American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA, abbreviated as ABCUSA, is a mainline Protestant and Baptist Christian denomination in the United States of America. The American Baptist Churches is the reorganization from 1907 of the Triennial Convention, established in 1814. It is rooted in the early English and Welsh Baptist settlers in America, especially with the foundation of Rhode Island Colony, tracing its history to the First Baptist Church in America, established by Roger Williams in 1638. The Triennial Convention became the Northern Baptist Convention in 1907, which was renamed as the American Baptist Convention from 1950 to 1972. The ABCUSA headquarters is located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The American Baptist Churches cooperates with the Baptist World Alliance, the Baptist Joint Committee, and the World Council of Churches.
Although the denomination is considered mainline Protestant, one of the Seven Sisters of American Protestantism, varying theological and missional emphases may be found among its congregations, including evangelical, conservative, and charismatic orientations. In 2025, Pew Research Center published the Religious Landscape Survey, estimating that 1 percent of US adults, or 2.6 million people, self-identify as adherents of the American Baptist Churches USA.
History
Colonial New England Baptists
The American Baptist Churches USA have their origins in the First Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island, now the First Baptist Church in America, founded in 1638 by the minister Roger Williams. Regarded by the more dogmatic Congregationalists of the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a heretic for his views, Williams was banished into the New England wilderness where he, John Clarke, and his Congregationalists and Baptists followers created the settlement of Providence and later, the colony of Rhode Island. Williams is credited with being the pioneer of bringing the Baptist tradition to America, the founder of the state of Rhode Island, and the first highly visible public leader in America to call for the separation of the Church from state.File:First_Baptist_Church_in_America_from_Angell_St.jpg|thumb|The First Baptist Church in America was formed in 1638 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Triennial Convention (1814–1907)
Operating under a congregationalist polity, Baptist churches in America existed autonomously from one another, following an array of Protestant theological paths, but were often unified in their missions to evangelize. In the 18th century, they established the first Baptist regional associations in America for fellowship, support, work, and education, resulting in the founding of Brown University in Rhode Island, in 1764. The Philadelphia Baptist Association, headquartered in Andorra, at Andorra Baptist Church, was one of these regional associations and it is considered the oldest Baptist regional association still in existence in the United States, linked to the founding of Brown. With the Second Great Awakening, evangelical missions led to the establishment of the national Triennial Convention in 1814, a collaborative organization by local churches, regional associations, and state conventions to organize, fund, and deploy missionaries. Some used the Philadelphia Confession of Faith and the New Hampshire Confession as guides to faith. The modern-day ABCUSA is the continuation of the Triennial Convention, as a renewed version or reorganization in its structure. Through the Triennial Convention, a number of mission-oriented societies were formed, including the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, American Baptist Home Mission Society, American Baptist Publication Society, and the American Baptist Education Society.In May 1845, the majority of Baptist churches in the South split from the Triennial Convention largely in response to the decision of its delegates to ban slave holders from becoming ordained missionaries. They went to found their own organization: the Southern Baptist Convention. The Triennial Convention was structured loosely and offered local churches full autonomy, in contrast, however, was the SBC that had a more centralized organizational structure for carrying on missionary and benevolent work, a more traditional characteristic of Baptist ecclesiastical polity. The Triennial Convention continued to work through the separate cooperating societies for missions and benevolence.
In 1882, May Jones became the first ordained female minister in the convention.
Northern Baptist Convention (1907–1950)
The Northern Baptist Convention was organized in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 1907. Charles Evans Hughes, then Governor of New York and later Chief Justice of the United States, served the body as president.The purpose of the Northern Baptist Convention as a reorganization of the Triennial Convention was to bring about a consistent cooperation among the convention societies and Baptist bodies out of the mainstream organization then existing. It was the first step in bringing together Baptists in the North "with ties to the historic American Baptist mission societies in the nineteenth century." These had contributed to establishing many schools for freedmen in the South after the American Civil War, as well as working on issues of health and welfare. Many of their missionaries and members had worked as teachers in the South. In 1911, most Free Will Baptist churches merged with it.
Due to the development of theological liberalism in some affiliated seminaries, such as Crozer Theological Seminary, conservative seminaries have been founded by convention ministers, including the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1913 and the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1925.
American Baptist Convention (1950–1972)
The name of the convention was changed in 1950 to the American Baptist Convention, and it operated under this name until 1972. It was the second step at bringing together on a national level Baptists with ties to the mission societies. The ABC was characterized from 1950 to 1966 with annual resolutions at its conventions having to do with the civil rights movement and race relations.As in many cases, the rhetoric of the annual assemblies was sometimes ahead of local activity, but the denomination gradually made progress. In 1964, it created the Baptist Action for Racial Brotherhood, which early the next year produced a pamphlet outlining actions for change in local churches. In 1968, the convention was challenged by "Black American Baptist Churchmen Speak To the American Baptist Convention", demands that challenged how the denomination had "conducted its business relative to black American Baptists."
The black churchmen said the convention had excluded them from decision-making positions, even while working with good intentions on behalf of black American Baptists. The following year, Dr. Thomas Kilgore Jr., pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles, was elected the first black president of the convention. The 1968 assembly also voted to create the Study Commission on Denominational Structure. Its recommendations changed the denomination in a variety of ways, after being adopted at the 1972 assembly.
American Baptist Churches USA (1972–present)
To reflect its new structure, the convention in 1972 changed its name to the American Baptist Churches USA. Rather than relying on decision-making at the annual assembly by whichever churches happened to send delegates, the SCODS restructuring resulted in the following:Governance
The American Baptists Churches USA has a congregationalist polity emphasizing local church autonomy. Local churches are organized into 33 regions; the ABCUSA General Board makes policy for the denomination's national agencies.However, board resolutions are not binding on local congregations. Three-fourths of the representatives to the ABCUSA General Board are nominated and elected by the regions. One-fourth of the representatives are nominated by the ABCUSA Nominating Committee and are elected by the regions. The General Secretary of the ABCUSA executes the policies and decisions of the General Board. Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer was called as ABCUSA General Secretary on May 8, 2017.
A substantial portion of the ABCUSA consists of historically and predominantly African American churches that may have joint affiliations with the ABCUSA and historic bodies such as the National Baptist Convention or the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City is one of the many African American churches jointly affiliated with the ABCUSA and National Baptist Convention. Since 1970, the ABCUSA and Progressive National Baptists have officially partnered.
Regions
The ABCUSA consists of 33 regional associations and conventions:| Region | Headquarters | Area served | Number of churches | Executive minister | Notes |
| American Baptist Churches of Alaska | Anchorage, Alaska | The state of Alaska | 11 | Alonzo B. Patterson | |
| American Baptist Churches of Connecticut | West Hartford, Connecticut | The state of Connecticut | 120 | Rev. Dr. Harry Riggs II | |
| American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis | Indianapolis, Indiana | The Indianapolis Metro Area | 39 | Rev. Joan C. Friesen | |
| American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky | Franklin, Indiana | Most of Indiana, and five churches in Kentucky | 290 | Rev. Mark A Thompson | Previously known as: General Association of Baptists in the State of Indiana Indiana State Baptist Convention Indiana Baptist Convention American Baptist Churches of Indiana American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky This region's legal name is still the Indiana Baptist Convention. |
| American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles, Southwest, and Hawaii | Glendale, California | Southern California, Hawaii, Arizona, and the Las Vegas Metro Area | 151 | Andrew Quient | |
| American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts | Groton, Massachusetts | The state of Massachusetts | 246 | Rev. Dr. Mary Day Miller | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
| American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | The Chicago area | 57 | Rev. David Gregg | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
| American Baptist Churches of Metro New York | New York City, New York | The New York Metropolitan Area | 191 | Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
| American Baptist Churches of Michigan | East Lansing, Michigan | The state of Michigan | 137 | Rev. Brian Johnson | Formerly known as the Michigan Baptist Convention |
| Churches Helping Churches American Baptist Churches of Nebraska | Omaha, Nebraska | The state of Nebraska | 63 | Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula | Legal name: Nebraska Baptist State Convention. Ethnically diverse community of churches. |
| American Baptist Churches of New Jersey | Trenton, New Jersey | The state of New Jersey | 277 | Rev. Miriam Mendez | |
| American Baptist Churches of New York State | Syracuse, New York | Most of New York, except for the Rochester-Genesee and Metro NYC areas | 282 | Rev. Dr. James Kelsey | |
| American Baptist Churches of Ohio | Granville, Ohio | Most of Ohio, except for the Cleveland area | 250 | Rev. Mark E. Click | |
| American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Most of Pennsylvania and all of Delaware | 300 | Rev. Mark Mahserjian-Smith & Rev. Jeffrey Johnson | |
| American Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico | Carolina, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico | 113 | Rev. Edgardo M. Caraballo | Known in Spanish as "Iglesias Bautistas de Puerto Rico" |
| American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island | Exeter, Rhode Island | The state of Rhode Island | 69 | Rev. Dr. Courtny Davis Olds | |
| American Baptist Churches of the Central Pacific Coast | Portland, Oregon | Central and Northern California, western Oregon, and two churches in Washington | 72 | Steve Bils | |
| American Baptist Churches of the Central Region | Topeka, Kansas | Kansas, 14 churches in Oklahoma, one church in Arkansas | 205 | Gregg Hemmen | Formerly known as the Kansas Baptist Convention until 1979 |
| American Baptist Churches of the Dakotas | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | North Dakota and South Dakota | 50 | Rev. Dr. Aaron Kilbourn | |
| American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region | Springfield, Illinois | Most of Illinois, and all of Missouri | 205 | Patty King Bilyeu | |
| American Baptist Churches of the Rochester/Genesee Region | Rochester, New York | Mainly the Rochester/Genesee area, but other churches from 11 states affiliate with this region | 51 | Rev. Dr. Sandra L. DeMott Hasenauer | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life. Churches from other states that either left or were removed from their region over the LGBTQ+ issue affiliate with this region. |
| American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains | Centennial, Colorado | Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming | Rev. Dr. Steve Van Ostran | ||
| American Baptist Churches of the South | Woodlawn, Maryland | Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia | 234 | Rev. Dr. James Mitchell Harrison | |
| American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire | West Lebanon, New Hampshire | Vermont and New Hampshire | 147 | Rev. Dale R. Edwards | |
| American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin | Elm Grove, Wisconsin | The state of Wisconsin | 61 | Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
| Cleveland Baptist Association | Cleveland, Ohio | The Cleveland metropolitan area | 39 | Rev. Dr. Yvonne B. Carter | |
| District of Columbia Baptist Convention | Washington, D.C. | Washington, D.C. | 139 | Rev. Trisha Miller Manarin | This body has 151 churches total, but only 139 are affiliated with the ABCUSA. This body was dually aligned with the ABCUSA and the Southern Baptist Convention until May 2018. |
| Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches | Kent, Washington | Washington and portions of Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah | 55 | Douglas Avilesbernal | One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
| Growing Healthy Churches | Clovis, California | Mainly central California, but churches from several states affiliate with this region. | 167 | Dr. Timothy H. Brown | |
| Mid-American Baptist Churches | Urbandale, Iowa | Iowa and Minnesota | 123 | Rev. Jacquline Saxon | |
| Mission Northwest | Post Falls, Idaho | Primarily Idaho, Washington, Montana, and Utah, with one church each in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Alaska | 156 | Dr. Charles E. Revis | |
| Philadelphia Baptist Association | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia metropolitan area | 121 | Rev. Dr. James E. McJunkin Jr. | Oldest continuous association of Baptist churches, established in 1707. One of seven ABCUSA regions known to support full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons into Baptist life |
| West Virginia Baptist Convention | Parkersburg, West Virginia | The state of West Virginia | 345 | Dr. Michael Sisson |