Baptist General Conventions – What are they?
Baptist General Conventions call together like-minded churches in a state or region to pool resources to reach a goal that individual churches cannot, such as supporting global missions or running an orphanage, hospital, or retirement village.Many Baptist General Conventions, such as in Oklahoma and Texas, operate in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention, a national association.
Conventions are most active in the South and West in the United States. Every individual church remains independent and is expected to adhere to biblical standards, including the convention's statement of faith. However, when attending or joining a church, take care to observe the teaching and lives of its leadership as well as exploring its statement of faith.
The collective projects in a Convention focus on spreading the gospel (missions), caring for the poor (orphanages and retirement homes), education (universities), and health-care (hospitals). Resources are also allocated for regional and national gatherings.
Baptist General Conventions establish statements of faith, which explain doctrine, which align with orthodox Christianity. They include:
1. Belief in a triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
2. The full divinity and humanity of Jesus, including the virgin birth (Matthew 1:18; Philippians 2:6–11).
3. Jesus' perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. Being born again is required for the forgiveness of sin and eternal life (John 3:3).
5. The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is given to believers at salvation to provide the desire and power to live a life pleasing to God (Ephesians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19).
6. God will judge every person (Romans 14:1), consigning those without Jesus to punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46), and those with faith in Jesus to live with Him forever (Revelation 3:21).
7. Only through faith in Jesus can a person be saved by God (Ephesians 2:8–9).
8. At His return, Jesus will set up His kingdom on a new Earth (Revelation 22:12).
Which churches are considered 'mainline denominations,' and why?
What is the reason for all the Christian denominations?
What was God's purpose in establishing the church?
What does it mean that the church is the body of Christ?
What should we look for in a church?
Truth about Church
