National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

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The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. is the largest religious organization among African Americans. The convention has over 30,000 churches and over 6,000,000 members. It is the second largest Baptist organization in the world, after the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Foreign Mission Baptist Convention was organized in Montgomery, Alabama in 1880 to spread the gospel of Christ to other countries. Its founders stressed preaching the gospel to all people as an answer to what they considered the shortcomings of a segregating church. Elias Camp Morris, (1855-1922), helped found the Foreign Mission Convention and led in a move to consolidate several conventions. The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., formed in Atlanta, Georgia on September 28, 1895, represents the successful merger of the Foreign Mission Convention, the American National Baptist Convention (org. 1886), and the Baptist National Education Convention (org. 1893).

Two convention bodies have grown out of divisions in the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. - the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. (formed 1915) and the Progressive National Baptist Convention (formed 1961). The Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention was founded in 1897 by dissatisfied members of the newly formed National Baptist Convention. Today the Lott Carey Convention draws members from all the missionary National Baptist bodies. A spiritual gifts movement beginning around 1992, led by NBCUSA pastor Paul S. Morton, grew among all the National Baptist Conventions and resulted in the formation of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. The first Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference was held in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1994.

During 1967 and 1968, the convention reaffirmed its faith in civil rights through law and order by adopting the principles set forth in the book Unholy Shadows and Freedom's Holy Light, by Joseph H. Jackson, president of the convention at that time. Jackson served as president from 1953 until 1982.

Representatives meet annually for convention business. World headquarters are located at the World Baptist Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Over 57 state conventions affiliate with the NBCUSA, and, considering the dual affiliation that is widespread in the National Baptist bodies, the total of churches and members unique to the NBCUSA has been estimated as over 6,000,000 members in over 18,000 churches. Dr. William J. Shaw currently (2003) serves as President.