American Baptists

Denominational demographics. With 1.3 million members in 5,500 churches across the country, American Baptists are the smallest of the many branches of the Baptist denomination in the United States. There are approximately 5,000 American Baptist clergy in the U.S., six percent of whom are women. The average American Baptist congregation is small—only 200 people. Calvary Baptist Church is one of the largest churches in the denomination.

What do Baptists believe?

• Baptists enjoy Bible freedom—freedom of access to the scripture, freedom from creedal restrictions and freedom of individual interpretation.
• Baptists deal directly with God without the imposition of creed, without the interference of clergy and without the interference of government. We call it soul freedom.
• Church freedom gives autonomy to the local church. Clergy is called by and answers to the local congregation, not to some distant board or authority.
• Baptists believe in religious freedom—the absolute separation of church and state.
• As a member of a priesthood of all believers, each Baptist is called to minister to others.
• A Baptist distinctive is believer's baptism by immersion, a public testimony of the experience of personal salvation. Many Baptist churches—including Calvary Baptist Church—accept baptism from other traditions.
• Baptists place a high priority on living out the faith through mission and service.
  

How are American Baptists different?

• We are ecumenical, as we tend to support and encourage unity among the various divisions of the Christian religion.
• We ordain women.
• We are very active in social justice issues.
• We work at indigenous control of mission—a hands-on local approach—rather than a central hierarchy of missionaries.
• We are more moderate in interpretation of scripture.

How do American Baptists interpret scripture?
For American Baptists, the Bible is central to our faith and practice. We take the Bible very seriously as a revelation of God's truth. We believe the Bible is inspired but not dictated by God. As we study the scripture, we seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in interpreting its meaning.

How do American Baptists approach the world?
To some, the word Baptist symbolizes a set of narrow, judgmental and rigid beliefs. However, American Baptists stand for moderation, inclusiveness and a pioneering spirit. We celebrate a rich history of groundbreaking work in support of:

• overseas ministries
• evangelizing the American frontier
• Christian higher education and campus chaplaincy programs
• education for African Americans
• Christian education in the church setting
• women in ministry
• ethnic evangelism, urban ministry, advocacy and Christian social concerns
• ecumenical relationships
• religious liberty and issues of human conscience.