Jonah Patel
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is not a centralized church but a fellowship of congregations, with each church being autonomous and unique. The SBC is made up of more than 50,000 cooperating churches and missions, with a diverse range of ministries, worship styles, and theological perspectives. Southern Baptists are united by their belief in the Bible as God's revelation of Himself and in the Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ. They practice baptism by immersion in water, which symbolizes conversion and resurrection to new life. The SBC also has a strong commitment to missions and social service, with a focus on compassion and caring for the needy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of churches | As of 2018, there were 47,456 Southern Baptist churches spread across 41 state conventions, including 200 "mega-churches". However, the vast majority run less than 200 in weekly worship. |
| Church setting | Inner-city, storefront, suburban, small town, open countryside, cowboy, motorcycle |
| Race and ethnicity | Predominantly white (85%), with few black members (6%) and even fewer Latinos (3%). However, Southern Baptist churches are diverse, with worshippers from numerous other ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, Koreans, Chinese, Native Americans, and Russians. |
| Language | Worship is conducted in more than 100 languages each Sunday in Southern Baptist churches across the United States. |
| Worship style | Traditional, contemporary, and everything in between |
| Theological perspective | All within the framework of historic biblical orthodoxy |
| Beliefs | Southern Baptists believe that the Bible is God's revelation of Himself to mankind, with the ultimate revelation being the Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ. They practice believer's baptism by immersion in water, which is separate from salvation and is a public and symbolic expression of faith. |
| Missions | Southern Baptists support more than 3,500 overseas missionaries and church planters through the International Mission Board. They also have a North American Mission Board that equips churches for church planting and provides support for missionaries. |
| Social issues | More conservative than the general US public on some social issues, such as abortion and homosexuality. |
| Political leanings | Tend to favor the Republican Party. |
| Organization | The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a fellowship of congregations, with each church being autonomous and unique. The SBC does not have authority over the churches and does not ordain ministers, assign staff, levy contributions, or maintain church membership lists. |
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What You'll Learn
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a set of ministries, not a church
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a fellowship of congregations, a set of ministries supported by a network of cooperating Baptist churches. It is not a centralized church like the Roman Catholic Church, and it has no authority over the churches. The SBC does not ordain ministers, assign staff to churches, levy contributions, choose literature, adopt the church calendar, or maintain church membership lists. Each Baptist church that identifies itself in friendly cooperation with the Convention is autonomous and unique, retaining its sovereignty. They participate in Convention causes voluntarily.
The SBC was formed in 1845, following a split with their northern counterparts over slavery. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Christian body in the United States. There are currently more than fifty thousand Southern Baptist cooperating churches and church-type missions. These include international and domestic missions, theological education, advocacy for religious liberty, literature production, and insurance and retirement services for pastors and other church workers.
Southern Baptists are committed to starting new churches to reach growing populations worldwide. The SBC's North American Mission Board (NAMB) equips churches for church planting and provides assessment, training, coaching, and planter care support for church planting missionaries. Through the International Mission Board, Southern Baptists support over 3,500 overseas missionaries and church planters.
Southern Baptists are evangelical in doctrine and practice, emphasizing the significance of the individual conversion experience. This conversion is affirmed through believer's baptism by immersion in water. They believe that the Bible is God's revelation of Himself to mankind, with the ultimate revelation being the Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ. Southern Baptists have summarized their biblical convictions in a confession of faith called The Baptist Faith and Message.
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SBC churches are evangelical in doctrine and practice
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Christian body in the United States. SBC churches are evangelical in doctrine and practice, emphasizing the significance of the individual conversion experience.
Southern Baptists are not a creedal people, requiring churches or individuals to embrace a standardized set of beliefs; but they are a confessional people. The Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) represents the confessional consensus of "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely identified." The BF&M is not a creed, and members are not required to adhere to it. However, it does represent the general theological perspective of the denomination's churches.
Southern Baptists believe that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, with His ultimate revelation being the Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ. For that reason, Southern Baptists have summarized their biblical convictions in a statement of faith called The Baptist Faith and Message. At the heart of their mission is the compelling urgency to proclaim the Gospel to everyone.
Southern Baptists are committed to starting new churches to reach growing populations in their country and the world. The SBC’s North American Mission Board (NAMB) equips churches for church planting and also provides assessment, training, coaching, and planter care support for church planting missionaries. In addition, through the International Mission Board, Southern Baptists fully support more than 3,500 overseas missionaries and church planters.
Southern Baptists take seriously the Lord’s example of compassion and His command to love and care for the needy. They demonstrate God’s compassion to the needy in their communities as part of their ongoing ministry. Southern Baptist churches are autonomous and unique, and only when viewed together can one grasp the diversity that is the Southern Baptist Convention.
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SBC churches are autonomous and unique
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is not a centralized church like the Roman Catholic Church, but a fellowship of congregations. It is a cooperative body of like-minded local churches, with each church voluntarily choosing to work together. The SBC does not claim or exert authority over any Baptist body and does not perform functions such as ordaining ministers, assigning staff, or maintaining church membership lists, as these are local church prerogatives.
Southern Baptist churches are united by certain shared beliefs and practices. They emphasize the importance of individual conversion and believer's baptism by immersion, viewing it as a public expression of faith separate from salvation. They are evangelical in doctrine and committed to starting new churches and global missions to spread the Gospel.
The SBC's North American Mission Board (NAMB) and International Mission Board support church planting and provide resources for missionaries. Southern Baptists are also known for their compassionate ministries, serving the needy in their communities and beyond. They believe in the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel to everyone and making disciples of all nations.
While SBC churches share core convictions, they exhibit diversity in their ministry settings, racial and ethnic makeup, worship styles, and theological perspectives. This diversity contributes to the richness and uniqueness of each Southern Baptist Church within the broader convention.
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SBC churches cooperate to spread the Gospel
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a body of like-minded local churches that cooperate to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not a centralized church like the Roman Catholic Church, but a fellowship of congregations. Together, these congregations teach that the Bible contains no errors and that personal acceptance of Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.
The SBC is a cooperation of fully autonomous, independent churches with commonly held essential beliefs that pool some resources for missions. Churches affiliated with the denomination are evangelical in doctrine and practice, emphasizing the significance of the individual conversion experience. This conversion is then affirmed by the person being completely immersed in water for a believer's baptism. Baptism is believed to be separate from salvation and is a public and symbolic expression of faith, burial of a previous life, and resurrection to a new life.
Southern Baptist churches represent a broad range of ministry settings, including inner-city, storefront, suburban, small-town, open countryside, and cowboy, as well as diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, worship styles, and theological perspectives. No two churches are alike, but they are united by their common commitment to the Gospel and their desire to spread it to the world.
The SBC's North American Mission Board (NAMB) equips churches for church planting and provides assessment, training, coaching, and planter care support for missionaries. Through the International Mission Board, Southern Baptists support more than 3,500 overseas missionaries and church planters. In addition to global missions, SBC churches also demonstrate God's compassion to the needy in their local communities through various ministries, such as food pantries, clothing closets, and soup kitchens.
Each June, representatives from cooperating churches convene for a two-day annual meeting to adopt the SBC allocation budget, elect trustees, receive motions, review bylaw revisions, and hear reports about the impact of their cooperative efforts. The Southern Baptist Convention exists by, because of, and for the Gospel, and its churches work together to advance an aggressive global vision while maintaining a strong home base of ministry fruitfulness.
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SBC churches are diverse
The SBC is not a centralized church, but a fellowship of congregations. Each Southern Baptist church is autonomous and unique, with no two churches being alike. However, there are certain shared beliefs that unite Southern Baptists, regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, language, size, or location. Southern Baptists are as diverse as the cities, towns, neighborhoods, and rural communities where they are located.
Southern Baptist churches represent a wide range of ministry settings, including inner-city, storefront, suburban, small-town, open countryside, cowboy, and motorcycle ministries. They also represent a variety of races and ethnicities, such as Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Korean, Chinese, Native American, and Russian, among others. The Lord is worshipped in more than one hundred languages every Sunday in Southern Baptist churches across the United States.
Southern Baptist churches also vary in their worship styles, ranging from traditional to contemporary, and in their theological perspectives, all within the framework of historic biblical orthodoxy. While Southern Baptists tend to be more conservative than the general US public on certain social issues, their views have become more liberal over time. For example, in 2014, a smaller majority of Southern Baptists believed that homosexuality should be discouraged by society compared to 2007.
Southern Baptists are committed to starting new churches and supporting missions both domestically and internationally. They emphasize the importance of compassion and caring for those in need, and their ministries include food pantries, clothing closets, soup kitchens, and rescue missions for victims of sexual slavery.
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Frequently asked questions
The Southern Baptist Convention is a set of ministries supported by a network of cooperating Baptist churches. It is not a centralized church and has no authority over the churches. It is a fellowship of autonomous, independent congregations with commonly held beliefs that pool some resources for missions.
Southern Baptists believe that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, with the ultimate revelation being the Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ. They practice believer's baptism by immersion and teach that the Bible contains no errors and that personal acceptance of Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.
The Southern Baptist Convention provides infrastructure and support for its cooperating churches, including international and domestic missions, theological education, advocacy for religious liberty, literature production, and insurance and retirement services for pastors and church workers. It also facilitates cooperation and coordination among its churches to advance an aggressive global vision.
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