ABCUSA

American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a group of Baptist churches within the United States; headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization's general secretary is A. Roy Medley. The ABCUSA should not be confused with the American Baptist Association. The organization is usually considered a "mainline" denomination. Logo of the American Baptist Churches of the USA This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church or any follower of Jesus Christ who believes that baptism is administered by the full immersion of a confessing Christian. ... This article is about the Christian buildings of worship. ... The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located just outside of Valley Forge National Historic Park in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, Pennsylvania. ... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 160 miles (255 km)  - Length 280 miles (455 km)  - % water 2. ... An organization or organisation (read more about -ize vs -ise) is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... The term General Secretary (alternatively First Secretary) denotes a leader of various unions, parties or associations. ... The American Baptist Association (ABA) is an association of independent Landmark-type Baptist churches fellowshipping to carry out missions, benevolence and education. ... Mainline is also rail terminology for the main and often most transited portion of a railroad, which is usually double- or more track. ...

Historically, the ABCUSA descends from the old Triennial Convention formed in 1814, a loosely structured foreign missions organization. Baptists in the south withdrew support from the Triennial Convention and formed the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in 1845, utilizing a more centralized organizational structure for carrying on missionary and benevolent enterprises. The majority of churches in the north continued to work through loosely associated societies for missions and benevolence, until the formation of a new convention in 1907. The Baptist churches in the north have not grown to the extent of those in the south, perhaps being less evangelical, and having greater ecumenical interests. The organization was founded as the Northern Baptist Convention on May 17, 1907 in Washington, D.C. The name was changed in 1950 to American Baptist Convention, and again in 1972 to American Baptist Churches, USA. The ABCUSA is a member of the National Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance. In 2000, this group was composed of 1,417,543 members in 5780 churches [source, Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States, 2000, Glenmary Research Center], and is the fifth largest Baptist denomination in the United States. 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based cooperative ministry agency serving Baptist churches around the world. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Northern Baptist Convention was founded in Washington, D.C. on May 17, 1907. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) is a religious organization currently (2006) consisting of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, African-American and historic Christian denominations in the United States, and is widely regarded as a leading force... The Baptist World Alliance was formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London, England during the first Baptist World Congress. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Autonomy

Traditionally, the ABCUSA has valued the autonomy of the local church. A statement from the ABCUSA webpage reads: "As early Baptists overcame oppression by establishing a congregational church system emphasizing local church autonomy and separation from state influence, so contemporary American Baptists continue to emphasize both the importance and the responsibility of every church and the individual believer before God."

Statements by the ABC

• "American Baptists believe that the Bible is inspired by God. The primary purpose, of the Bible, is to point to Jesus Christ, the living Lord of the Church, and to be the ultimate guide of faith and conduct."

The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE to 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... This page is about the title or the Divine Person. For the Christian figure, see Jesus. ...

See also

• Category:Universities and colleges affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA

• Seminaries affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA

External links

• ABC-USA.org
• American Baptist Evangelicals a grassroots group advocating evangelical renewal within ABC/USA
• Roger Williams Fellowship a grassroots group advocating Baptist principles since 1935.
• ProgressiveBaptist.net - An approch to the Historic Baptist expression of the Christian Faith