Alliance of Baptists
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Historical Background |
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Doctrinal distinctives |
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Largest associations |
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The Alliance of Baptists is a fellowship of Baptist churches and individuals espousing moderate-to-liberal theological and social stances. The Alliance was formed in 1987 by congregations some of which separated from the Southern Baptist Convention as a result of the 1980s fundamentalist/moderate controversy. The Alliance of Baptists is perhaps the first instance among Baptists in the U.S. in which moderates were compelled to establish their own organization, rather than taking over an existing organization. The Alliance maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C.
In contrast to the SBC and other conservative Baptists, the Alliance has emphasized women's ministry, encouraging women to seek ordination and senior pastorates, and encourages its congregations toward inclusiveness with respect to sexual orientation. The Alliance has also worked to uphold the separation of church and state through its membership and support of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
The Alliance has acknowledged its interdependence as Baptists with the whole people of God regardless of denominational designation. That spirit of ecumenism of the Alliance of Baptists can be seen in its willingness to fellowship with any other denomination, without regard to its doctrinal character. The Alliance is in ecumenical partnership with groups such as the American Baptist Churches in the USA, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Progressive National Baptist Convention, and in cooperation with the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the World Council of Churches.
The Alliance is involved in missions, endorsement for chaplaincy & pastoral counseling, and assistance in placement of ministers in ministerial jobs. Leadership is vested in three officers—President, Vice-President and Secretary—and a 40-member Board of Directors. Membership is open to churches and individuals through the payment of an annual membership fee.
As of 2007, some 125 congregations are affiliated with the Alliance; a preponderance of them are in southern Atlantic states such as Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. The Alliance is more sparsely found in the central South and Texas; in those areas, Alliance congregations are found almost exclusively in metropolitan areas.
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[edit] Beliefs
From its inception in early 1987, the Alliance has stood for those values that have distinguished the Baptist movement from its beginnings nearly four centuries ago—the freedom and accountability of every individual in matters of faith; the freedom of each congregation under the authority of Jesus Christ to determine its own ministry and mission; and religious freedom for all in relationship to the state. The Alliance has also taken steps to accept homosexuals as full participants in God's work, distinguishing it clearly from more conservative Baptist bodies.
[edit] Covenant[1]
"In a time when historic Baptist principles, freedoms, and traditions need a clear voice, and in our personal and corporate response to the call of God in Jesus Christ to be disciples and servants in the world, we commit ourselves to:
(1) The freedom of the individual, led by God's Spirit within the family of faith, to read and interpret the Scriptures, relying on the historical understanding by the church and on the best methods of modern biblical study;
(2) The freedom of the local church under the authority of Jesus Christ to shape its own life and mission, call its own leadership, and ordain whom it perceives as gifted for ministry, male or female;
(3) The larger body of Jesus Christ, expressed in various Christian traditions, and to a cooperation with believers everywhere in giving full expression to the Gospel;
(4) The servant role of leadership within the church, following the model of our Servant Lord, and to full partnership of all of God's people in mission and ministry;
(5) Theological education in congregations, colleges, and seminaries characterized by reverence for biblical authority and respect for open inquiry and responsible scholarship;
(6) The proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the calling of God to all peoples to repentance and faith, reconciliation and hope, social and economic justice;
(7) The principle of a free church in a free state and the opposition to any effort either by church or state to use the other for its own purposes."
[edit] References
- Dictionary of Baptists in America, Bill J. Leonard, editor
- Handbook of Denominations, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
