Free Will Baptist Church Covenant
Having given ourselves to God, by faith in Christ, and adopted the Word of God as our rule of faith and practice, we now give ourselves to one another by the will of God in this solemn covenant. We promise, by His grace, to love and obey Him in all things, to avoid all appearance of evil, to abstain from all sinful amusements and unholy conformity to the world, from all sanction of the use and sale of intoxicating beverages, and to “provide things honest in the sight of all men.”
We agree faithfully to discharge our obligations in reference to the study of the Scriptures, secret prayer, family devotions, and social worship; and by selfdenial, faith, and good works endeavor to “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together for church conferences, public worship, and the observance of the ordinances of the Gospel; nor fail to pay according to our ability for the support of the church, of its poor, and all its benevolent work. We agree to accept Christian admonition and reproof with meekness, and to watch over one another in love, endeavoring to “keep the unity of the Spirit” in the bonds of peace, to be careful of one another’s happiness and reputation, and seek to strengthen the weak, encourage the afflicted, admonish the erring, and as far as we are able, promote the success of the church and of the Gospel. We will everywhere hold Christian principle sacred and Christian obligations and enterprises supreme; counting it our chief business in life to extend the influence of Christ in society, constantly praying and toiling that the kingdom of God may come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. To this end we agree to labor for the promotion of educational and denominational enterprises, the support of missions, the success of Sunday schools, and evangelistic efforts for the salvation of the world. And may the God of peace sanctify us wholly, and preserve us blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Historical sketch of the Free Will Baptists
Free Will Baptists can be traced to General Baptists from England who settled in the American colonies in the late seventeenth century. The first Baptists, who originated with the ministry of Thomas Helwys near London in 1611, were General Baptists. That is, they believed that the atonement of Jesus Christ was "general" (for all) rather than "particular" (only for the elect). Thus, they were Arminian in doctrine.
One of these English General Baptists who settled in the American colonies was Benjamin Laker, who arrived in colonial Carolina as early as 1685. Laker had been associated with the illustrious General Baptist theologian and writer, Thomas Grantham, and had signed the 1663 edition of the General Baptists' Standard Confession of Faith. The earliest Free Will Baptists in America arose from English General Baptists in Carolina who were dubbed "Freewillers" by their enemies and later assumed the name.
Two distinct branches of Free Will Baptists developed in America. The first and earliest was the Palmer movement in North Carolina, from which the vast majority of modern-day Free Will Baptists have their origin. The later movement was the Randall movement, which arose in the late eighteenth century in New Hampshire. These two groups developed independently of each other.
The "Palmer" Line
In 1702, a disorganized group of General Baptists in Carolina wrote a request for help to the General Baptist Association in England. Though no help was forthcoming, Paul Palmer, whose wife Johanna was the stepdaughter of Benjamin Laker, would labor among these people 25 years later, founding the first "Free Will" Baptist church in Chowan, North Carolina in 1727. Palmer organized at least three churches in North Carolina.
His labors, though important, were short. Leadership would descend to Joseph Parker, William Parker, Josiah Hart, William Sojourner and others. Joseph Parker was part of the organization of the Chowan church and ministered among the Carolina churches for over 60 years. From one church in 1727, they grew to over 20 churches by 1755. After 1755, missionary labors conducted by the Philadelphia Baptist Association converted most of these churches to the Particular Baptist positions of unconditional election and limited atonement. By 1770, only 4 churches and 4 ministers remained of the General Baptist persuasion. By the end of 18th century, these churches were commonly referred to as "Free Will Baptist", and this would later be referred to as the "Palmer" line of Free Will Baptists. The churches in the "Palmer" line organized various associations and conferences, and finally organized a General Conference in 1921.
The "Randall" Line
While the movement in the South was struggling, a new movement rose in the North through the work of Benjamin Randall (1749-1808). Randall initially united with the Particular or Regular Baptists in 1776, but broke with them in 1779 due to their strict views on predestination. In 1780, Randall formed a "Free" or "Freewill" Baptist church in New Durham, New Hampshire. (The Randall movement combined the words "Free" and "Will.") By 1782 twelve churches had been founded, and they organized a Quarterly Meeting. In 1792 a Yearly Meeting was organized. This northern line (the "Randall" line) of Freewill Baptists grew quickly. But in 1911, the majority of the churches (and all the denominational property) merged with the Northern Baptist Convention. The Randall churches that remained Freewill Baptist after the merger joined with other Free Will Baptists in the Southwest and Midwest to organize the Cooperative General Association of Free Will Baptists in 1916.
The Union of the Lines
Fraternal relations had existed between the northern and southern Free Will Baptists, but the question of slavery, and later the Civil War, prevented any formal union until the 20th century. On November 5, 1935, representatives of the General Conference (Palmer) and the Cooperative General Association (a mixture of Randall and Palmer elements west of the Mississippi) met in Nashville, TN to unite and organize the National Association of Free Will Baptists. The majority of Free Will Baptist churches organized under this umbrella, which remains the largest of the Free Will Baptist groups to this day.
Free Will Baptist Bodies
- National Association of Free Will Baptists - a national body of predominantly white Free Will Baptist churches in the United States and Canada, organized in 1935 and headquartered in Nashville, TN. This is the largest of the Free Will Baptist denominations.
- International Fellowship of Free Will Baptist Churches - an international fellowship of Free Will Baptists with 12 member associations in Brazil, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, France, India, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Spain, United States, and Uruguay, evidently related to foreign mission work of the National Association of Free Will Baptists.
- Original Free Will Baptist Convention - a North Carolina based body of Free Will Baptists that split from the National Association in 1961. In 1991 they reported over 33,000 members in 236 churches that were organized into 7 conferences.
- United American Free Will Baptist Church - the largest body of African-American Free Will Baptist churches, organized in 1901 and headquartered in Kinston, NC.
- United American Free Will Baptist Conference - a body of African-American Free Will Baptist churches that withdrew from the United American Free Will Baptist Church in 1968; headquartered in Lakeland, FL.
- Unaffiliated Free Will Baptist local associations - a number of local Free Will Baptist associations remain independent of the National Association, Original FWB Convention, and the two United American bodies. Researchers have identified 11 such associations, though there may be more. The unaffiliated associations of Free Will Baptists include over 300 churches with an estimated 22,000 members. They have no organization beyond the "local" level.
- Eastern Stone (TN)
- French Broad (NC)
- Jack's Creek (IN, KY, NC, OH & VA)
- John-Thomas (NC,KY,WVA,VA)
- Mt. Mitchell (NC)
- Middle Tennessee Association of Free Will Baptists (TN)
- Original Grand River (OK)
- Stone Association of Central Indiana (IN)
- Toe River (NC,TN, & SC)
- Western (NC)
- Western Stone (TN)
Free Will Baptist Colleges
