Free Will Baptist Church
Encyclopedia
Free Will Baptist is a denomination of churches that share a common history, name, and an acceptance of the Arminian theology of free grace, free salvation, and free will
. Free Will Baptists share similar soteriological views with General Baptists
, Separate Baptist
s and some United Baptist
s. Evangelism and autonomous power of the local church are highly valued. The denomination remains relatively rural and is especially strong in the southern United States
, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Michigan. The National Association of Free Will Baptists
report just over 250,000 members. The actual number in attendance varies due to visitors and non-members. There are many Free Will Baptist groups that do not belong to the NAFWB.
is the completed, perfect, and inerrant word of God. It is distinguished from the majority of Baptist groups. Free Will Baptist Doctrine holds to the traditional Arminian position, based on the belief in a General Atonement, that it is possible to commit apostasy, or willfully reject one's faith. Faith is the condition for salvation, hence Free Will Baptists hold to "conditional eternal security." An individual is "saved by faith and kept by faith." The concept is not of someone sinning occasionally and thus accidentally ending up "not saved", but instead of someone "repudiating" their faith in Christ. Free Will Baptists believe that an individual maintains his or her free will to follow Christ, but in the event a believer turns from faith in Christ, there is no remedy for this apostasy (based on an interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-6). "Once saved always saved" is not accepted by the denomination. Faith and future obedience will determine man's final salvation.
On Perseverance of the Saints from the official Treatise:
"There are strong grounds to hope that the truly
regenerate will persevere unto the end, and be saved,
through the power of divine grace which is pledged
for their support; but their future obedience and
final salvation are neither determined nor certain,
since through infirmity and manifold temptations
they are in danger of falling; and they ought, therefore,
to watch and pray lest they make shipwreck of
their faith and be lost."
Free Will Baptists observe three ordinances: baptism
, the Lord's Supper
, and some with the Washing of the Saints' Feet
, a rite occurring among some other evangelical groups but not practiced by the majority of Baptist denominations.
Free Will Baptist congregations hold differing views on eschatology
. Traditionally, most churches have tended to follow a premillennial interpretation, while non-affiliated churches often hold an amillennial view. Churches commonly advocate (voluntary) tithing
, totally abstaining from alcoholic beverages, and not working on the Sabbath.
s from England
who settled in the American colonies in the late seventeenth century. The first Baptists, who originated with the ministry of Thomas Helwys
near London in 1611, were General Baptists. That is, they believed that the atonement of Jesus Christ was "general" (for all) rather than "particular" (only for the elect). Thus, they were Arminian in doctrine.
One of these English General Baptists who settled in the American colonies was Benjamin Laker, who arrived in colonial Carolina as early as 1685. Laker had been associated with the illustrious General Baptist theologian and writer, Thomas Grantham, and had signed the 1663 edition of the General Baptists' Standard Confession of Faith. The earliest Free Will Baptists in America arose from English General Baptists in Carolina who were dubbed "Freewillers" by their enemies and later assumed the name.
Two distinct branches of Free Will Baptists developed in America. The first and earliest was the Palmer movement in North Carolina, from which the vast majority of modern-day Free Will Baptists have their origin. The later movement was the Randall movement, which arose in the late eighteenth century in New Hampshire. These two groups developed independently of each other.
, whose wife Johanna was the stepdaughter of Benjamin Laker, would labor among these people 25 years later, founding the first "Free Will" Baptist church in Chowan, North Carolina
in 1727. Palmer organized at least three churches in North Carolina.
His labors, though important, were short. Leadership would descend to Joseph Parker, William Parker, Josiah Hart, William Sojourner and others. Joseph Parker was part of the organization of the Chowan church and ministered among the Carolina churches for over 60 years. From one church in 1727, they grew to over 20 churches by 1755. After 1755, missionary labors conducted by the Philadelphia Baptist Association converted most of these churches to the Particular Baptist positions of unconditional election and limited atonement. By 1770, only 4 churches and 4 ministers remained of the General Baptist persuasion. By the end of 18th century, these churches were commonly referred to as "Free Will Baptist", and this would later be referred to as the "Palmer" line of Free Will Baptists. The churches in the "Palmer" line organized various associations and conferences, and finally organized a General Conference in 1921.
(1749–1808).
Randall initially united with the Particular or Regular Baptists in 1776, but broke with them in 1779 due to their strict views on predestination. In 1780, Randall formed a "Free" or "Freewill" (Randall would combine the words "free" and "will" into a single word) Baptist church in New Durham, New Hampshire
. By 1782 twelve churches had been founded, and they organized a Quarterly Meeting. In 1792 a Yearly Meeting was organized.
The "Randall" line of Freewill Baptists grew quickly. However, in 1911, the majority of the Randall Line churches (and all the denominational property) merged with the Northern Baptist Convention. Those churches that did not merge and remained Freewill Baptist joined with other Free Will Baptists in the Southwest and Midwest to organize the Cooperative General Association of Free Will Baptists in 1916.
to unite and organize the National Association of Free Will Baptists
. The majority of Free Will Baptist churches organized under this umbrella, which remains the largest of the Free Will Baptist groups to this day.
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
. Free Will Baptists share similar soteriological views with General Baptists
General Association of General Baptists
General Association of General Baptists - a group of Baptists holding the general atonement , located mostly in the midwestern United States....
, Separate Baptist
Separate Baptist
The Separate Baptists were an 18th century group of Baptists in the United States, primarily in the South, that grew out of the Great Awakening....
s and some United Baptist
United Baptist
United Baptist is name of several diverse Baptist groups of Protestant Christianity in the United States and Canada.-History:The name "United Baptist" appears to have arisen from two separate unions of Baptist groups: the union of Regular Baptists and Separate Baptists in Kentucky, Virginia, and...
s. Evangelism and autonomous power of the local church are highly valued. The denomination remains relatively rural and is especially strong in the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Michigan. The National Association of Free Will Baptists
National Association of Free Will Baptists
The National Association of Free Will Baptists is a national body of Free Will Baptist churches in the United States and Canada, organized on November 5, 1935 in Nashville, Tennessee...
report just over 250,000 members. The actual number in attendance varies due to visitors and non-members. There are many Free Will Baptist groups that do not belong to the NAFWB.
Theology and practice
Free Will Baptist congregations believe the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
is the completed, perfect, and inerrant word of God. It is distinguished from the majority of Baptist groups. Free Will Baptist Doctrine holds to the traditional Arminian position, based on the belief in a General Atonement, that it is possible to commit apostasy, or willfully reject one's faith. Faith is the condition for salvation, hence Free Will Baptists hold to "conditional eternal security." An individual is "saved by faith and kept by faith." The concept is not of someone sinning occasionally and thus accidentally ending up "not saved", but instead of someone "repudiating" their faith in Christ. Free Will Baptists believe that an individual maintains his or her free will to follow Christ, but in the event a believer turns from faith in Christ, there is no remedy for this apostasy (based on an interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-6). "Once saved always saved" is not accepted by the denomination. Faith and future obedience will determine man's final salvation.
On Perseverance of the Saints from the official Treatise:
"There are strong grounds to hope that the truly
regenerate will persevere unto the end, and be saved,
through the power of divine grace which is pledged
for their support; but their future obedience and
final salvation are neither determined nor certain,
since through infirmity and manifold temptations
they are in danger of falling; and they ought, therefore,
to watch and pray lest they make shipwreck of
their faith and be lost."
Free Will Baptists observe three ordinances: baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
, the Lord's Supper
Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper may refer to:*Eucharist, Mass or Communion, a rite in Christianity*The Last Supper, the last meal Jesus of Nazareth shared with his disciples in the collection of Christian Scriptures called The Holy Bible....
, and some with the Washing of the Saints' Feet
Feet washing
Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. The name, and even the spelling, of this practice is not consistently established, being variously known as foot washing, washing the saints' feet, pedilavium, and mandatum.For some...
, a rite occurring among some other evangelical groups but not practiced by the majority of Baptist denominations.
Free Will Baptist congregations hold differing views on eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
. Traditionally, most churches have tended to follow a premillennial interpretation, while non-affiliated churches often hold an amillennial view. Churches commonly advocate (voluntary) tithing
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
, totally abstaining from alcoholic beverages, and not working on the Sabbath.
Historical sketch
Free Will Baptists can be traced to General BaptistGeneral Baptist
General Baptists is a generic term for Baptists who hold the view of a general atonement, as well as a specific name of groups of Baptists within the broader category.General Baptists are distinguished from Particular or Reformed Baptists.-History:...
s from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who settled in the American colonies in the late seventeenth century. The first Baptists, who originated with the ministry of Thomas Helwys
Thomas Helwys
Thomas Helwys , an Englishman, was one of the joint founders, with John Smyth, of the Baptist denomination.In the early seventeenth century, Helwys was principal formulator of that distinctively Baptist request: that the church and the state be kept separate in matters of law, so that individuals...
near London in 1611, were General Baptists. That is, they believed that the atonement of Jesus Christ was "general" (for all) rather than "particular" (only for the elect). Thus, they were Arminian in doctrine.
One of these English General Baptists who settled in the American colonies was Benjamin Laker, who arrived in colonial Carolina as early as 1685. Laker had been associated with the illustrious General Baptist theologian and writer, Thomas Grantham, and had signed the 1663 edition of the General Baptists' Standard Confession of Faith. The earliest Free Will Baptists in America arose from English General Baptists in Carolina who were dubbed "Freewillers" by their enemies and later assumed the name.
Two distinct branches of Free Will Baptists developed in America. The first and earliest was the Palmer movement in North Carolina, from which the vast majority of modern-day Free Will Baptists have their origin. The later movement was the Randall movement, which arose in the late eighteenth century in New Hampshire. These two groups developed independently of each other.
The "Palmer" Line
In 1702, a disorganized group of General Baptists in Carolina wrote a request for help to the General Baptist Association in England. Though no help was forthcoming, Paul PalmerPaul Palmer (minister)
Paul Palmer was the founder of a couple of General Baptists. Palmer started several early Baptist churches in North Carolina, including the first known Baptist church in the state. It is not certain if he was Calvinian or Arminian...
, whose wife Johanna was the stepdaughter of Benjamin Laker, would labor among these people 25 years later, founding the first "Free Will" Baptist church in Chowan, North Carolina
Chowan
Chowan is a variation of the name of the Chowanoke American Indian tribe in North Carolina, and may refer to*Chowan, the first name of the bark later to be named USS Crusader*Chowan County, North Carolina*Chowan River in Virginia and North Carolina...
in 1727. Palmer organized at least three churches in North Carolina.
His labors, though important, were short. Leadership would descend to Joseph Parker, William Parker, Josiah Hart, William Sojourner and others. Joseph Parker was part of the organization of the Chowan church and ministered among the Carolina churches for over 60 years. From one church in 1727, they grew to over 20 churches by 1755. After 1755, missionary labors conducted by the Philadelphia Baptist Association converted most of these churches to the Particular Baptist positions of unconditional election and limited atonement. By 1770, only 4 churches and 4 ministers remained of the General Baptist persuasion. By the end of 18th century, these churches were commonly referred to as "Free Will Baptist", and this would later be referred to as the "Palmer" line of Free Will Baptists. The churches in the "Palmer" line organized various associations and conferences, and finally organized a General Conference in 1921.
The "Randall" Line
While the movement in the South was struggling, a new movement rose in the North through the work of Benjamin RandallBenjamin Randall
Benjamin Randall was the main organizer of the Freewill Baptists in the northeastern United States.In 1749 Benjamin Randall was born into a New England sea captain's family. Randall experienced a conversion to Christianity in 1770 through the influence of George Whitefield. Randall served in the...
(1749–1808).
Randall initially united with the Particular or Regular Baptists in 1776, but broke with them in 1779 due to their strict views on predestination. In 1780, Randall formed a "Free" or "Freewill" (Randall would combine the words "free" and "will" into a single word) Baptist church in New Durham, New Hampshire
New Durham, New Hampshire
New Durham is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,638 at the 2010 census. It is drained by the Merrymeeting and Ela rivers, and is known for Merrymeeting Lake. New Durham is home to the Powder Mill Fish Hatchery...
. By 1782 twelve churches had been founded, and they organized a Quarterly Meeting. In 1792 a Yearly Meeting was organized.
The "Randall" line of Freewill Baptists grew quickly. However, in 1911, the majority of the Randall Line churches (and all the denominational property) merged with the Northern Baptist Convention. Those churches that did not merge and remained Freewill Baptist joined with other Free Will Baptists in the Southwest and Midwest to organize the Cooperative General Association of Free Will Baptists in 1916.
The Union of the Lines
Fraternal relations had existed between the northern and southern Free Will Baptists, but the question of slavery, and later the Civil War, prevented any formal union until the 20th century. On November 5, 1935, representatives of the General Conference (Palmer) and the Cooperative General Association (a mixture of Randall and Palmer elements west of the Mississippi) met in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to unite and organize the National Association of Free Will Baptists
National Association of Free Will Baptists
The National Association of Free Will Baptists is a national body of Free Will Baptist churches in the United States and Canada, organized on November 5, 1935 in Nashville, Tennessee...
. The majority of Free Will Baptist churches organized under this umbrella, which remains the largest of the Free Will Baptist groups to this day.
Free Will Baptist Bodies
Other major Free Will Baptist groups include:- Original Free Will Baptist ConventionOriginal Free Will Baptist ConventionThe Original Free Will Baptist Convention is a North Carolina based body of Free Will Baptists that split from the National Association of Free Will Baptists in 1961....
- a North Carolina based body of Free Will Baptists that was organized in 1913 and initially joined the National Association of Free Will Baptists, but split from the National Association in 1961 due to some inner differences. The Convention comprised the majority of North Carolina-based Free Will Baptist churches, though a minority would split from the North Carolina state convention and maintain affiliation with the National Association. The Convention also maintains mission activity in eight countries – Philippines, Mexico, Bulgaria, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Liberia, and Guinea. - United American Free Will Baptist ChurchUnited American Free Will Baptist ChurchThe United American Free Will Baptist Church is the oldest national body of predominantly black Free Will Baptists in the United States.-History:...
- the largest body of African-American Free Will Baptist churches, organized in 1901 and headquartered in Kinston, North CarolinaKinston, North CarolinaKinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...
. - United American Free Will Baptist ConferenceUnited American Free Will Baptist ConferenceUnited American Free Will Baptist Conference, Inc. is the smaller of the two African-American Free Will Baptist conferences in the United States.-History:...
- a body of African-American Free Will Baptist churches that withdrew from the United American Free Will Baptist Church in 1968; headquartered in Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, FloridaLakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
. - Unaffiliated Free Will Baptist local associations - a number of local Free Will Baptist associations remain independent of the National Association, Original FWB Convention, and the two United American bodies. Researchers have identified 10 such associations, though there may be more. The unaffiliated associations of Free Will Baptists include over 300 churches with an estimated 22,000 members. They have no organization beyond the "local" level.
- Eastern Stone (TN)
- French Broad (NC)
- Jack's Creek (NC,TN) Has member churches in these states according to the 2008 Minutes of the Jack's Creek Free Will Baptist Association
- John-Thomas (NC,KY,WVA,VA)
- Mt. Mitchell (NC)
- Original Grand River (OK)
- River Valley Association (AR)
- Stone Association of Central Indiana (IN)
- Toe River (NC,TN, & SC)
- Western (NC)
- Western Stone (TN)
Sources
- A Free Will Baptist Handbook: Heritage, Beliefs, and Ministries, by J. Matthew Pinson
- A History of Original Free Will Baptists, by Michael Pelt
- Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
- Dictionary of Baptists in America, Bill J. Leonard, editor
- Encyclopedia of Religion in the South, Samuel S. Hill, editor
- Sub-Groups Within the Baptist Denomination (in the United States), by R. L. Vaughn
- The Free Will Baptists in History, by William F. Davidson
External links
- Benjamin Randall - Christian History Institute's Biographical Sketch
- California State Association of Free Will Baptists
- International Fellowship of Free Will Baptist Churches
- National Association of Free Will Baptists
- United American Free Will Baptist Conference, Inc.
- The Convention of Original Free Will Baptist Churches
- The Original Free Will Baptist International
- The Original Free Will Baptist Mission Church of Liberia
- Missouri State Association of Free Will Baptists
- Tennessee State Association of Free Will Baptists
- West Virginia State Association of Free Will Baptists