ATLANTA — Mercer University will host more than 50 representatives of various Baptist groups in the United States and Canada at the annual meeting of the North American Baptist Fellowship in Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday.
The North American Baptist Fellowship is one of six regional fellowships that are part of the Baptist World Alliance, which is made up of 214 Baptist unions and conventions comprising a membership of more than 34 million baptized believers. The BWA unites Baptists worldwide, leads in evangelism, responds to people in need and defends human rights.
“The North American Baptist Fellowship is grateful to Mercer University and President Bill Underwood for hosting our annual Executive Committee Meeting,” said Alan Stanford, executive director of the North American Baptist Fellowship. “This is an historic meeting because we will have the largest and most diverse group of Baptist leaders in the history of NABF coming together to plan joint ministry initiatives.”
The organization’s meeting will conclude with a Tuesday morning session at the Carter Center hosted by former president and prominent Baptist Jimmy Carter.
“As a Baptist university that is committed to the historic Baptist principles of academic and intellectual freedom and respect for religious diversity, it is entirely fitting that Mercer host the annual meeting of the Fellowship,” said Mercer President William D. Underwood. “The university is currently partnering with several of the Fellowship’s member organizations on missions, archival and educational initiatives. We welcome them to Atlanta and to Mercer.”
Baptist groups represented in the North American Baptist Fellowship include Canadian Baptist Ministries, Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists, American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist General Association of Virginia, Baptist General Conference, Baptist General Convention of Texas, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Czechoslovak Baptist Convention of the USA and Canada, General Association of General Baptists, Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention USA, National Baptist Convention of America, National Baptist Convention USA Inc., National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, North American Baptist Conference, Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc., Seventh Day Baptist General Conference USA and Canada, and the Union of Latvian Baptists in America.
Together, these Baptist organizations claim more than 20 million members.
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