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American Baptist Association
Baptist
Date Founded: Traces its origins to the Landmark Movement of the 1850s.
Membership/Number of Clergy: 100,000/NA as of 2009
Headquarters: 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503
Publications: Bogard Press is the publishing arm of the church.
Social Media: None for the organization as a whole since no one church can speak for another.
Core Beliefs: See https://www.abaptist.org/beliefs. Some highlights: "2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice." "4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation." "19. We believe that there are two divinely appointed offices in a church, pastors and deacons, to be filled by men whose qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy." "20. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and committees are, and properly should be, servants of, and under control of the churches."
Short History: Some churches in the South in the mid 1800s rejected the newly formed Southern Baptist Convention and worked only through local associations. In 1924 two of these associations, the Baptist Missionary Association of Texas and the General Association, merged to form the American Baptist Association. The ABA coordinates mission activities, manages the publishing house, and provides Sunday School materials to member churches. ABA churches are part of the Landmark Movement. "When applied to Baptists, the term “Landmark” denotes a set of beliefs that place a strong emphasis upon the local church as the central unit for all religious activity. Characteristic beliefs of Landmark Baptists are:
a. An insistence upon a historic succession of Baptist-like churches from New Testament times until the present,
b. A rejection of the practices of pulpit affiliation, union meetings and the receiving of alien immersion.
c. Also rejected by Landmark Baptists is the concept of “conventionism,” that is, a centralized denominational organization that sets policy and initiates programs.
d. Landmark Baptists also practice restricted or “closed” communion, limiting participation in the Lord’s Supper to the membership of each local church."
Local Churches:
