Sovereign Grace Baptists
Encyclopedia
Sovereign Grace Baptists in the broadest sense are any "Calvinistic
" Baptists that accept God's sovereign grace in salvation and predestination, including Primitive Baptists, Reformed Baptist
s, Continental Baptist Churches
(org. 1983) and Strict Baptists
. Certain churches and groups have preferred "Sovereign Grace" in their name, especially those who dislike the terms "Calvinism" and "Calvinist". Yet all of these generally agree with the Five Points of Calvinism - Total Depravity
, Unconditional Election
, Limited Atonement
, Irresistible Grace
, and Perseverance of the Saints
. Evangelist Rolfe P. Barnard (1904-1969), Pastor Henry Mahan, and the Sovereign Grace Bible Conference in Ashland, Kentucky
were pioneers in the resurgence of Calvinism among Baptists in the United States
, though all groups designated as Sovereign Grace are not necessarily connected to them.
, as the Sovereign Grace Landmark Independent Baptists and others.
Sovereign Grace Baptist Association of Churches (SGBA) - organized circa 1984, the SGBA sponsors an annual national conference and churches cooperate in missions, publications, retreats, camps and other activities. The Missionary Committee serves under the Executive Committee to screen candidates and recommend them to the churches for support. They currently (2009) are supporting one missionary endeavour. The Publication Committee reviews and approves submissions, and supplies literature to the churches. Grace News is published quarterly. A Confession of Faith was adopted in 1991. Membership in the SGBA is open to any Baptist church subscribing to the Constitution and Articles of Faith. There are 12 member churches, with the largest concentration in Michigan
.
Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada (SGF) - a fellowship for Baptist churches in Canada
holding to either the Baptist Confession of 1644 or 1689
. Leigh Powell, Bill Payne, and Roger Fellows started this loose association of churches in the 1970s as a Reformed Baptist witness in Ontario, Canada. SGF claims to be Baptistic, Evangelistic, and Sovereign Grace. Churches hold the authority of Scripture in all matters of faith and practice, the autonomy of the local church, a regenerate church membership, believer's baptism by immersion, liberty of conscience, and separation of church & state. Churches believe that God has chosen certain individuals for salvation, but also believe that God uses means to save His elect. The purpose of the SGF is to promote cooperation between member churches, especially in the areas of world missions, church planting, evangelization, & education, and to assist churches in maintaining sound doctrine. Any church requesting membership that agrees with the doctrinal stance and constitution of the SGF may be received by a 2/3 majority vote of the delegates of the Sovereign Grace Fellowship. The governance of the Fellowship is committed to a Board of Directors, General Coordinator, and Treasurer, chosen by the delegates in general assembly. The General Assembly is held annually, and each member church is allowed 3 delegates, who must be either elders or deacons of the church they represent. Sovereign Grace Fellowship had 10 member churches in 2003, located in New Brunswick
and Ontario
.
Sovereign Grace Landmark Independent Baptists - no established organization; exist only as fellowship and cooperation between like-minded autonomous churches. This group consists of many churches and pastors that held a modified (two-point) Calvinism
and rediscovered and regained the "Calvinistic" heritage of their Particular Baptist forebears, as well as churches established through their labors. In 2000, a survey discovered at least 417 of these churches in the United States and Canada.
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
" Baptists that accept God's sovereign grace in salvation and predestination, including Primitive Baptists, Reformed Baptist
Reformed Baptist
Reformed Baptists are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology. They can trace their history through the early modern Particular Baptists of England. The first Reformed Baptist church was formed in the 1630s...
s, Continental Baptist Churches
Continental Baptist Churches
Continental Baptist Churches is an association of "Calvinistic" Baptist churches holding New Covenant theology, organized in June 1983. The roots of this movement are in the Baptist Reformation Review, founded by Norbert Ward at Nashville, Tennessee in 1972, and the Sword and the Trowel, edited by...
(org. 1983) and Strict Baptists
Strict Baptists
Strict Baptists, also known as Particular Baptists, are Baptists who believe in a Calvinist or Reformed interpretation of Christian soteriology. The Particular Baptists arose in England in the 17th century and took their namesake from the doctrine of particular redemption.-Further reading:*History...
. Certain churches and groups have preferred "Sovereign Grace" in their name, especially those who dislike the terms "Calvinism" and "Calvinist". Yet all of these generally agree with the Five Points of Calvinism - Total Depravity
Total depravity
Total depravity is a theological doctrine that derives from the Augustinian concept of original sin...
, Unconditional Election
Unconditional election
Unconditional election is the Calvinist teaching that before God created the world, he chose to save some people according to his own purposes and apart from any conditions related to those persons...
, Limited Atonement
Limited atonement
Limited atonement is a doctrine in Christian theology which is particularly associated with the Reformed tradition and is one of the five points of Calvinism...
, Irresistible Grace
Irresistible grace
Irresistible Grace is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save and, in God's timing, overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing...
, and Perseverance of the Saints
Perseverance of the saints
Perseverance of the saints, as well as the corollary—though distinct—doctrine known as "Once Saved, Always Saved", is a Calvinist teaching that once persons are truly saved they can never lose their salvation....
. Evangelist Rolfe P. Barnard (1904-1969), Pastor Henry Mahan, and the Sovereign Grace Bible Conference in Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
were pioneers in the resurgence of Calvinism among Baptists in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, though all groups designated as Sovereign Grace are not necessarily connected to them.
Current status
Groups presently using the term Sovereign Grace include the Sovereign Grace Baptist Association, the Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada, and numerous independent BaptistsIndependent Baptist
Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
, as the Sovereign Grace Landmark Independent Baptists and others.
Sovereign Grace Baptist Association of Churches (SGBA) - organized circa 1984, the SGBA sponsors an annual national conference and churches cooperate in missions, publications, retreats, camps and other activities. The Missionary Committee serves under the Executive Committee to screen candidates and recommend them to the churches for support. They currently (2009) are supporting one missionary endeavour. The Publication Committee reviews and approves submissions, and supplies literature to the churches. Grace News is published quarterly. A Confession of Faith was adopted in 1991. Membership in the SGBA is open to any Baptist church subscribing to the Constitution and Articles of Faith. There are 12 member churches, with the largest concentration in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada (SGF) - a fellowship for Baptist churches in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
holding to either the Baptist Confession of 1644 or 1689
1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith was written by Particular Baptists, who held to a Calvinistic Soteriology in England to give a formal expression of their Christian faith from a Baptist perspective...
. Leigh Powell, Bill Payne, and Roger Fellows started this loose association of churches in the 1970s as a Reformed Baptist witness in Ontario, Canada. SGF claims to be Baptistic, Evangelistic, and Sovereign Grace. Churches hold the authority of Scripture in all matters of faith and practice, the autonomy of the local church, a regenerate church membership, believer's baptism by immersion, liberty of conscience, and separation of church & state. Churches believe that God has chosen certain individuals for salvation, but also believe that God uses means to save His elect. The purpose of the SGF is to promote cooperation between member churches, especially in the areas of world missions, church planting, evangelization, & education, and to assist churches in maintaining sound doctrine. Any church requesting membership that agrees with the doctrinal stance and constitution of the SGF may be received by a 2/3 majority vote of the delegates of the Sovereign Grace Fellowship. The governance of the Fellowship is committed to a Board of Directors, General Coordinator, and Treasurer, chosen by the delegates in general assembly. The General Assembly is held annually, and each member church is allowed 3 delegates, who must be either elders or deacons of the church they represent. Sovereign Grace Fellowship had 10 member churches in 2003, located in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Sovereign Grace Landmark Independent Baptists - no established organization; exist only as fellowship and cooperation between like-minded autonomous churches. This group consists of many churches and pastors that held a modified (two-point) Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
and rediscovered and regained the "Calvinistic" heritage of their Particular Baptist forebears, as well as churches established through their labors. In 2000, a survey discovered at least 417 of these churches in the United States and Canada.
External links
- Sovereign Grace Bible Conference - Lexington, KY
- Sovereign Grace Baptist Association Website
- Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada Website
- Bautistas de Gracia Soberana, Viña del Mar-Chile Website
Sources
- Constitution of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Association of Churches
- Constitution of the Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada
- Unaffiliated Landmark Baptist Church Survey, by R. L. Vaughn
- Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
- The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness, by H. Leon McBeth