Baptist/ United Churches of Christ Family Groups
A Baptist Overview
General Notes
There are hundreds of branches and associations of Baptist churches, based
on the belief that those baptized as infants must be rebaptized as adults.
For Baptists an important value is the independence of each congregation,
and there can be great variation in stances on different issues. A central
tenet is the Baptism of adults (at least a teen-ager) by immersion only. For
most churches a hospitalized patient requesting Baptism would be baptized only
by immersion.
Specific Religious Practices
Baptism and Communion are observed as symbols of inner transformation and are
seen as commemorations of the Baptism, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Easter and Christmas are usually given recognition. A form of anointing may be
used.
Understanding of Healing
Baptists generally believe in the power of God to heal whether by prayer or
medicine. Faith healing is rarely made into a ritual observance.
Reproductive Issues
Artificial insemination is permitted, including using a donor other than the
husband. Birth control, sterility testing, and genetic testing are acceptable.
Abortion
Abortions should only be considered in serious situations. One source states
that in all cases the issue is up to the individual.
End of Life Issues/Terminal Care
Prolonging the dying process would be seen as "playing God" and extraordinary
means are not necessary. I could find no clear statement on euthanasia.
Transplantation/Organ
Donation
In the past there was at times a concern that organ donation may be in
conflict with belief in the Resurrection of the Body. It is unusual to
encounter that concern today. There is no official stand on transplantation.
Donation of body parts is encouraged.
Autopsies/Care of the Body
Burial is usual but cremation is accepted. A graveside service may be
offered for a fetus who achieved full development, but the focus would be on
the loss suffered by the parents. Autopsy would be encouraged.
Notes for Pastoral Care
A key resource is the often strong attachment to the local pastor. There is
frequently an expectation that he as well as the church community will be
readily available during times of sickness. In a situation of death the pastor
is expected to be present throughout the funeral process, including visitation
at the home, accompanying the family in making funeral arrangements, etc.
American Baptist Association
No sooner had the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) been formed than it
became disturbed by the controversy over what came to be called "Old
Landmarkism." Dr. James R. Graves, editor of The Tennessee Baptist, in an
attempt to restore Apostolic purity to the churches, called on them to reject
Protestants, who could not rightly be considered New Testament churches.
The issues of "Old Landmarkism" centered on “alien” Baptism,
pulpit affiliation, closed communion, and missions. Supporters of Landmarkism
opposed recognition of any Baptism by a non-Baptist, the allowing of
non-Baptists to join in the Lord's Supper, the exchange of pulpits with
non-Baptist ministers, and missions controlled by boards beyond the local
church. The Southern Baptist Convention never accepted Landmarkism, but for
many years supporters of Landmarkism remained a dissenting minority within the
SBC, strongly affecting its policy toward centralization.
There was an interesting claim that was made. They saw a direct connection
from the early Church to the present through a series of minority movements
including the Montanists, Novatians, Donatists, Paulicians, Waldenses, and
finally the Anabaptists.
In 1905 a Landmark denomination was formed, the General Association, which
in 1924 became the American Baptist Association (ABA).
The ABA is congregationally governed.
Membership
In 1987, total membership was 250,000 members.
American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.
The present name was chosen in 1973, after conflict between liberals and
conservatives over the literal interpretation of the Bible, affiliations of
congregations for the purpose of missionary activity, and organizational issues
such as the question of how much authority should be given to structures beyond
the local church.
Locally, this group did sign the Interfaith Letter on Physician-Assisted
Suicide.
Membership
In 1996, membership in the United States was 1,503,267.
Baptist Bible Fellowship
The Baptist Bible Fellowship was begun in 1950 by former members of the
World Baptist Fellowship, including Rev. Beauchamp Vick, who had succeeded J.
Frank Norris as pastor of the Temple Baptist Church in Detroit.
Doctrinally, the Bible Baptists are strong fundamentalists. Congregations
and pastors refuse fellowship with individuals and groups deemed to be
infidels, idolaters, and/or immoral. There is a firm statement on the
supernatural inspiration and verbal inerrancy of Scripture. There is a belief
that salvation is freely offered to all through the Gospel.
This group has a unique ecclesiology, in that strong authority is placed in
the pastor along with a stress on the independence of the local church.
Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are seen as ordinances.
Membership
In 1997, total membership was 1,600,000.
Baptist General Conference
This Conference is composed of Swedish Baptist congregations that formed in
the United States since 1852.
Doctrine is Arminian Baptist. There are two ordinances, Baptism and the
Lord's Supper. The polity is congregational. There is an annual meeting of
delegates from the member churches.
Membership
In 1997, total membership was 134,795.
Baptist Missionary Association of America
The present name of this group was chosen in 1969, and it differs from the
American Baptist Association in insisting that delegates must be members of the
churches that send them to meetings. That issue was the primary reason for its
formation as a separate group.
Membership
In 1989, total membership was 229,315.
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
General Notes
The Disciples of Christ was at first a loosely organized confederation of
individuals and congregations. In 1968 a more definitive structure was adopted.
Specific Religious Practices
There are two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion). Either
may be administered in a hospital setting and neither is considered necessary
for salvation.
Understanding of Healing
Faith healing is not normally practiced.
Reproductive Issues
Birth control and family planning are encouraged. Sterility testing is
accepted. Artificial insemination is acceptable for a married couple.
Abortion
There is no consensus regarding abortion on demand. Therapeutic abortion is
accepted.
End of Life Issues/Terminal Care
Euthanasia is considered an individual decision. Prolonging of life is not
necessary but the sanctity of life should be respected.
Transplantation/Organ Donation
Transplantation and donation are encouraged.
Autopsies/Care of the Body
If the family wishes there can be a simple funeral service for a fetus close
to term. Otherwise, a fetus is treated as a human body part, such as a severed
limb. Autopsies, cremation, etc. are the individual’s decisions.
Membership
In 1990, total membership was 1,043,943.
Christian Churches And Churches Of Christ
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ constitute one branch of the
restorationist movement which emerged among Protestant and free church leaders
in the early nineteenth century on the American frontier.
As the movement developed, the leaders rejected denominational structures
and labels, preferring to call themselves simply Christians or disciples of
Christ and to refer to congregations as Churches of Christ or Christian
Churches. They saw the New Testament as the sole authority of faith and
identified with the scriptural proclamation that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
and head of all things for His Church.
They accepted no creeds and practiced Baptism by immersion. The ordinance of
the Lord's Supper was observed weekly each Lord's Day (Sunday).
They were organized congregationally. Each congregation was considered
autonomous and led by self-chosen elders and deacons.
Tensions within the movement in the early twentieth century led to its
division into three major branches. The introduction of organs music in the
late nineteenth century became a major issue that led many congregations to
separate around 1906 and they are today known as the Churches of Christ
(Non-Instrumental).
Over the years they divided further. Disagreements over the development of
structures beyond the local congregation led to a second division. Those who
rejected that move toward centralization are now known as the Christian
Churches and Churches of Christ. The Churches are known for their biblical
conservatism in relation to the more liberal Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) and have made no attempt to relate to the National Council of Churches
and World Council of Churches.
Membership
In 1995, membership in the United States was 1,100.000.
Christian Congregation
The Christian Congregation claims to be the oldest denominational
evangelistic association in the United States. Though formally constituted in
1887, its work as an unincorporated religious society dates to 1789.
They reject creeds and the concept of denominations, focusing solely on each
individual’s relation with God. Christian fellowship is seen as based on
Christian love for one another. There is a strong emphasis on respect for life
and a resultant condemnation of abortion, capital punishment, and all warfare.
Most congregations are located in the inner-city areas of metropolitan
complexes or in relatively neglected rural and mountainous regions.
Membership
In 1997, membership in the United States was 114,685.
Churches Of Christ (Non-Instrumental)
There was opposition within the Baptist family as a whole to the development
of structures greater than the congregation, and to the use of instrumental
music. 1906 is seen as the date from this group’s separation from the Disciples
of Christ.
Today the Churches of Christ represent a national movement which finds its
focus in a doctrinal/ideological consensus and a consciousness of oneness.
Without a national or even regional headquarters, it is served by various
independent publishing concerns, colleges and Bible schools and missionary
agencies.
The largest set of congregations of the Churches of Christ belongs to the
centrist non-instrumental congregations. Centrist congregations do not use
instrumental music, but do have Sunday schools and use individual communion
cups when serving the Lord's Supper.
Membership
In 1990, membership in the United States was 1,284,056.
Conservative Baptist Association of America
The Fundamentalist Fellowship (Conservative Baptist Fellowship) was
originally part of the Northern Baptist Convention (now the American Baptist
Churches).
A conflict over the theology of missionaries led the Fundamentalist
Fellowship to form the Conservative Baptist Foreign Missionary Society (CBFMS)
to operate within the Convention. Plans began to be forged for a new
association, which was formed in 1947 and called the Conservative Baptist
Association (CBA).
Later conflict over how much separation there should be from other
Christians and Baptists led to a further split, with those in favor of strict
separation forming their own group.
Membership
In 1994, membership in the United States was 210,000.
National Association of Freewill Baptists
The National Association of Free Will Baptists dates to 1727. In 1916, a
number of non-aligned churches joined the existing group and formed the General
Association of Free Will Baptists. Controversy developed between the churches
in Tennessee and North Carolina over footwashing as an ordinance, and in 1921,
the churches in the South withdrew and formed the Eastern General Conference.
Working out a settlement took 14 years, but in 1935, the National Association
of Free Will Baptists was formed.
In 1935, the association adopted a statement of "The Faith of Free Will
Baptists," which remains its position. It affirms a belief in an
infallible and inerrant Bible, the Trinity, universal atonement in Christ,
salvation by grace through faith, the possibility of a believer falling from a
state of grace into unbelief, tithing, the resurrection, and final judgment.
There are three ordinances-Baptism,
the Lord's Supper and footwashing.
Membership
In 1997, the membership in the United States was 210,305.
National Baptist Convention of America
In 1915, an issue arose in the National Baptist Convention of the U.S.A.,
Inc. over the ownership of its publishing house. It resulted in the formation
the National Baptist Convention of America.
Membership
Current membership is not reported, but in 1956 there were 2,668,799.
National Baptist Convention of the U.S.A.
The National Baptist Convention of the U.S.A. came into existence after the
adoption of a resolution before the Foreign Mission Baptist Convention of the
U.S.A. to merge itself, the American National Baptist Convention, and the
Baptist National Educational Convention. The Convention was formed in Atlanta,
Georgia, in 1895.
Doctrine and government were taken over from the white Baptists. The
congregational form of church life allowed a ready adaptation to the black
culture, which used religious forms as a socially accepted way to express their
frustration and to protest their conditions. The worship developed a high
degree of emotional expression, and their own unique patterns evolved over time.
Membership
In 1984, membership was estimated at 7,000,000.
Progressive National Baptist Convention
The Progressive National Baptist Convention was formed in 1961 following a
dispute over whether the head of the National Baptist Convention should be
elected for life. An additional issue was whether to support the Civil Rights
Movement. The new Convention was in favor of supporting the Civil Rights
Movement and against election for life.
The Convention is in agreement on doctrine with its parent body.
Membership
In 1995, total membership was estimated at 2,500,000.
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845 by the Baptist
congregations in the southern United States. Fueling the separation were the
same issues that later led to the Civil War.
Southern Baptists inherited the Puritan-Reformed theological tradition. That
is balanced by a strong affirmation on the unrestricted freedom of each person
to interpret Scripture and the fundamentalist theology of dispensation.
During the twentieth century there have been battles between those
supporting innovative theology and conservatives. The controversy over
evolution eventually led to acceptance of several forms of theistic evolution
theory. There was major controversy in the 1960s over scholarship supporting
the idea of a gradual development of the Book of Genesis.
A central position is the authority of the Bible as divinely inspired with
God as its author. Controversy has arisen over the meaning and application of
inerrancy.
The Southern Baptist Convention has been active in working with other
Baptists but not with other religious or ecumenical groups.
Membership
In 1996, total membership was 15,691,964.
United Church of Christ
General Notes
The final step resulting in the “The United Church of Christ (WCC)” was the
merger in 1957 of the Congregational-Christian Churches and the Evangelical and
Reformed Church.
Four distinct bodies ended up merged in the UCC: the Congregational
Churches, the Christian Church, the Reformed Church in the United States, and
the Evangelical Synod of North America. Theology includes elements from a wide
array of different movements and orientations. In recent years there is a
general liberal and socially active thrust.
It would be generally true to say that there is no recognized authority beyond
the local Church.
Specific Religious Practices
Baptism and Holy Communion are sacraments. Each Church may determine who may
administer them and under what circumstances. Baptism is usually received as an
infant but adults may be baptized. Communion is open to any adult who has
affirmed faith in Christian principles. Bedside Communion may be requested. A
lay person may baptize a child if death seems imminent and the parents request
it. Some may request the sacraments if death is imminent but reception is not
seen as essential.
Understanding of Healing
There is a strong belief in both healing by prayer and by medicine.
Reproductive Issues
Genetic testing, birth control, sterility testing, and artificial
insemination are acceptable.
Abortion
Abortion is acceptable for all reasons for the first 20 weeks of life, with
additional concern coming in after that point.
End of Life Issues/Terminal Care
Not prolonging life is strongly supported. Euthanasia would be condemned.
Transplantation/Organ Donation
No restrictions.
Autopsies/Care of the Body
Autopsy is accepted. The burial service is a worship service. Either burial
or cremation is accepted.
Membership
In 1996, total membership was 1,452,565.
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Comments received:
…It bothers me to
see the United Church of Christ listed under Baptist denominations. I see the
point in terms of governance, but it seems to me that in terms of doctrine it
belongs in the reformed family. And as a liberal former UCC member (now
Episcopalian) living surrounded by southern Baptists I would like to see the
UCC in more liberal company…
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Page was last updated on 08/14/00