First Baptist Church
Derry NH

A People of Faith ~~ A People in Mission

 By the grace of God, American Baptists are a special people. While we join countless other individuals and groups in comprising the great worldwide fellowship of Christians, we remain a distinctive communion of believers whose faith is practiced with some very specific understandings.  

American Baptists can be found in the towns and cities of all 50 states and Puerto Rico. About 1.5 million of us worship and find inspiration in our 5,800 congregations throughout the country. Some of us grew up as American Baptists; some have left other religious traditions to join us. Still others come to us without any previous connection to a church, acting simply on an invitation or desire to follow Christ and become part of a community of faith.  

In today's complex world, the American Baptist family draws its strength from members and churches convinced their God wants nothing more than to redeem that world. It is through a vast variety of ministries that we seek to serve our God here and now.  

Our Baptist roots date back four centuries, to a people seeking the opportunity to worship God as individual members of freely organized and freely functioning churches. As it was for the pioneering Baptists in the 17th century, the local church is our life blood today. In an American Baptist "Affirmation of Mission," the central role of our congregations within denominational life is clearly articulated:  

"We believe that the local congregation is the fundamental unit of mission and our priority as a denomination is to affirm, support and challenge congregations as they live out their mission in 'Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth.'  

"American Baptist congregations are called by God through Jesus Christ to be communities of faith--empowered by the Holy Spirit to live as witnesses and agents of God's love and justice in the church and in the world; vital in worship; dynamic in proclamation; effective in teaching; loving in fellowship; faithful in stewardship; and compassionate in service.  

"Because this is God's call to all churches, it needs to be considered through the lens of American Baptist heritage and present distinctives as a people who are evangelical, ecumenical, multi-racial, mission minded, committed to social justice and informed by a global perspective."  

It is my hope that We Are American Baptists will be a useful resource for understanding who we are and how we serve Jesus Christ.  

Daniel E. Weiss  

General Secretary

American Baptist Churches USA

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