The North American Baptist Conference was founded in 1865, although its roots go back to mission work among German immigrants in the late 1830s.
A Swiss separatist by the name of Konrad Fleischmann was active in ministry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, preaching believer's baptism. The first German Baptist Church was organized in Philadelphia in 1843 and, by the end of the 1850s churches had been organized in Illinois, Missouri, New York, Wisconsin, and Ontario.
The Conference of Ministers and Helpers of German Churches of Baptized Christians was formed in 1851 in Philadelphia. The General Conference of German Baptist Churches in North America was organized in Wilmot, Ontario in 1865.
Beginning in the 1940s, churches within the Conference began shifting from being German-language churches to English. Representing this change, the Conference adopted its current name in 1944, eliminating its ethnic reference.
Today, the North American Baptist Conference is strongest in the Midwest, California, and Alberta, Canada. Headquartered in Roseville, California, the Conference is sorted into eleven regions.
The Alberta Baptist Association includes churches from Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. Although not the largest in area, the Alberta Baptist Association has the most churches.
The Atlantic Association covers a region that includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and eastern New York, an area that included some of the first German Baptist churches in North America.
The British Columbia Association includes British Columbia, as well as one church just south of the Canada-United States border.
The Central Plains Region is itself broken into three groups, the Southern Association (Louisiana, Texas), the Southwestern Association (Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma), and the Great Plains Association (Iowa, South Dakota).
The Eastern Association covers a broken area that includes parts of Ontario, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The Great Lakes Association consists of churches from southern Michigan to Kentucky.
The Northern California Association includes churches as far south as San Jose, the majority in the Sacramento area, as well as Nevada and Utah.
The Northern Plains Region includes the Manitoba Baptist Association and the North Central Association, with churches in southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, North Dakota, and portions of South Dakota and Montana.
The Northwest Region includes churches in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
The Saskatchewan Baptist Association includes churches in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba, as well as Good Spirit Bible Camp, which serves First Nations children.
The Southern California Association is made up of churches in Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The Upper Mississippi Region includes churches in southern Illinois and Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
The Florida Association covers churches in Florida and Georgia.
Theologically, the North American Baptist Conference doesn't differ much from other Baptist bodies. Its statement of faith attests to the authority of Scripture, the revelation of God in Christ, regeneration, the baptism of believers by immersion, separation of church and state, and the autonomy of the local church. Its ministries include evangelism, discipleship, church planting, leadership training, counseling, camping programs for youth, and the care of the elderly. Membership is based on a personal experience of saving grace.
The North American Baptist Conference operates two schools, the Sioux Falls Seminary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Taylor Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta. Within the Conference, clergy and lay representatives supervise the work of education, publication, and international missions. The Conference includes missions to the Brazil, Mexico, the Cameroon, Japan, the Philippines, and eastern Europe.
Approximately 70% of the churches within the Conference are in the United States, and 30% in Canada.
The focus of this category is on the North American Baptist Conference. Topics related to the Conference as a whole, or to its Regions and Associations are appropriate for this category, whether official or unofficial. Sites representing individual churches or congregations should be submitted to the appropriate Local & Global category.
Recommended Resources
Eastern Association of North American Baptists
The NAB Eastern Association includes churches in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Its organizational structure, regional minister, and leadership are featured, along with its home missions, student ministries, men’s ministry, and women’s ministry. A list of churches within the Association is put forth, the annual meeting schedule, and a calendar of events are posted to the site, and a blog is included.
http://www.nabeastern.org/
The missions of the North American Baptist Conference are highlighted, including reports from the mission field, including short and longterm missions, special projects, volunteer activities, two-year mission opportunities, and a career path in ministry. The international missionaries of the Conference are introduced. Also included are its church planting services, theological education, leadership training, and Camp Falcon Rock in Romania.
https://nabonmission.org/
North American Baptist Conference
The history and beliefs of the NABC are set forth, along with its mission, purpose, and vision, its church planting services, leadership formation and equipping. The Conference also has a gateway program to equip churches to reach local communities throughout the world; this is defined here, along with supported missionaries, its ministry outreach staff, and partner organizations. Reports from foreign missions are provided, and job openings are posted.
https://nabconference.org/
North American Baptist Conference Heritage Commission
Established by the NAB Conference at the Triennial Session in 1991, the Commission is charged with the preservation of key documents and artifacts relating to the ministry of the German Baptists who became the North American Baptists. Its history, organizational structure, and contacts are posted to the site, with an overview of its collections, displays, and exhibits, biographies of significant people within the Conference, and books for sale.
http://www.nabarchives.org/
Upper Mississippi Region of the NAB Conference
The UMR of the North American Baptist Conference that includes churches in southern Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Its churches are listed here, along with its regional leadership team, and an introduction to its regional minister. Its cooperative ministries, doctrinal and missional engagements, and an overview of its programs are included, with a calendar of events, administrative contacts, and announcements.
https://www.nab-umr.org/
