Baptist Family: Intrafaith Organizations

views updated

Baptist Family: Intrafaith Organizations

★992 ★

Baptist World Alliance

405 N. Washington St.
Falls Church, VA 22046

The Baptist World Alliance is an international fellowship of Baptist conventions, associations, and unions which was created at a meeting of Baptists from around the world in London in 1905. It is a voluntary organization whose objectives are to show forth the basic unity of Baptists, to inspire Baptists everywhere, and to promote a spirit of fellowship, service, and cooperation within the Baptist community. The alliance makes no attempt to usurp the work or prerogatives of any of its member organizations or of local congregations. It has emerged as the champion of those Baptists who exist as a small minority in a hostile environment and a force in the fight for religious freedom.

The idea of an international Baptist conference had been generated in America, and an invitation was extended by several Baptist leaders in London to meet during the summer of 1905. Alexander Maclaren, a prominent British minister, presided at the first session, where a committee was appointed to draw up a draft constitution and set of by-laws.

The alliance meets every five years, at which time it elects a president and general secretary and names an executive committee. Those members of the executive committee who live reasonably close to the headquarters are named as the administrative committee. Headquarters remained in London until the beginning of World War II, when it was moved to Washington, D.C. The move was made a permanent one in 1947.

The alliance has expanded activities into every area of the globe where a Baptist community exists. It seeks to provide communication between Baptists, had developed a program to provide relief and aid to the needy, speaks out on issues of religious freedom, and sponsors conferences on various aspects of church life and Christian development.

Membership: The Baptist World Alliance is a fellowship of 201 Baptist unions and conventions comprising a membership of more than 43 million baptized believers and a community of more that 100 million Baptists in every country. The North American membership in the Baptist World Alliance includes the following: American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.; Baptist General Conference; Czechoslovak Baptist Convention of the USA and Canada; General Association of General Baptists; Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Missionary Convention, USA; National Baptist Convention of America; National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.; National Missionary Baptist Convention of America; North American Baptist Conference; Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; Russian-Ukraine Evangelical Baptist Union, U.S.A., Inc.; Seventh Day Baptist General Conference, USA and Canada; Southern Baptist Convention; and Union of Latvian Baptists in America.

Periodicals: The Baptist World.

Sources:

Gaver, Jessyca Russell. "You Shall Know the Truth": The Baptist Story. New York: Lancer Books, 1973.

Nordenhaug, Josef, and Cyril Eric Bryant. "Baptist World Alliance." In Baptist Advance. Forrest Park, IL: Roger Williams Press, 1964.

★993 ★

North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF)

405 N. Washington St.
Falls Church, VA 22046

The North American Baptist Fellowship is a cooperative body of Baptist conventions and associations in North America. Though its membership is slightly different from that of the North American membership of the Baptist World Alliance, the fellowship functions as the alliance's regional body in North America. The fellowship emerged from the celebration of the Baptist Jubilee (celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the first national Baptist organization in America). The spirit engendered in the cooperative effort of planning the event led the leaders to petition the Baptist World Alliance to establish a continuing North American organization, which occurred in 1964. The first president of the fellowship was Dr. V. Carney Hargroves, also generally recognized as its founder.

Its specific program objectives are to promote fellowship and cooperation among the Baptists of North America and to further the aims of the Baptist World Alliance in the North American context.

The NABF meets annually for fellowship and consultation on matters of interest that cross denominational lines. It has no powers to legislate or establish programs for its representative bodies, but it does encourage cooperative work among congregations of different Baptist denominations located in the same city or county.

The fellowship shares office space with the World Baptist Alliance.

Membership: The total membership of the bodies represented in the fellowship is 33 million. It includes the following: American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.; Canadian Baptist Federation; General Association of General Baptists; National Baptist Convention of America; National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.; North American Baptist General Conference; Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; Seventh-Day Baptist General Conference; and Southern Baptist Convention.

Sources:

Gaver, Jessyca Russell. "You Shall Know the Truth": The Baptist Story. New York: Lancer Books, 1973.

★994 ★

World Convention of Churches of Christ

4800 B Franklin Rd. Nashville, TN 37220-1199

The World Convention of Churches of Christ serves the churches that have emerged out of the Restoration Movement of the early nineteenth century–the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, and the Churches of Christ. Each of these churches trace their beginning to the revivalistic efforts of Barton Stone (1772-1844), Thomas Campbell (1763-1854), Alexander Campbell (1788-1866), Walter Scott (1796-1861), and others who operated in the eastern half of the United States in the first decades of the nineteenth century. As the movement developed, it lacked a centralized governing authority and differences emerged primarily concerning the operation of structures serving the larger community of congregations. One wing of the movement remained fiercely congregational, and rejected any structures tending toward denominational structures. The more liberal wing of the movement, based primarily in the northern United States, gradually developed a denominational structure to facilitate and guide such common endeavors as education, world missions, and evangelism.

In spite of their organizational and doctrinal differences, the three bodies maintained an allegiance to a number of principles, ten of which standout: (1) a concern for Christian unity; (2) a commitment to evangelism and mission; (3) an emphasis on the centrality of the New Testament; (4) a simple Confession of Faith; (5) believers' baptism; (6) weekly communion; (7) a biblical name (8) congregational autonomy; (9) lay leadership; and (10) diversity/ freedom/liberty.

An initial attempt to bridge the divisive forces in the Restoration Movement culminated in the first meeting of the World Convention of Churches of Christ in 1930. The convention met sporadically through the twentieth century. The sixteenth convention is scheduled for Brighton, England (UK), in 2004. The convention is primarily for fellowship, the tradition being opposed to pancongregational structures.

Membership: The convention unites congregations now found in more than 165 countries that have their heritage in the nineteenth century Restoration Movement and the three Americanbased churches: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, and the Churches of Christ.

Periodicals: World Christian, 4800 B Franklin Rd., Nashville, TN 37220-1199.