The Riverside Baptist Church (RBC) is a historic church in Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. It is located at 2650 Park Street. Designed by noted architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 Addison Mizner

Addison Mizner

Addison Cairns Mizner was an American resort architect whose Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style interpretations left an indelible stamp on South Florida, where it continues to inspire architects and land developers. In the 1920s Mizner was the best-known and most-discussed...

 and completed in 1926, it was added to the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on September 22, 1972. It is known throughout the region for its glorious sanctuary, its two historic pipe organs and its beautiful gardens.

Theology

Riverside Baptist is a progressive Baptist church serving a small, but diverse congregation. According to the church website, the congregation is "an inclusive open and affirming community of believers without regard for race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, gender, or disability, all with a diversity of gifts and experiences united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ." It is associated with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists

Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists

The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists is a group consisting of Baptist individuals, organizations, and congregations that are committed to advocating and encouraging the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the lives and ministries of Baptist churches...

. While technically a member of the Southern Baptist Convention

Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...

, the church does not hold to standard convention theology. It allows women to serve as deacons, welcomes homosexual members and does not condemn drinking, dancing or card playing. It is more closely tied with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian fellowship of Baptist churches formed in 1991. Theologically moderate, the CBF withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention over philosophical and theological differences, such as the SBC prohibition of women serving as pastors. The Cooperative...

(CBF), an organization whose theology is more moderate than the modern Southern Baptist Convention. CBF and RBC hold to historical Baptist values including local church autonomy, priesthood of all believers and religious liberty.

Conflict with the Florida Baptist Convention

In 2009 Dr. John Sullivan, executive director of the Florida Baptist Convetion, requested a meeting with Riverside's pastor David Holladay. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss Riverside's acceptance of homosexuals. Riverside accepts homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle, while the Florida Baptist Convention defines it as sinful. The meeting ended with the two parties agreeing to disagree. It is unknown whether the Florida Baptist Convention will take disciplinary action against Riverside.

The Building

The sanctuary combines Romanesque, Byzantine, and Spanish elements, and is a splendid example of what is colloquially called the "Florida Spanish" style. It is one and a half stories, limestone with gabled and hipped tile roof sections, a double-door entrance beneath compound round arch, and sculptured tympanum. The design is believed to be Mizner's only religious structure. The radical nature of the design caused the loss of some members after its completion.

External links

• Riverside Baptist Church website
• Duval County listings at nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com
• Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
  • Duval County listings
  • Riverside Baptist Church