The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) is a convention of conservative Southern Baptist churches in Texas. It is supportive of the national Southern Baptist Convention. It was formed by churches within the Baptist General Convention of Texas so that they might partner more closely with the SBC in a fellowship based on a common commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture.
The earliest precursor to the SBTC was the Conservative Baptist Fellowship of Texas. Members of that fellowship joined other conservative Southern Baptists to form the Southern Baptists of Texas in 1995. This group operated within the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) until a new entity the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention was founded in 1998.
The groups that preceded the new convention sought closer cooperation between the BGCT and the SBC than existed during the "Conservative Resurgence" of the national body. However, the BGCT's refusal to endorse the more conservative leanings of the SBC leadership led the Southern Baptists of Texas to organize a separate state convention in November 1998. The new state convention, though autonomous, immediately formed closer partnerships with the entities of the SBC.
The SBTC believes in the inerrancy of Scripture, salvation only in Jesus Christ, and the primacy of the local church. The SBTC established missions and evangelism as its major emphases. The SBTC adopted the 2000 SBC Baptist Faith and Message as its own statement of faith. The SBTC's purpose, according to its mission statement, is to "facilitate, extend, and enlarge the Great Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist churches and associations of Texas."
The SBTC's headquarters are in a 30,000 ft² (2,800 m²) facility, opened in 2004, in Grapevine, Texas. Jim Richards serves as the Executive Director. Its official publication is the Southern Baptist Texan and Gary Ledbetter currently serves as its editor.
As of November 2009, 2,197 churches are affiliated with the SBTC. SBTC affiliated churches may be either "uniquely affiliated" (solely affiliated with SBTC) or "dually affiliated" (affiliated with both SBTC and another Baptist group).
Several new Baptist associations have formed by SBTC churches (one being the North Texas Baptist Association, serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area), though the SBTC itself does not promote their formation. Most SBTC churches choose to remain in longtime associations.
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"Affiliation" is a formal relationship that involves funding through the convention's budget and representation on the affiliated entity's board.
Criswell College in Dallas, TX is currently affiliated with and supported by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Criswell College offers fully accredited Bachelors and Masters degrees including the Master of Divinity (M.Div). The college is known for its emphasis on sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, its emphasis on Biblical inerrancy, and its emphasis on teaching students to view all academic disciplines through a Christian worldview.
A second college, Jacksonville College is also affiliated with the convention. Jacksonville College is an accredited two-year college located in Jacksonville, Texas. Jacksonville College was begun by and is owned by the Baptist Missionary Association of America (BMAA), a Baptist association distinct from the Southern Baptist Convention.
The SBTC has affiliated relationships with two children's homes. Texas Baptist Home for Children (a children's home that also works with foster parents, located in Waxahachie, Texas) which is also owned and affiliated with the BMAA. East Texas Baptist Family Ministries, another affiliated ministry was begun by churches in East Texas and is located outside of Timpson, Texas.
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