent by each local church at theSBC annual meeting. Since Luter ran unopposed, perthe by-laws of the Convention, only a single ballotwas cast by the Recording Secretary to secure hiselection. Because of the historic nature of the vote, theassembly was asked to rise in support of the vote, which the messengers did enthusiastically. Luter was re-elected president for a second (and final) term at the 2013 meeting.[8][9]

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Southern Baptists emphasize the significance of the individual conversion experience which is affirmed by theperson having a total immersion in water for a believer's baptism. As a result, they reject the practice of infantbaptism.[7] SBC churches are evangelical in doctrine and practice. Specific beliefs based on biblicalinterpretation can vary somewhat due to their congregational governance system which allows autonomy toeach individual local church.[10]

The Southern Baptist Convention has officially sanctioned the model of male headship and femalesubordination, making it a core belief in its "Baptist Faith and Message" 2000 revision.[11][12]

Contents1 History

1.1 Colonial Era1.2 American Revolution period1.3 National unification and regional division

1.3.1 Divisions over slavery1.3.2 Missions and organization

1.4 Formation and separation of black Baptists1.5 Historical controversies

1.5.1 Landmark controversy1.5.2 Whitsitt controversy1.5.3 Moderates-Conservatives controversy

1.6 Recent history2 Theology and practice

2.1 Ordinances2.2 Gender-based roles

2.2.1 In the pastorate2.2.2 In marriage

2.3 Worship services3 Statistics

3.1 Membership3.2 Trends

4 Organization4.1 Pastor and deacon4.2 State conventions4.3 Annual Meeting

5 Missions and affiliated organizations5.1 Cooperative Program5.2 Missions agencies5.3 Seminaries and colleges5.4 Other organizations

6 See also7 References8 Further reading9 External links

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First Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina

HistoryFurther information: Baptists in the United States

Colonial Era

Most early Baptists in the British colonies came fromEngland in the 17th century, after the established Churchof England persecuted them for their dissenting religiousviews. The oldest Baptist church in the South, First BaptistChurch of Charleston, South Carolina, was organized in1682 under the leadership of Rev. William Screven.[13] ABaptist church was formed in Virginia in 1715 through thepreaching of Robert Norden and another in North Carolinain 1727 through the ministry of Paul Palmer.

The Baptists operated independently of the state-established Anglican churches in the South, at a time whennon-Anglicans were prohibited from holding politicaloffice. By 1740, there were about eight Baptist churches inthe colonies of Virginia, North Carolina, and SouthCarolina, with an estimated 300–400 members.[14] New members, both black and white, were convertedchiefly by Baptist preachers who traveled throughout the South during the 18th and 19th centuries, in the erasof the First Great Awakening and Second Great Awakening.[15]

Baptists welcomed African Americans, both slave and free, allowing them to have more active roles inministry than did other denominations by licensing them as preachers and, in some cases, allowing them to betreated as equals to white members. As a result, black congregations and churches were founded in Virginia,South Carolina, and Georgia before the American Revolution. Some black congregations kept theirindependence even after whites tried to exercise more authority after the Nat Turner slave rebellion of1831.[16]

American Revolution period

Before the Revolution, Baptist and Methodist evangelicals in the South had promoted the view of the commonman's equality before God, which embraced slaves and free blacks. They challenged the hierarchies of classand race and urged planters to abolish slavery. They welcomed slaves as Baptists and accepted them aspreachers.[17]

Isaac (1974) analyzes the rise of the Baptist Church in Virginia, with emphasis on evangelicalism and sociallife. There was a sharp division between the austerity of the plain-living Baptists, attracted initially fromyeomen and common planters, and the opulence of the Anglican planters, the slaveholding elite whocontrolled local and colonial government in what had become a slave society by the late eighteenthcentury.[18] The gentry interpreted Baptist church discipline as political radicalism, but it served to amelioratedisorder. The Baptists intensely monitored each other's moral conduct, watching especially for sexualtransgressions, cursing, and excessive drinking; they expelled members who would not reform.[19]

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In Virginia and in most southern colonies before the Revolution, the Church of England was the state-established church and supported by general taxes, as it was in Britain. It opposed the rapid spread of Baptistsin the South. Particularly in Virginia, many Baptist preachers were prosecuted for "disturbing the peace" bypreaching without licenses from the Anglican Church. Both Patrick Henry and the young attorney JamesMadison defended Baptist preachers prior to the American Revolution in cases considered significant to thehistory of religious freedom.[20] In 1779, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom,enacted in 1786 by the Virginia General Assembly. Madison later applied his own ideas and those of theVirginia document related to religious freedom during the Constitutional Convention, when he ensured thatthey were incorporated into the national constitution.

The struggle for religious toleration erupted and was played out during the American Revolution, as theBaptists worked to disestablish the Anglican church in the South. Beeman (1978) explores the conflict in oneVirginia locality, showing that as its population became more dense, the county court and the AnglicanChurch were able to increase their authority. The Baptists protested vigorously; the resulting social disorderresulted chiefly from the ruling gentry's disregard for public need. The vitality of the religious opposition madethe conflict between 'evangelical' and 'gentry' styles a bitter one.[21] Kroll-Smith (1984) suggests that thestrength of the evangelical movement's organization determined its ability to mobilize power outside theconventional authority structure.[22]

National unification and regional division

Main article: Triennial Convention

In 1814, Baptists unified nationally under what became known informally as the Triennial Convention(because it met every three years) based in Philadelphia. It allowed them to join their resources to supportmissions abroad. The Home Mission Society, affiliated with the Triennial Convention, was established in1832 to support missions in frontier territories of the United States. By the mid-19th century, numerous social,cultural, economic, and political differences existed among business owners of the North, farmers of the West,and planters of the South. The most divisive conflict was primarily over the deep sectional issue of slavery andsecondarily over missions.

Divisions over slavery

Slavery in the 19th century became the most critical moral issue dividing Baptists in the United States.Struggling to gain a foothold in the South, after the American Revolution, the next generation of Baptistpreachers accommodated themselves to the leadership of southern society. Rather than challenging the gentryon slavery and urging manumission (as did the Quakers and Methodists), they began to interpret the Bible assupporting the practice of slavery and encouraged good paternalistic practices by slaveholders. They preachedto slaves to accept their places and obey their masters. In the two decades after the Revolution during theSecond Great Awakening, Baptist preachers abandoned their pleas that slaves be manumitted.[23]

After first attracting yeomen farmers and common planters, in the nineteenth century, the Baptists began toattract major planters among the elite.[24] While the Baptists welcomed slaves and free blacks as members,whites controlled leadership of the churches, their preaching supported slavery, and blacks were usuallysegregated in seating.[25]

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Black congregations were sometimes the largest of their regions. For instance, by 1821 Gillfield Baptist inPetersburg, Virginia, had the largest congregation within the Portsmouth Association. At 441 members, it wasmore than twice as large as the next ranking church. Before the Nat Turner slave rebellion of 1831, Gillfieldhad a black preacher. Afterward, it could not call a black preacher until after the American Civil War andemancipation.[26] After Turner's slave rebellion, whites worked to exert more control over blackcongregations and passed laws requiring white ministers to lead or be present at religious meetings (manyslaves evaded these restrictions).

In addition, from the early decades of the nineteenth century, many Baptist preachers in the South argued infavor of preserving the right of ministers to be slaveholders (which they had earlier prohibited), a class thatincluded prominent Baptist Southerners and planters.[27]

The Triennial Convention and the Home Mission Society adopted a kind of neutrality concerning slavery,neither condoning nor condemning it. During the "Georgia Test Case" of 1844, the Georgia State Conventionproposed that the slaveholder, Elder James E. Reeve, be appointed as a missionary. The Foreign MissionBoard refused to approve his appointment, recognizing the case as a challenge and not wanting to overturntheir policy of neutrality on the slavery issue. They stated that slavery should not be introduced as a factor intodeliberations about missionary appointments.[28]

In 1844, Basil Manly, Sr., president of the University of Alabama, a prominent preacher and a major planterwho owned 40 slaves, drafted the "Alabama Resolutions" and presented them to the Triennial Convention.These included the demand that slaveholders be eligible for denominational offices to which the Southernassociations contributed financially. These resolutions failed to be adopted. Georgia Baptists decided to testthe claimed neutrality by recommending a slaveholder to the Home Mission Society as a missionary. TheHome Mission Society's board refused to appoint him, noting that missionaries were not allowed to takeservants with them (so he clearly could not take slaves) and that they would not make a decision that appearedto endorse slavery. Southern Baptists considered this an infringement of their right to determine their owncandidates.[29] From the Southern perspective, the Northern position that "slaveholding brethren were lessthan followers of Jesus" effectively obliged slaveholding Southerners out of the fellowship.[30]

Missions and organization

A secondary issue that disturbed the Southerners was the perception that the American Baptist Home MissionSociety did not appoint a proportionate number of missionaries to the southern region of the U.S. This waslikely a result of the Society's not appointing slave owners as missionaries.[31] Baptists in the North preferred aloosely structured society composed of individuals who paid annual dues, with each society usually focusedon a single ministry.[32]

Baptists in southern churches preferred a more centralized organization of congregations composed ofchurches patterned after their associations, with a variety of ministries brought under the direction of onedenominational organization.[32]:p.505 The increasing tensions and the discontent of Baptists from the Southregarding national criticism of slavery and issues over missions led to their withdrawal from the nationalBaptist organizations.[14]

In May 1845, the southern Baptists met at the First Baptist Church of Augusta in May 1845.[33] At thismeeting, they formed a new convention, naming it the Southern Baptist Convention. They elected WilliamBullein Johnson (1782–1862) as the new convention's first president. He had served as president of the

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Original location of First Baptist Church inAugusta, Georgia

First African Baptist Church,Savannah, Georgia, constructed 1856.

Triennial Convention in 1841.

Formation and separation of black Baptists

African Americans had gathered in their own churches early on, in 1774 in Petersburg, Virginia,[34] and inSavannah, Georgia, in 1788.[35] Some were established after 1800 on the frontier, such as the First AfricanBaptist Church of Lexington, Kentucky. In 1824, it was accepted by the Elkhorn Association of Kentucky,which was white-dominated. By 1850 First African had 1,820 members, the largest of any Baptist church in

the state.[36] In 1861 it had 2,223 members.[37]

Generally whitesin the Southrequired that blackchurches be underthe supervision ofwhite ministersand associations.In practice, asnoted above, inchurches withmixedcongregations,blacks were made

to sit in segregated seating, and white preaching sometimes quotedBiblical stipulations that slaves should accept their places and try tobehave well toward their masters.

After the Civil War and emancipation, blacks wanted to practice theirform of Christianity separately. They read the Bible as offering hopefor deliverance, for their own Exodus out of slavery. They quickly leftwhite-dominated churches and associations and set up separate state Baptist conventions. In 1866, blackBaptists of the South and West combined to form the Consolidated American Baptist Convention. In 1895they merged three national conventions to create the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc..[38] With 8million members, it is today the largest African-American religious organization and is second in size to theSouthern Baptist Convention.

Free blacks in the North had founded churches and denominations in the early nineteenth century that wereindependent of white-dominated organizations. In the Reconstruction Era, missionaries both black and whitefrom several northern denominations worked in the South; they quickly attracted tens and hundreds ofthousands of new members from among the millions of freedmen. The African Methodist Episcopal Churchattracted the most new members of any denomination.[38] White Southern Baptist churches lost blackmembers to the new denominations, as well as to independent congregations organized by freedmen.

Into the 1960s and the Civil Rights era, most Southern Baptist pastors and most members of their flocksrejected integration and accepted white supremacy, further alienating African Americans.[39]

Historical controversies

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B. H. Carroll Memorial Building, the SouthwesternBaptist Theological Seminary's main administrativebuilding.

During its history, the Southern Baptist Convention has had several periods of major internal controversy.

Landmark controversy

In the 1850s–1860s, a group of young activists called for a return to certain early practices, or what they calledLandmarkism. Other leaders disagreed with their assertions, and the Baptist congregations became split on theissues. Eventually the disagreements led to the formation of Gospel Missions and the American BaptistAssociation (1924), as well as many unaffiliated independent churches. One historian called the related JamesRobinson Graves—Robert Boyte Crawford Howell controversy (1858–1860) the greatest to affect thedenomination before that of the late 20th century involving the "fundamentalist-moderate" break.[40]

Whitsitt controversy

In the "Whitsitt controversy" of 1896–1899,[32]:pp.446–458 Dr. William H. Whitsitt, a professor at SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary, suggested that, contrary to earlier thought, English Baptists did not begin tobaptize by immersion until 1641, when some Anabaptists, as they were then called, began to practiceimmersion. This overturned the idea of immersion as the practice of the earliest Baptists, as some of theLandmarkists contended.

Moderates-Conservatives controversy

The Southern Baptist Convention conservativeresurgence (c. 1970-2000) was an intense struggle forcontrol of the SBC's resources and ideological direction.The major internal disagreement captured nationalattention.[32]:pp.681ff Its initiators called it a ConservativeResurgence[41] while its detractors have labeled it aFundamentalist Takeover.[42] Russell H. Dilday,president of the Southwestern Baptist TheologicalSeminary from 1978 to 1994, described the resurgence ashaving fragmented Southern Baptist fellowship and asbeing "far more serious than a controversy".[43] Dildaydescribed it as being "a self-destructive, contentious, one-sided feud that at times took on combativecharacteristics". Since 1979, Southern Baptists had

become polarized into two major groups: moderates and conservatives. Reflecting the conservative majorityvotes of delegates at the 1979 annual meeting of the SBC, the new national organization officers replaced allleaders of Southern Baptist agencies with presumably more conservative people (often dubbed"fundamentalist" by dissenters).[44]

Recent history

In 1995, the Convention voted to adopt a resolution renouncing its racist roots and apologizing for its pastdefense of slavery, segregation, and white supremacism.[45][46] This marked the denomination's first formalacknowledgment that racism had a profound role in its early and modern history. The convention hasrecognized that the demographics of the United States were changing and has made an effort to recruit new

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President George W. Bush meets with the leadershipof the Southern Baptist Convention in 2006 in theOval Office at the White House. Pictured with thePresident are Dr. Morris Chapman, left, Dr. FrankPage and his wife Dayle Page.

members among minority populations.

By the early 21st century, there were increasing numbers of ethnically diverse congregations within theconvention. In 2008, almost 20 percent were estimated to be majority African American, Asian or Hispanic.The SBC had an estimated one million African-American members.[47] The convention has passed aseries of resolutions recommending the inclusion ofmore black members and appointing more African-American leaders.[48] In the 2012 annual meeting, theSouthern Baptist Convention elected Fred Luter Jr. asits first African-American president. He had earnedrespect by his leadership skills shown in building alarge congregation in New Orleans.[49]

The increasingly national scope of the Convention hasinspired some members to suggest a name change. In2005, proposals were made at the SBC AnnualMeeting to change the name from the regional-sounding Southern Baptist Convention to a morenational-sounding "North American BaptistConvention" or "Scriptural Baptist Convention" (toretain the SBC initials). These initial proposals weredefeated.[50]

The messengers of the 2012 annual meeting in New Orleans voted to adopt the descriptor "Great CommissionBaptists." The legal name of the convention remains "Southern Baptist Convention," but churches andconvention entities can voluntarily use the descriptor.[51]

Theology and practiceThe general theological perspective of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention is represented in theBaptist Faith and Message (BF&M).[11] The BF&M was first drafted in 1925. It was revised significantly in1963 and again in 2000, with the latter revision being the subject of much controversy. The BF&M is notconsidered to be a creed, such as the Nicene Creed. Members are not required to adhere to it. Churchesbelonging to the SBC are not required to use it as their statement of faith or doctrine, though many do in lieuof creating their own statement. Despite the fact that the BF&M is not a creed, faculty in SBC-ownedseminaries and missionaries who apply to serve through the various SBC missionary agencies must affirm thattheir practices, doctrine, and preaching are consistent with the BF&M.

In addition to the BF&M, the SBC has also issued the following position statements:

Autonomy of local church — Affirms the autonomy of the local church.[10]

Cooperation — Identifies the Cooperative Program of missions as integral to the Southern BaptistConvention.[52]

Creeds and confessions — Statements of belief are revisable in light of Scripture. The Bible is the finalword.[53]

Missions — Honors the indigenous principle in missions. The SBC does not, however, compromise

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doctrine or its identity for missional opportunities.[54]

Priesthood of all believers — Laypersons have the same right as ordained ministers to communicatewith God, interpret Scripture, and minister in Christ's name.[55]

Sanctity of life — Abortion and most forms of birth control are immoral as life begins at the moment ofconception.[56]

Sexuality — Sexual behavior is condoned in marriages of one man and one woman, for life.[57]

Soul competency — Affirms the accountability of each person before God.[58]

Women in ministry — Women are of equal value to men and participate on Southern Baptist boards,faculties, mission teams, writer pools, and professional staffs. However, women are not eligible forpastorship.[59]

Ordinances

Main article: Baptist ordinance

Southern Baptists observe two ordinances: the Lord's Supper and Believer's baptism (also known as credo-baptism, from the Latin for "I believe").[7][11] Furthermore, they hold the historic Baptist belief that immersionis the only valid mode of baptism.[7]

Gender-based roles

Main article: ComplementarianismFurther information: Ordination of women

Beginning in the early 1970s, as a reaction to their perceptions of various "women's liberationmovements",[60] the Southern Baptist Convention, along with several other historically conservative Baptistgroups,[61] began as a body to assert its view of the propriety and primacy of what it deemed "traditionalgender roles". In 1998, the SBC appended a male leadership understanding of marriage to the 1963 version ofthe Baptist Faith and Message, with an official amendment: Article XVIII, "The Family". In 2000, it revisedthe document to reflect support for a male-only pastorate with no mention of the office of deacon. This is along-standing practice of the great majority of SBC churches, based on the idea that the church and Christexisted simultaneously.[59][62]

In the pastorate

By explicitly defining the pastoral office as the exclusive domain of males, the 2000 BF&M provisionbecomes the SBC's first-ever official position against women pastors.

Autonomous local congregations are not required to adopt male-only pastors as their theological position.Neither the BF&M nor the SBC provides any mechanism to trigger automatic expulsion of congregations thatadopt practices or theology contrary to the BF&M. However, going against the SBC's official gender protocol,defended on biblical grounds, opens a local Baptist congregation to severe criticism and even further penalties.Some SBC churches that have hired a woman as pastor have been excluded from fellowship and membershipin their local associations of Baptist churches with fewer such actions taking place within annual meetings ofstate conventions. The SBC contains no mechanism to trigger the automatic expulsion of congregations thatadopt practices or theology contrary to the BF&M.[10] As individual churches affiliated with the SBC are

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autonomous, local congregations cannot be compelled to adopt a male-only pastorate.[10] But, some SBCchurches that have installed women as their pastors have been excluded from membership in their localassociations of Baptist churches; a smaller number have been expelled from their state conventions.[63]

The hardening of SBC positions on gender roles and restrictions of women's participation in the pastoratecontributed to the decision by members now belonging to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) to breakfrom the SBC in 1991.[64]

In marriage

Additionally, the 2000 BF&M now prescribes a husband-headship authority structure, closely following theapostle Paul's exhortations in Ephesians 5:21-33:

Article XVIII. The Family. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, sinceboth are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to hispeople. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-givenresponsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herselfgraciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits tothe headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal tohim, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper inmanaging the household and nurturing the next generation. [emphasis added]

Worship services

Most Southern Baptists observe a Fasola form of Southern Gospel, which is less formal and uses statedSouthern Harmony. Worship services usually include hymns, prayer, choral music by a choir, soloist, or both,the reading of Scripture, the collection of offerings, a sermon, and an invitation to respond to the sermon.[65]

People may respond during the "Fasola" by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and beginning Christiandiscipleship, entering into vocational ministry, joining the church, or making some other publicly stateddecision.[66]

Statistics

Membership

The SBC reports having 15.98 million members in 45,764 churches throughout the US in 2012.[67] Oneinternal study by the SBC shows that on average 38 percent of the membership (6,138,776 members, guestsand non-member children) attend their churches' primary worship services.[68] Southern Baptists do not trackchurch attendance by numbers in the primary worship service; they track attendance through participation inSunday School, which 4,154,270 Convention members (less than 26 percent of SBC total membership)attend.[69] Sunday School enrollment in the United States decreased by 123,817 members between 2007 and2008.[70]

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Year Membership

1845 350,0001860 650,0001875 1,260,0001890 1,240,0001905 1,900,0001920 3,150,0001935 4,480,0001950 7,080,0001965 10,780,0001980 13,700,0001995 15,400,0002000 15,900,0002005 16,600,0002006 16,306,2462007 16,266,9202008 16,228,4382009 16,160,0882011 15,978,112

Sources[1][67][71][72]

The SBC has 1,200 local associations and 41 state conventions, and fellowshipscovering all 50 states and territories of the United States. The five states with the highestrates of membership in the SBC are Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, andTennessee.[73] Texas has the largest number of members, with an estimated 3.5 million.

Through their Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists support thousands ofmissionaries in the United States and worldwide. Although the SBC fielded over 10,000missionaries in 2005, budget constraints are expected to reduce the number ofmissionaries by at least 600 in 2010.[74]

Trends

Data from church sources and independent surveys indicate that since 1990 membershipof SBC churches has declined as a proportion of the American population.[75]

Historically, the Convention grew throughout its history until 2007, when membershipdecreased by a net figure of nearly 40,000 members.[76] The total membership, of about16.2 million, was flat over the same period, falling by 38,482, or 0.2 percent. Animportant indicator for the health of the denomination is new baptisms, which havedecreased every year for seven of the last eight years. As of 2008, they had reached theirlowest levels since 1987.[77] Membership continued to decline from 2008 to 2012.[9]

This decline in membership and baptisms has prompted some SBC researchers todescribe the Convention as a "denomination in decline".[78] Former SBC presidentFrank Page declared that if current conditions continue, half of all SBC churches willclose their doors permanently by the year 2030.[79] This assessment is supported by arecent survey of SBC churches which indicated that 70 percent of all SBC churches aredeclining or are plateaued with regards to their membership.[80]

The decline in membership of the SBC was an issue discussed during the June 2008 Annual Convention.[81]

Curt Watke, a former researcher for the SBC, noted four reasons for the decline of the SBC based on hisresearch: the increase in immigration by non-European groups, decline in growth among predominantlyEuropean American (white) churches, the aging of the current membership, and a decrease in the percentageof younger generations participating in any church life.[79] Some believe that the Baptists have not workedsufficiently to attract minorities.[82]

On the other hand, the state conventions of Mississippi and Texas report an increasing portion of minoritymembers.[82] In 1990 5% of SBC congregations were non-white. In 2012, the proportion of SBCcongregations that were of other ethnic groups (African American, Latino and Asian) had increased to20%.[39]

The decline in SBC membership may be more pronounced than these statistics indicate because Baptistchurches are not required to remove inactive members from their rolls. In addition, hundreds of large moderatecongregations have shifted their primary allegiance to other Baptist groups, such as the American BaptistChurches USA or the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, but have continued to remain nominally on the booksof the Convention. Their members are thus counted in the SBC's totals although these churches no longerparticipate in the annual SBC meetings or make more than the minimum financial contributions.[83]

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The First Brazilian Baptist Churchin Charlestown, Massachusetts. TheSouthern Baptist Convention hasaround 10,000 ethniccongregations.[85]

In some cases, groups have withdrawn from the SBC because of its conservative trends. The Texas StateConvention in 2000 voted to cut its contributions to SBC seminaries and reallocate more than $5 million infunds to three theological seminaries in the state which members believe are were more moderate: theseinclude the Hispanic Baptist Theological School in San Antonio, Baylor University's George W. TruettTheological Seminary in Waco, and Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology in Abilene.Since the controversies of the 1980s, more than 20 theological or divinity programs directed toward moderateand progressive Baptists have been established in the Southeast. In addition to Texas, schools in Virginia,Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama were established in the 1990s. These include the Baptist TheologicalSeminary in Richmond, McAfee School of Theology of Mercer University in Atlanta, Wake Forest, GardnerWebb and Campbell Divinity schools in North Carolina and Beeson Divinity School at Samford University toname a few. These schools contributed to the flat and declining enrollment at Southern Baptist seminariesoperating in the same region of the United States. Texas and Virginia have the largest state conventionsidentified as moderate in theological approach.[84]

OrganizationThe Southern Baptists' typical form of government is congregationalist: each local church is autonomouswithout formal lines of responsibility to organizational levels of higher authority.

A basic Baptist principle is the autonomy of the local church.[10] The Convention is therefore conceived as acooperative association by which churches can pool resources rather than as a body with any administrative orecclesiastical control over local churches. It maintains a central administrative organization in Nashville,Tennessee. The SBC's Executive Committee exercises authority and control over seminaries and otherinstitutions owned by the Southern Baptist Convention. However, the Executive Committee has no authorityover affiliated state conventions, local associations, individual churches or members.

Commitment to the autonomy[10] of local congregations was theprimary force behind the Executive Committee's rejection of a proposalto create a convention-wide database of SBC clergy accused of sexualcrimes against congregants or other minors[86] in order to stop the"recurring tide"[87] of clergy sexual abuse within SBC congregations.A 2009 study by Lifeway Christian Resources, the Convention'sresearch and publishing arm, revealed that one in eight backgroundchecks for potential volunteers or workers in SBC churches revealed ahistory of crime that could have prevented them from working.[88]

The Convention's confession of faith, the Baptist Faith andMessage,[11] technically is not binding on churches or members due tothe autonomy[10] of the local church. Politically and culturally,Southern Baptists tend to be conservative. Most oppose the use ofalcohol as a beverage, homosexual activity, and abortion with few

exceptions.[7]

There are four levels of SBC organization: the local congregation, the local association, the state convention,and the national convention.

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President Jimmy Carter addressingthe Southern Baptist Convention inAtlanta, Georgia in 1978.

Pastor and deacon

Generally, Baptists recognize only two scriptural offices: pastor-teacher and deacon. The Southern BaptistConvention passed a resolution in the early 1980s recognizing that offices requiring ordination are restricted tomen. According to the Baptist Faith and Message, the office of pastor is limited to men based on certain NewTestament scriptures. However, there is no prohibition in the Baptist Faith and Message against womenserving as deacons.[89] Neither the BF&M or resolutions are binding upon local churches. Each church isresponsible to prayerfully search the Scriptures and establish its own policy.

State conventions

Main article: List of state and other conventions associated with the Southern Baptist Convention

Individual congregations and associations may choose to affiliate with state conventions or fellowships whichin turn can affiliate with the SBC. There are 41 affiliated state conventions or fellowships.[6]

Annual Meeting

The Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting consists ofmessengers from cooperating churches. In the month of June, theygather to confer and determine the programs, policies, and budget ofthe SBC. Each church may be represented by up to 10 messengers,the exact number being determined by the church's number ofmembers and contributions to the national SBC organization.[90]

The following quotation from the SBC Constitution explains themembership and description of messengers to each annual meeting:

Article III. Membership: The Convention shall consist ofmessengers who are members of missionary Baptistchurches cooperating with the Convention as follows:

1. One messenger from each church which (1) Is infriendly cooperation with the Convention andsympathetic with its purposes and work. Amongchurches not in cooperation with the Convention arechurches which act to affirm, approve, or endorsehomosexual behavior; and (2) Has been a bona fidecontributor to the Convention's work during thefiscal year preceding.

2. One additional messenger from each such church forevery two hundred and fifty members; or for each$250.00 paid to the work of the Convention duringthe fiscal year preceding the annual meeting.

3. The messengers shall be appointed and certified bythe churches to the Convention, but no church mayappoint more than ten.

4. Each messenger shall be a member of the church by

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4. Each messenger shall be a member of the church bywhich he is appointed.

Article IV. Authority: While independent and sovereignin its own sphere, the Convention does not claim and willnever attempt to exercise any authority over any otherBaptist body, whether church, auxiliary organizations,associations, or convention.

— SBC Constitution[91]

Missions and affiliated organizations

Cooperative Program

The Cooperative Program (CP) is the SBC's unified funds collection and distribution program for the supportof regional, national and international ministries.[92] The CP is funded by contributions from SBCcongregations.[92]

In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, the local congregations of the SBC reported gift receipts of$11.1 billion.[93] From this they sent $548 million, approximately 5 per cent, to their state Baptist conventionsthrough the CP.[93] Of this amount, the state Baptist conventions retained $344 million for their work. $204million was sent on to the national CP budget for the support of denomination-wide ministries.[93]

Missions agencies

The Southern Baptist Convention was organized in 1845 primarily for the purpose of creating a mission boardto support the sending of Baptist missionaries. The North American Mission Board, or NAMB, (founded asthe Domestic Mission Board, and later the Home Mission Board) in Alpharetta, Georgia serves missionariesinvolved in evangelism and church planting in the U.S. and Canada, while the International Mission Board, orIMB, (originally the Foreign Mission Board) in Richmond, Virginia, sponsors missionaries to the rest of theworld.

Among the more visible organizations within the North American Mission Board is Southern Baptist DisasterRelief. In 1967, a small group of Texas Southern Baptist volunteers helped victims of Hurricane Beulah byserving hot food cooked on small "buddy burners." In 2005, volunteers responded to 166 named disasters,prepared 17,124,738 meals, repaired 7,246 homes, and removed debris from 13,986 yards.[94] SouthernBaptist Disaster Relief provides many different types: food, water, child care, communication, showers,laundry, repairs, rebuilding, or other essential tangible items that contribute to the resumption of life followingthe crisis – and the message of the Gospel. All assistance is provided to individuals and communities free ofcharge. SBC DR volunteer kitchens prepare much of the food distributed by the Red Cross in majordisasters.[95]

Seminaries and colleges

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Members of a Southern BaptistConvention Disaster Relief teamprepare to cook food after theGreensburg, Kansas Tornado in 2007.

Binkley Chapel at SoutheasternBaptist Theological Seminary

Main article: Southern Baptist-related Schools, Colleges, andUniversities

There are six SBC theologicalseminaries devoted toreligious instruction andministry preparation.

Southern Baptist TheologicalSeminary, Louisville,Kentucky (1859, originally inGreenville, South Carolina)Southwestern BaptistTheological Seminary, FortWorth, Texas (1908,

originally part of Baylor University in Waco, Texas).New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans,Louisiana (1916, originally New Orleans Baptist BibleInstitute)Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley,California (1944, originally in Oakland, California)Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest,North Carolina (1950)Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City,Missouri (1957)

Other organizations

Baptist Men on Mission, formally known as Brotherhood, BMEN is the mission organization for menin Southern Baptist Churches.Baptist Press, the largest Christian news service in the country, was established by the SBC in 1946.Guidestone Financial Resources (formerly called the Annuity Board of the Southern BaptistConvention, and founded in 1918 as the Relief Board of the Southern Baptist Convention) exists toprovide insurance, retirement, and investment services to ministers and employees of Southern Baptistchurches and agencies. Like many financial institutions during that time period, it underwent a severefinancial crisis in the 1930s.LifeWay Christian Resources, founded as the Baptist Sunday School Board in 1891, which is one ofthe largest Christian publishing houses in America and operates the "LifeWay Christian Stores" chain ofbookstores.Woman's Missionary Union, founded in 1888, is an auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, andhelps facilitate two large annual missions offerings: the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and the LottieMoon Christmas Offering.Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention that isdedicated to addressing social and moral concerns and their implications on public policy issues fromCity Hall to Congress. Its mission is "To awaken, inform, energize, equip, and mobilize Christians to bethe catalysts for the Biblically-based transformation of their families, churches, communities, and thenation." The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission was formerly known as the Christian LifeCommission of the SBC.

See also

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List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated peopleSouthern Baptist Convention Presidents

References1. ^ a b Southern Baptist Convention Statistical Summary – 2009

(http://www.bpnews.net/pdf/2009SBCStatsSummary.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 2011-02-13.2. ^ "Denominational Profile Association of Religion Data Archives" (http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/D_1087.asp).

Retrieved June 18, 2009.3. ^ Eileen Lindner, ed. Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2010 p. 11; the United Methodist Church is

second with 8 million members4. ^ National Council of Churches (February 14, 2011), "Trends continue in church membership growth or decline,

reports 2011 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches"(http://www.ncccusa.org/news/110210yearbook2011.html), National Council of Churches-USA, retrieved February17, 2011. The statistical figures used in the 2011 Yearbook were collected in 2008.

5. ^ "Southern Baptist Convention" (http://encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-SouthernBaptistConvention.html), TheConcise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions.

6. ^ a b "About Us: Meet the Southern Baptists" (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/). Southern Bapotist Convention.Retrieved August 25, 2010.

7. ^ a b c d e Reuters (June 10, 2008). "FACTBOX: The Southern Baptist Convention"(http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1033434120080610). Retrieved July 6, 2010.

8. ^ Baptist Press (June 11, 2013). "Luter sails to second term as SBC president"(http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=40492). Retrieved June 12, 2013.

9. ^ a b Hamil Harris and Jeannine Hunter, "Southern Baptists Elect a Black Leader and Raise Hopes for Diversity",Washington Post, 22 June 2012, accessed 25 June 2012 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/southern-baptists-elect-a-black-leader-and-raise-hopes-for-increased-diversity/2012/06/21/gJQANl4FwV_story.html>

10. ^ a b c d e f g autonomy of local church (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/psautonomy.asp). SBC position paper.Retrieved August 26, 2010.

11. ^ a b c d <http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfmcomparison.asp> Comparison of 1925, 1963, 2000 versions12. ^ Hull, William E. "Women and the Southern Baptist Convention".

<http://www.baptistlife.com/flick/sbcwomen.htm>13. ^ "Baptist Pioneers in America". Mainstream Baptists. <http://www.mainstreambaptists.org/mbn/pioneers.htm>

Accessed 3 Feb 201314. ^ a b Baker, Robert A. (1979). "Southern Baptist Beginnings"

(http://www.baptisthistory.org/sbaptistbeginnings.htm). Baptist History & Heritage Society. Retrieved 2012-10-28.15. ^ James Barnett Taylor, Virginia Baptist Ministers (1859) pp 57, 60, 71, 83 online edition

(http://books.google.com/books?id=O6acydIhxlEC)16. ^ Albert J. Raboteau, Slave Religion: The "invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South (1979)17. ^ Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery. Greenwood Press, 1997. ISBN 0-275-95799-3, ISBN 978-0-275-95799-518. ^ Peter Kolchin, American Slavery, 1619-1877, Hill and Wang, 199319. ^ Rhys Isaac, "Evangelical Revolt: The Nature of the Baptists' Challenge to the Traditional Order in Virginia, 1765

To 1775," William and Mary Quarterly 1974 31(3): 345–36820. ^ Ketcham, Ralph L. James Madison: A Biography, Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 1971;

paperback, 1990, p. 57, ISBN 978-0-8139-1265-3. Retrieved 2009-02-06.21. ^ Richard R. Beeman, "Social Change and Cultural Conflict in Virginia: Lunenburg County, 1746 To 1774,"

William and Mary Quarterly 1978 35(3): 455–47622. ^ J. Stephen Kroll-Smith, "Transmitting a Revival Culture: The Organizational Dynamic of the Baptist Movement

in Colonial Virginia, 1760–1777," Journal of Southern History 1984 50(4): 551–56823. ^ Christine Leigh Heyrman, Southern Cross: The Beginning of the Bible Belt, Chapel Hill: University of North

Carolina Press, 1998, pp. 10–18, 15524. ^ Christine Leigh Heyrman, Southern Cross: The Beginning of the Bible Belt, Chapel Hill: University of North

Carolina Press, 1998, pp.10–18, 155

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25. ^ Heyrman (1998), Southern Cross, pp. 10–18, 15526. ^ Albert J. Raboteau, Slave Religion: The 'Invisible Institution' in the Antebellum South

(http://books.google.com/books?id=C3AQUK-6A2cC&pg=PA188&lpg=PA188&dq=Gillfield+Baptist+Church,+Petersburg,+VA&source=bl&ots=U6q91GTWul&sig=yi0EVoIuLJ9WhNUg3YeqcVkoKBY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=11&ct=result#PPA189,M1),Oxford University Press, p. 188, accessed 27 Dec 2008

27. ^ Shurden, Walter B. (January 1, 2002). "The origins of the Southern Baptist Convention: a historiographicalstudy" (http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-94160891.html). Baptist History and Heritage 37 (1).

28. ^ Joe Early, ed. Readings in Baptist History: Four Centuries of Selected Documents(http://books.google.com/books?id=_ieENRXoO1YC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Georgia+Test+Case,+Baptist+history&source=bl&ots=rklrosR7c6&sig=BDNyrmOeTJ_5SeoAH_tgoWSJ7iU&hl=en&ei=gK11TLzPI4feOLqYgccG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Georgia%20Test%20Case%2C%20Baptist%20history&f=false), pp. 100–101, Retrieved Aug 25, 2010

29. ^ The Baptist Encyclopedia. Ed. William Cathcart. 2 Vols; Rev. ed. Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1883, online atWilliam Carey University, Accessed 04–25–2007 (http://www.wmcarey.edu/carey/staughton/triennial.htm) p. 1077

30. ^ Sherman, Dayne (2012-06-24). "Southern Baptist Convention in black, white"(http://hammondstar.com/articles/2012/06/26/opinion/columnists/8231.txt). Sunday Star (Hammond, Louisiana).pp. 4A, 5A. Retrieved 2012-06-24.

31. ^ Walter B. Shurden, and Lori Redwine Varnadoe, "The origins of the Southern Baptist Convention: Ahistoriographical study." Baptist History and Heritage (2002) 37#1 pp 71-96.

32. ^ a b c d McBeth, H. Leon. The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness. Nashville, TN: Broadman,1987.

33. ^ First Baptist Church building landmark restoration (http://www.christianindex.org/1128.article)34. ^ Albert J. Raboteau, Slave Religion: The 'Invisible Institution' in the Antebellum South

(http://books.google.com/books?id=C3AQUK-6A2cC&pg=PA188&lpg=PA188&dq=Gillfield+Baptist+Church,+Petersburg,+VA&source=bl&ots=U6q91GTWul&sig=yi0EVoIuLJ9WhNUg3YeqcVkoKBY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=11&ct=result#PPA189,M1),Oxford University Press, p. 137, accessed 27 Dec 2008

35. ^ Love, Emanuel King (1888). "History of the First African Baptist Church, from its Organization, January 20th,1788, to July 1st, 1888. Including the Centennial Celebration, Addresses, Sermons, etc."(http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/love/menu.html). The Morning News Print. Retrieved 2006-12-08.

36. ^ H. E. Nutter, A Brief History of the First Baptist Church (Black) Lexington, Kentucky(http://baptisthistoryhomepage.com/ky.fayette.fbc.black.lex.html), 1940, Retrieved Aug 22, 2010

37. ^ John H. Spencer, A History of Kentucky Baptists: From 1769–1885, Vol. II (http://books.google.com/books?id=DXzZAAAAMAAJ&dq=J.H.+Spencer,+%27%27A+History+of+Kentucky+Baptists,&source=gbs_navlinks_s),Cincinnati, OH: J.R. Baumes private printing, 1886, p. 657, Retrieved Aug 23, 2010

38. ^ a b "The Church in the Southern Black Community" (http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/intro.html), Documentingthe South, University of North Carolina, 2004, Retrieved Jan 15, 2009

39. ^ a b "The Southern Baptists: Luter's turn: By electing a black leader, the church shows how far it has come", TheEconomist, dated March 17, 2012.

40. ^ James E. Tull and Morris Ashcraft, High-church Baptists in the South: The Origin, Nature, and Influence ofLandmarkism, Revised edition, Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2000, p. 85, Retrieved Aug 26, 2010(http://books.google.com/books?id=jDWk2wa5QUgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=A.C.%20Dayton&f=false)

41. ^ Hefley, James C.The Truth in Crisis: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention, vol. 6.Hannibal Books, 2008. ISBN 0-929292-19-7.

42. ^ James, Rob B. The Fundamentalist Takeover in the Southern Baptist Convention, Fourth Edition, WilkesPublishing Co., Inc. Washington, Georgia. Available free at August 19, 2009.(http://www.sbctakeover.com/index.htm)

43. ^ Dilday, Russell. Higher Ground: A Call for Christian Civility. Macon, Georgia: Smyth and Helwys, 2007. ISBN1-57312-469-9.

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44. ^ Humphreys, Fisher. The Way We Were: How Southern Baptist Theology Has Changed and What It Means to UsAll. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2002. ISBN 1-57312-376-5. The era of conservative resurgence wasaccompanied by the erosion of more-liberal members (see, e.g., G. Avery Lee).

45. ^ "SBC Resolution: RESOLUTION ON RACIAL RECONCILIATION ON THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OFTHE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION" (http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=899).Sbc.net. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

46. ^ This Side of Heaven: Race, Ethnicity, and Christian Faith. Ed. Robert J. Priest and Alvaro L. Nieves. OxfordUniversity Press, 2007, pp. 275 and 339

47. ^ Salmon, Jacqueline L. "Southern Baptists Diversifying to Survive: Minority Outreach Seen as Key to Crisis"(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/15/AR2008021503772.html), Washington Post,Feb 15, 2008

48. ^ "The Southern Baptists: Luter's turn: By electing a black leader, the church shows how far it has come", TheEconomist, March 17, 2012.

49. ^ Pope, John. "The Rev. Fred Luter Jr. of New Orleans elected first black president of Southern BaptistConvention" (http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/fred_luter_jr_of_new_orleans_e.html), The Times-Picayune, June 19, 2012

50. ^ Southern Baptist Convention Tuesday Evening June 15, 1999(http://www.sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc99/min615ev.htm)

51. ^ Foust, Michael. "WRAP-UP: Historic meeting sees messengers elect 1st black president, approve descriptor"(http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38113), Baptist Press, June 21, 2012

52. ^ Cooperation (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pscooperation.asp). SBC position paper. Retrieved August 26, 2010.53. ^ Creeds (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pscreeds.asp). SBC position paper. Retrieved August 26, 2010.54. ^ Missions (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/psmissions.asp). SBC position paper. August 26, 2010.55. ^ Priesthood of all believers (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pspriesthood.asp). SBC position paper. August 26, 2010.56. ^ Sanctity of life (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pssanctity.asp). SBC position paper. Retrieved August 26, 2010.57. ^ Sexuality (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pssexuality.asp). SBC position paper. Retrieved August 26, 2010.58. ^ Soul Competency (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pssoul.asp). SBC position paper. Retrieved August 26, 2010.59. ^ a b Women in ministry (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pswomen.asp). SBC position paper. Retrieved August 26,

2010.60. ^ "Sbc Resolution: Resolution On The Place Of Women In Christian Service"

(http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=1090). Sbc.net. Retrieved December 10, 2011.61. ^ Aldon D. Morris and Shayne Lee, "The National Baptist Convention: Traditions and Contemporary Challenges"

(http://www.sociology.northwestern.edu/faculty/morris/docmorrislee-baptist.pdf), Northwestern University, pp.27–38 contain a discussion of attitudes regarding gender and their relationship to ministry. Accessed 07–19–2007

62. ^ Tammi Reed Ledbetter, "SBC and Women Pastors, Comprehensive Report Does Not Sustain Inflated Statistics(October 2000)" (http://www.baptist2baptist.net/b2barticle.asp?ID=228), Baptist 2 Baptist, Retrieved July 19,2007.

63. ^ Kristen Campbell, "Baptist Church Ousted for Hiring Woman Pastor," Religion News Service,<http://www.beliefnet.com/story/202/story_20231_1.html> Retrieved 09-26-2007.

64. ^ Eileen R. Campbell-Reed and Pamela R. Durso, "Assessing Attitudes About Women in Baptist Life (2006)(http://www.cbeinternational.org/files/u1/resources/14-Campbell-pdf.pdf)".

65. ^ Cunningham, Jack. "FIRST-PERSON: Today's worship styles remind us of something." Baptist Press, October25, 2011 <http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=10429>

66. ^ McClelland, Mark. "A theological perspective on the 'invitation/altar call'". The Baptist Messenger. April 4,2011. <http://baptistmessenger.com/a-theological-perspective-on-the-%E2%80%98invitationaltar-call%E2%80%99/>

67. ^ a b SBC Baptisms and Churches Increased in 2011, Membership Declined | 2011 ACP(http://www.lifeway.com/Article/news-sbc-baptisms-churches-increased-in-2011-membership-declined).Lifeway.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.

68. ^ http://www.sbcec.net/bor/2007/2007SBCAnnual.pdf69. ^ http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_LifeWay_Research_2007_ACP_Summary_Charts_Part_2.pdf70. ^ "2008 ACP: Southern Baptists give more to missions but lose"

(http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=85353&cat=13). Transworldnews.com. April 24, 2009.Retrieved December 10, 2011.

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71. ^ Historical Statistics of the U.S. (1976) series H805 (with 2005 estimate from Convention figures).72. ^ Southern Baptist numbers, baptisms drop | ajc.com

(http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/04/24/southernbaptists_0424.html)73. ^ Data from the 2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study

(http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/D_1087_d.asp)74. ^ "Southern Baptist Agency to Cut Missionary Force by 600"

(http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091126/southern-baptist-agency-to-cut-missionary-force-by-600/index.html), Christian Post, Nov 26, 2009

75. ^ http://www.namb.net/atf/cf/{CDA250E8–8866–4236–9A0C-C646DE153446}/RCS_Comparison_1990_2000.pdf76. ^ http://www.baptists4ethics.com/BB_PDFS/BB_apr30_2008.pdf77. ^ [1] (http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0,1703,A%3D167523&M%3D201280,00.html)78. ^ Posted on April 23, 2008 12:11 am (April 23, 2008). "Breaking News (EdStetzer.com)"

(http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/the_end_of_the_beginning_1.html). Blogs.lifeway.com. RetrievedDecember 10, 2011.

79. ^ a b "Have Southern Baptists joined the evangelical decline?" (http://www.christianindex.org/4421.article).Christianindex.org. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

80. ^ "Baptist Press – Study updates stats on health of Southern Baptist churches – News with a Christian Perspective"(http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=19542). Bpnews.net. November 15, 2004. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

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82. ^ a b Lovan, Dylan T. "Southern Baptists to gather in Kentucky," The Associated Press, June 19, 200983. ^ McMullen, Cary (June 17, 1999). "Any way you count it, fewer Southern Baptists"

(http://www.adherents.com/largecom/baptist_fewerSBC.html). Palatka Daily News. Retrieved August 31, 2009.84. ^ Jeffrey Weiss, "Moderate Baptists cut conservative seminaries' funds/ Action signals their continued discontent

with leadership of the nation's largest Protestant denomination"(http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/203483_baptists_31met.html), Dallas Morning News, 31 October 2000,accessed 25 June 2012

85. ^ Allen, Sheila (December 31, 2008). "ETHNIC CHURCHES: Japanese church members live out faith, changelives" (http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=29587). Baptist Press. Retrieved November 12, 2011.

86. ^ "The Top 10 Everything Of 2008"(http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/top10/article/0,30583,1855948_1861760_1862212,00.html). Time.November 3, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2010.

87. ^ Ulrich, Elizabeth. "Save Yourselves | Features" (http://www.nashvillescene.com/2008-06-19/news/save-yourselves/). Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

88. ^ "Background checks help churches protect children" (http://www.lifeway.com/article/?id=169449).Lifeway.com. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

89. ^ "Can women be pastors or deacons in the SBC?" FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions.http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/faqs.asp#9

90. ^ "Becoming a Church Messenger." (http://www.sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc08/messenger.asp)91. ^ About Us—SBC Constitution (http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/legal/constitution.asp)92. ^ a b "What is the Cooperative Program?" (http://www.cpmissions.net/2003/what%20is%20cp.asp). Southern

Baptist Convention. Retrieved March 21, 2010.93. ^ a b c Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (June 2009). Annual of the 2009 Southern Baptist

Convention (http://sbcec.org/bor/2009/2009SBCAnnual.pdf). pp. 109–111. Retrieved March 21, 2010.94. ^ http://cbadr.net/index.cfm/pageid/NewsE68324/articleaction/view/articleid/NAMBF58765/ (accessed 3/20/2010)95. ^ "35834.KatrinaOneYearRpt" (http://www.redcross.org/images/pdfs/Katrina_OneYearReport.pdf) (PDF).

Retrieved December 10, 2011.

Further readingAmmerman, Nancy, Baptist Battles: Social Change and Religious Conflict in the Southern BaptistConvention. Rutgers University Press, 1990.

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Ammerman, Nancy, ed. Southern Baptists Observed University of Tennessee Press, 1993.Baker, Robert. ed. A Baptist Source Book. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman Press, 1966.Baker, Robert. The Southern Baptist Convention and Its People, 1607–1972. Broadman Press, 1974.Barnes, William. The Southern Baptist Convention, 1845–1953 Broadman Press, 1954.Eighmy, John. Churches in Cultural Captivity: A History of the Social Attitudes of Southern Baptists.University of Tennessee Press, 1972.Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists: Presenting Their History, Doctrine, Polity, Life, Leadership,Organization & Work Knoxville: Broadman Press, v 1–2 (1958), 1500 pp; 2 supplementary volumes1958 and 1962; vol 5 = Index, 1984Farnsley II, Arthur Emery, Southern Baptist Politics: Authority and Power in the Restructuring of anAmerican Denomination; Pennsylvania State University Press, 1994Flowers, Elizabeth H. Into the Pulpit: Southern Baptist Women and Power Since World War II(University of North Carolina Press; 2012) 263 pages; examines women's submission to male authorityas a pivotal issue in the clash between conservatives and moderates in the SBCFuller, A. James. Chaplain to the Confederacy: Basil Manly and Baptist Life in the Old South (2002)Gatewood, Willard. Controversy in the 1920s: Fundamentalism, Modernism, and Evolution. VanderbiltUniversity Press, 1969.Hankins, Barry. Religion and American Culture. Tuscaloosa and London: University of Alabama Press,2002. Argues that Baptist conservatives see themselves as cultural warriors critiquing a secular andliberal AmericaHarvey, Paul. Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities among Southern Baptists,1865–1925. University of North Carolina Press, 1997Hill, Samuel, et al. Encyclopedia of Religion in the South (2005)Kell, Carl L. and L. Raymond Camp, In the Name of the Father: The Rhetoric of the New SouthernBaptist Convention. Southern Illinois University Press, 1999Leonard, Bill J. God's Last and Only Hope: The Fragmentation of the Southern Baptist Convention.Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990.Lumpkin, William L. Baptist History in the South: Tracing through the Separates the Influence of theGreat Awakening, 1754–1787 (1995)McSwain, Larry L. Loving Beyond Your Theology: The Life and Ministry of Jimmy Raymond Allen(Mercer University Press; 2010) 255 pages. A biography of the Arkansas-born pastor (b. 1927), whowas the last moderate president of the SBCMarsden, George. Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of 20th CenturyEvangelicalism. Oxford University Press, 1980.Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States, 2000. Glenmary Research CenterRosenberg, Ellen. The Southern Baptists: A Subculture in Transition. University of Tennessee Press,1989.Scales, T. Laine. All That Fits a Woman: Training Southern Baptist Women for Charity and Mission,1907–1926 Mercer U. Press 2002Smith, Oran P. The Rise of Baptist Republicanism (1997), on recent voting behaviorSpain, Rufus B. At Ease in Zion: A Social History of Southern Baptists, 1865–1900 (1961)Sutton, Jerry. The Baptist Reformation: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern BaptistConvention (2000).Wills, Gregory A. Democratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South,1785–1900. Oxford University Press, 1997Yarnell III, Malcolm B. The Formation of Christian Doctrine (2007), on Baptist theology

External linksOfficial website (http://www.sbc.net/)Southern Baptist Convention(http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Denominations/Baptist/Baptist_G

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roups/Southern_Baptist_Convention//) on the Open Directory Project

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_Baptist_Convention&oldid=587115113"Categories: Religious organizations established in 1845 Southern Baptist Convention1845 establishments in the United States

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