Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International
Encyclopedia
Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International (FBFI) - formerly the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of America - is a fellowship of Independent Fundamental Baptist individuals.
The roots of FBFI can be traced to the Fundamental Fellowship of Northern Baptists. The Fundamental Fellowship was organized in 1920 as the National Federation of Fundamentalists of the Northern Baptists, during the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy
in the Northern Baptist Convention (NBC). While more militant fundamentalists withdrew from the NBC in 1932 to form the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
, members of the Fellowship labored within the Convention and sought reform. This continued into the 1940s, when fundamentalists organized the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society on 1943 in protest of liberal policies of NBC's foreign mission society. In 1946 the Fundamentalist Fellowship changed its name to Conservative Baptist Fellowship, and was instrumental in organizing the Conservative Baptist Association of America
in 1947 and the Conservative Baptist Home Mission Society in 1948. Conflict caused the Fellowship to organize the World Conservative Baptist Mission (now Baptist World Mission), which would only appoint missionaries who were premillennial in eschatology. In 1967, the Conservative Baptist Fellowship broke all ties with the Conservative Baptist Association movement, and took the name Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of America. Some of its members formed the New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches. Relations were strained, but these two groups reconciled in 1974, though they remain separate organizations.
FBFI is a fellowship of individuals who agree with the Statement of Faith and purposes of the Fellowship. The chief purposes of the Fellowship are to strengthen and promote historic fundamentalism, to defend the faith while exposing and opposing religious compromise, to promote religious liberty and to lead in evangelism and church growth. Frontline magazine, the journal of the Fellowship, is published six times per year. Offices are in Schaumburg, Illinois
. The FBFI is organized into 13 regional fellowships - Alaska Region, Northern California, Southern California, Mid-America, Mid-Atlantic, South, North Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, South Central, Caribbean, and International. In 1995 individual members of the FBFI were related to 402 different independent Baptist
churches. 142 of these 402 churches were also aligned with other fundamentalist fellowships.
The roots of FBFI can be traced to the Fundamental Fellowship of Northern Baptists. The Fundamental Fellowship was organized in 1920 as the National Federation of Fundamentalists of the Northern Baptists, during the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy
Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy
The Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy was a religious controversy in the 1920s and 30s within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America that later created divisions in most American Christian denominations as well. The major American denomination was torn by conflict over the...
in the Northern Baptist Convention (NBC). While more militant fundamentalists withdrew from the NBC in 1932 to form the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches is one of several Baptist groups in North America retaining the name "Regular Baptist"....
, members of the Fellowship labored within the Convention and sought reform. This continued into the 1940s, when fundamentalists organized the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society on 1943 in protest of liberal policies of NBC's foreign mission society. In 1946 the Fundamentalist Fellowship changed its name to Conservative Baptist Fellowship, and was instrumental in organizing the Conservative Baptist Association of America
Conservative Baptist Association of America
-History:The first organization of Conservative Baptists was the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society , now called WorldVenture, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1943. The Conservative Baptist Association of America was organized in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1947. The Association operates...
in 1947 and the Conservative Baptist Home Mission Society in 1948. Conflict caused the Fellowship to organize the World Conservative Baptist Mission (now Baptist World Mission), which would only appoint missionaries who were premillennial in eschatology. In 1967, the Conservative Baptist Fellowship broke all ties with the Conservative Baptist Association movement, and took the name Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of America. Some of its members formed the New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches. Relations were strained, but these two groups reconciled in 1974, though they remain separate organizations.
FBFI is a fellowship of individuals who agree with the Statement of Faith and purposes of the Fellowship. The chief purposes of the Fellowship are to strengthen and promote historic fundamentalism, to defend the faith while exposing and opposing religious compromise, to promote religious liberty and to lead in evangelism and church growth. Frontline magazine, the journal of the Fellowship, is published six times per year. Offices are in Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
. The FBFI is organized into 13 regional fellowships - Alaska Region, Northern California, Southern California, Mid-America, Mid-Atlantic, South, North Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, South Central, Caribbean, and International. In 1995 individual members of the FBFI were related to 402 different independent Baptist
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
churches. 142 of these 402 churches were also aligned with other fundamentalist fellowships.