Conservative Baptist Association of America
Encyclopedia
History
The first organization of Conservative BaptistsConservative Baptists
Conservative Baptists is a name used to describe members of the Conservative Baptist Association of America , used loosely as the larger "Conservative Baptist Movement", or used as a description of Baptists that hold a "conservative" viewpoint of theology in contrast to "liberals"...
was the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society (CBFMS), now called WorldVenture
WorldVenture
WorldVenture, formerly CBInternational, is an evangelical Christian mission agency established in 1943 as the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society . It was the first organization of Conservative Baptists in existence...
, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1943. The Conservative Baptist Association of America was organized in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
in 1947. The Association operates under the name CBAmerica. The Conservative Baptist Association emerged as part of the continuing Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy
Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy
The Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy was a religious controversy in the 1920s and 30s within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America that later created divisions in most American Christian denominations as well. The major American denomination was torn by conflict over the...
within the Northern Baptist Convention. The forming churches were fundamental/conservative churches that had remained in cooperation with the Northern Baptist Convention after other churches had left, such as those that formed the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches is one of several Baptist groups in North America retaining the name "Regular Baptist"....
. At the 1946 NBC meeting, the old convention made it clear that it would not allow a competing missionary agency to operate within it. Churches withdrew, forming the new association, and hundreds of others withdrew in the following years. The conservatives were in the majority in Minnesota and Arizona, and the Northern Baptists lost those state agencies.
Constituents
The movement presently supports three national agencies - CBAmerica, WorldVentureWorldVenture
WorldVenture, formerly CBInternational, is an evangelical Christian mission agency established in 1943 as the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society . It was the first organization of Conservative Baptists in existence...
(formerly CBFMS, then CBInternational), and Missions Door (formerly Conservative Baptist Home Mission Society, then Mission To The Americas). Conservative Baptists also cooperate with affiliated institutions of higher learning as well as youth and women's ministries. Each local Conservative Baptist church is an autonomous organization in voluntary affiliation with each other through regional associations.
Reorganization
Until a structural reorganization began in early 2004, CBAmerica was a network of churches and ministries, committed to evangelization and church planting. In 2003, its membership comprised over 1200 churches representing over 200,000 church members.Following the dissolution of an Organization Task Force after an unsuccessful attempt to unite the national agencies in a single structure and vision, CBAmerica was reorganized to become "the amalgamate voice of 9 regions." In 2005 new bylaws were adopted whereby local churches ceased to be the members of CBAmerica, in favor of a membership composed of regional associations. Churches continue to be the members of the regional associations but have no direct participation in the national organization.
Stephen LeBar served as the last executive director of CBAmerica from 2004 until his resignation in 2009 and was not replaced. The staff listed on the website of CBAmerica as of 2010 is limited to a part-time National Network Facilitator, who also serves as an associate director of a regional association, and a part-time Chaplaincy Director, who is a retired Army chaplain. The stated purpose of CBAmerica as reorganized is limited to servicing regional associations: "CBAmerica exists to serve, resource and represent regional fellowships of Conservative Baptist churches."
The slogan on its website is "a church-based network of regional ministries." There is no explanation offered as to the meaning of "church-based" for an organization that no longer includes churches, and no specific services to regional fellowships are presented despite the stated purpose of CBAmerica. The "About Us" page has not been updated since at least 2009, referring to Stephen LeBar, who resigned that year, as the current executive director. The reorganization appears to have reduced the national organization of Conservative Baptists to little more than a name for the sake of identification.
International ties
CBAmerica maintains fellowship and relationship with networks of churches in other countries of the world through CBGlobal, which has a board consisting of national organization leaders but no staff of its own.Associated educational institutions
- Western SeminaryWestern SeminaryWestern Seminary is an evangelical, non-denominational theological seminary with campuses in Portland, Oregon, as well as in San Jose and Sacramento in California. The seminary offers Master’s Degrees in Divinity, Counseling, Intercultural Studies, Leadership and Theology along with Doctoral...
, Portland, OR, San Jose, CA, Sacramento, CA http://www.westernseminary.edu/index.htm - Denver SeminaryDenver SeminaryDenver Seminary is an accredited, graduate-level institution in Littleton, Colorado. It offers a wide range of degrees not typically associated with other accredited seminaries. It is also known for its emphasis on training and mentoring as integral to seminary education...
, Denver, CO http://www.denverseminary.edu/ - Southwestern CollegeSouthwestern College (Arizona)Arizona Christian University is a private, non-profit Christian university located in Phoenix, Arizona.- History of ACU :...
, Phoenix, AZ http://www.southwesterncollege.edu/ - New England Bible College, South Portland, ME http://www.nebc.edu/
External links
Sources
- Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
- Dictionary of Baptists in America, Bill J. Leonard, editor
- Handbook of Denominations, by Frank Mead & Samuel Hill
- CBAmerica Official Web Site