12/25/13 Southern Baptist Convention - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Southern Baptist Convention From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Southern Baptist) The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the Southern Baptist Convention world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with nearly 16 million members as of 2012.[3] This also makes it the second largest Christian body in the United States, after the Catholic Church.[4] The word Southern in Southern Baptist Convention stems from its having been founded and rooted in the Southern United States. In 1845, members at a regional convention being held in Augusta, Georgia, created the SBC, following a split from northern Baptists over the issue of forbidding Southern slave- owners from becoming ordained missionaries. After the American Civil War, another split occurred: most black Baptists in the South separated from white churches to set up independent congregations, regional associations, and state and national Reaching the world for Christ. conventions, such as the National Baptist Convention, Classification Protestant the second largest Baptist convention. Theology Evangelical Baptist Since the 1940s, the SBC has moved away from some Governance Congregational [5] of its regional identification. Especially since the Region United States late twentieth century, the SBC has sought new members among minority groups and become much Origin May 8–12, 1845 more diverse. In addition, while still heavily Augusta, Georgia concentrated in the Southern US, the SBC has Separated from Triennial Convention member churches across the United States and 41 Separations American Baptist Association, affiliated state conventions.[6][7] Alliance of Baptists, At its annual convention in 2012, the SBC elected as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, president Fred Luter Jr., the first African American to Church on the Rock- International hold the position. A SBC presidential term is for one Congregations 45,010[1] year, with a term limit of two terms. Each president is Members 15.98 million elected by Messengers sent by each local church at the SBC annual meeting. Since Luter ran unopposed, per Official website www.sbc.net (http://www.sbc.net/) the by-laws of the Convention, only a single ballot Statistics for 2005[2] was cast by the Recording Secretary to secure his election. Because of the historic nature of the vote, the assembly 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] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Baptist 1/21 12/25/13 Southern Baptist Convention - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Southern Baptists emphasize the significance of the individual conversion experience which is affirmed by the person having a total immersion in water for a believer's baptism. As a result, they reject the practice of infant baptism.[7] SBC churches are evangelical in doctrine and practice. Specific beliefs based on biblical interpretation can vary somewhat due to their congregational governance system which allows autonomy to each individual local church.[10] The Southern Baptist Convention has officially sanctioned the model of male headship and female subordination, making it a core belief in its "Baptist Faith and Message" 2000 revision.[11][12] Contents 1 History 1.1 Colonial Era 1.2 American Revolution period 1.3 National unification and regional division 1.3.1 Divisions over slavery 1.3.2 Missions and organization 1.4 Formation and separation of black Baptists 1.5 Historical controversies 1.5.1 Landmark controversy 1.5.2 Whitsitt controversy 1.5.3 Moderates-Conservatives controversy 1.6 Recent history 2 Theology and practice 2.1 Ordinances 2.2 Gender-based roles 2.2.1 In the pastorate 2.2.2 In marriage 2.3 Worship services 3 Statistics 3.1 Membership 3.2 Trends 4 Organization 4.1 Pastor and deacon 4.2 State conventions 4.3 Annual Meeting 5 Missions and affiliated organizations 5.1 Cooperative Program 5.2 Missions agencies 5.3 Seminaries and colleges 5.4 Other organizations 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Baptist 2/21 12/25/13 Southern Baptist Convention - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia History Further information: Baptists in the United States Colonial Era Most early Baptists in the British colonies came from England in the 17th century, after the established Church of England persecuted them for their dissenting religious views. The oldest Baptist church in the South, First Baptist Church of Charleston, South Carolina, was organized in 1682 under the leadership of Rev. William Screven.[13] A Baptist church was formed in Virginia in 1715 through the preaching of Robert Norden and another in North Carolina in 1727 through the ministry of Paul Palmer. The Baptists operated independently of the state- established Anglican churches in the South, at a time when non-Anglicans were prohibited from holding political First Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina office. By 1740, there were about eight Baptist churches in the colonies of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with an estimated 300–400 members.[14] New members, both black and white, were converted chiefly by Baptist preachers who traveled throughout the South during the 18th and 19th centuries, in the eras of the First Great Awakening and Second Great Awakening.[15] Baptists welcomed African Americans, both slave and free, allowing them to have more active roles in ministry than did other denominations by licensing them as preachers and, in some cases, allowing them to be treated 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 their independence even after whites tried to exercise more authority after the Nat Turner slave rebellion of 1831.[16] American Revolution period Before the Revolution, Baptist and Methodist evangelicals in the South had promoted the view of the common man's equality before God, which embraced slaves and free blacks. They challenged the hierarchies of class and race and urged planters to abolish slavery. They welcomed slaves as Baptists and accepted them as preachers.[17] Isaac (1974) analyzes the rise of the Baptist Church in Virginia, with emphasis on evangelicalism and social life. There was a sharp division between the austerity of the plain-living Baptists, attracted initially from yeomen and common planters, and the opulence of the Anglican planters, the slaveholding elite who controlled local and colonial government in what had become a slave society by the late eighteenth century.[18] The gentry interpreted Baptist church discipline as political radicalism, but it served to ameliorate disorder. The Baptists intensely monitored each other's moral conduct, watching especially for sexual transgressions, cursing, and excessive drinking; they expelled members who would not reform.[19] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Baptist 3/21 12/25/13 Southern Baptist Convention - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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 Baptists in the South. Particularly in Virginia, many Baptist preachers were prosecuted for "disturbing the peace" by preaching without licenses from the Anglican Church. Both Patrick Henry and the young attorney James Madison defended Baptist preachers prior to the American Revolution in cases considered significant to the history 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 the Virginia document related to religious freedom during the Constitutional Convention, when he ensured that they were incorporated into the national constitution. The struggle for religious toleration erupted and was played out during the American Revolution, as the Baptists worked to disestablish the Anglican church in the South. Beeman (1978) explores the conflict in one Virginia locality, showing that as its population became more dense, the county court and the Anglican Church were able to increase their authority. The Baptists protested vigorously; the resulting social disorder resulted chiefly from the ruling gentry's disregard for public need. The vitality of the religious opposition made the conflict between 'evangelical' and 'gentry' styles a bitter one.[21] Kroll-Smith (1984) suggests that the strength of the evangelical movement's organization determined its ability to mobilize power outside the conventional 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 support missions abroad. The Home Mission Society, affiliated with the Triennial Convention, was established in 1832 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