GetWiki

{{Short description|American Christian denomination (1961-)}}

factoids

|abbreviation=PNBC}}The Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC), incorporated as the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., is a mainline Baptist Christian denomination emphasizing civil rights and social justice.WEB, Home,pnbc.org, 2023-07-14, Progressive National Baptist Convention, en-US, PNBC was formed to give full voice, sterling leadership and active support to the American and world fight for human freedom. The convention was the convention -denominational home and platform for the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who addressed every annual session of the Convention until his death in 1968. New generations of Progressive Baptists are continuing the struggle for full voter registration, education and participation in society, economic empowerment and development, and the realization of universal human rights and total human liberation for all people., The headquarters of the Progressive National Baptist Convention are in Washington, D.C.NEWS, Contact PNBC, en-US, Progressive National Baptist Convention,pnbc.org/contact-pnbc/, 2023-07-14, Part of the Black church tradition, since its organization, the denomination has member churches outside the United States, particularly in the Caribbean and Europe. It is a member of the National Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance.WEB, Member Communions,nationalcouncilofchurches.us/member-communions/, 2020-09-11, National Council of Churches, WEB, Member Unions,www.baptistworld.org/member-unions/, 2020-09-11, Baptist World Alliance,

History

File: Biden at Ebenezer Baptist Church (52635229253).jpg|222x222px|thumb|right| Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in AtlantaAtlantaThe Progressive National Baptist Convention formed in 1961 after civil-rights-oriented Baptist ministers led by L. Venchael Booth of Zion Baptist Church in Cincinnati, failed to replace Joseph H. Jackson, the long-time head of the National Baptist Convention (NBC USA).WEB, Anderson, Meg, 2009-03-29, Progressive National Baptist Convention (1961- ),www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/progressive-national-baptist-convention-inc-1961/, 2020-09-11, BlackPast, en-US, WEB, Anderson, Meg, 2009-03-29, National Baptist Convention (1895- ),www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/national-baptist-convention-usa-inc-1895/, 2020-09-11, BlackPast, en-US, The older group stood aloof from the civil rights movement which was often led by local Baptist ministers;WEB, 2017-06-20, Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC),kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/progressive-national-baptist-convention-pnbc, 2020-09-11, The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, en, the National Baptist Convention (NBC USA) often preached spiritual salvation rather than political activism. The dissidents nominated Gardner C. Taylor as president of the NBC USA.BOOK, Jerry M Carter (Jr), The Audible Sacrament: The Sacramentality of Gardner C. Taylor’s Preaching,books.google.com/books?id=AzsFrI9fMUgC&pg=PA6, 2007, 5–7, 9780549381532, After a fist fight between reformers and stand-patters,Archived at Ghostarchive{{cbignore}} and the www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHCQ93fZpcg" title="web.archive.org/web/20210129220243www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHCQ93fZpcg">Wayback Machine{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|title=Christian Denomination Started with a Fist Fight!|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHCQ93fZpcg|language=en|access-date=2021-08-11}}{{cbignore}} in which one elderly minister was accidentally killed, Jackson’s supporters won. King was ousted from the NBC USA and his goal of using the united power of the black Baptist community to promote civil rights came to nothing. His defeat prompted the formation of the new predominantly African American Baptist denomination.BOOK, Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63,books.google.com/books?id=U8ExdUHjzkMC&pg=PA505, 2007, Simon and Schuster, 228–31, 500–7, 9781416558682, Thirty-three delegates from 14 states gathered at Zion Baptist Church in Cincinnati to discuss the issue.WEB, Progressive National Baptist Convention,www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/progressive-national-baptist-convention-inc, 2020-09-11, World Council of Churches, en, The vote to organize passed by one vote. L. Venchael Booth, pastor of Zion Baptist in Cincinnati, was elected first president of the convention.C. Douglas Weaver, In Search of the New Testament Church: The Baptist Story, Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 208 The convention was originally formed as the “Progressive Baptist Convention” and the word “National” was added to the name in 1962. The convention has grown from the original founding numbers to member congregations throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.Following a path of political activism, the Progressive National Baptist Convention supported groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and methods such as affirmative action. Famous civil rights leaders who were members of the PNBC include Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Mays, Ralph Abernathy, Wyatt Tee Walker, and Gardner C. Taylor. The Progressive National Baptist Convention bills the “progressive concept” as “fellowship, progress, and peace.“In 1969, Uvee Mdodana Arbouin became the first ordained woman pastor in the convention. Erich Geldbach, Baptists Worldwide: Origins, Expansions, Emerging Realities, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2022, p. 111In the early 2000s, the Progressive National Baptists united with the National Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention of America, and National Missionary Baptist Convention as the Joint National Baptist Convention;NEWS, Zoll, Rachel, 29 January 2005, Long-divided black Baptists try to unite around common agenda,www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/01/29/long_divided_black_baptists_try_to_unite_around_common_agenda/, usurped,web.archive.org/web/20121025064112/https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/01/29/long_divided_black_baptists_try_to_unite_around_common_agenda/, 25 October 2012, 24 January 2024, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Company, in 2024, the PNBC cooperated with the four conventions again in order to establish a joint agenda for African American Baptists.WEB, Tucker, Taylor, 2024-01-24, 901 Now: Baptist pastors convene in Memphis,www.actionnews5.com/2024/01/24/901-now-baptist-pastors-convene-memphis/, 2024-01-24, Action News 5, en, The Progressive National Baptist Convention celebrated its 50th Annual Session in Washington, D.C., in August 2011.WEB, Historic gathering of presidents in nation’s capital,www.philasun.com/stateside/historic-gathering-of-presidents-in-nations-capital/, 2020-09-11, The Philadelphia Sunday Sun, en-US, The PBNC has partnered with the predominantly white mainline American Baptist Churches USA since 1970.WEB, 1970, PNBC 1970 Minutes,media2.sbhla.org.s3.amazonaws.com/aaa/pnbc/pnbc_1970.pdf, April 25, 2023, Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives, In 2022, the Progressive National Baptist Convention elected Jacqueline A. Thompson as second vice president, which made her the first woman to hold an elected leadership role in the Progressive National Baptist Convention.WEB,baptistnews.com/article/progressive-national-baptist-convention-elects-woman-to-leadership-role-for-first-time/, Progressive National Baptist Convention elects woman to leadership role for first time, Mark, Wingfield, August 18, 2022, Baptist News Global, On January 22, 2024, before the Joint National Baptist Convention, the PNBC called for a ceasefire in Gaza.WEB, Kaylor, Brian, 2024-01-23, Progressive Baptists Call for Gaza Ceasefire,wordandway.org/2024/01/23/progressive-baptists-call-for-gaza-ceasefire/, 2024-01-29, Word&Way, en-US,

Statistics

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, in 1963, the PNBC had 500,000 members in 394 churches before growing to 2.5 million members in 1991 spread throughout 1,400 churches.WEB, Progressive National Baptist Convention,www.thearda.com/us-religion/group-profiles/groups?D=664, 2024-01-25, Association of Religion Data Archives, Since then, the convention’s membership has stagnated, similar to the National Baptist Convention of America at the time. By 2009, the same organization numbered the PNBC as having 1,010,000 members in 1,500 churches. According to a census published by the Baptist World Alliance in 2022, however, it self-reported 1,500,000 members in 1,362 churches.WEB, 2022-07-21, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.,baptistworld.org/member/progressive-national-baptist-convention-inc/, 2024-01-25, Baptist World Alliance, en-US, In another study by the World Council of Churches, its membership was approximately 2,500,000.WEB, 1975-01-01, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.,www.oikoumene.org/member-churches/progressive-national-baptist-convention-inc, 2024-01-25, World Council of Churches, en,

Doctrine

In the denomination, many members identify with Progressive Baptist theology—being theologically moderate to liberal; this contrasts with the theologically conservative to moderate National Baptist Convention and National Baptist Convention of America. The Progressive National Baptist Convention collectively also recognizes the ordination of women. Contrasting, its predecessor—the NBC USA—has no official position on women’s ordination, though women do serve as pastors in the convention. According to the PNBC, it creates “opportunities for women in ministry to learn and serve.“WEB, Membership,pnbc.org/content/membership/, 2023-07-14, Progressive National Baptist Convention, en-US, The Progressive National Baptist Convention allows locally autonomous congregations to determine policy regarding same-sex marriages, and the PNBC has not taken an official stance on the issue, leaving room for diversity of opinion.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/18/AR2007081801167.html, Rift Over Gay Unions Reflects Battle New to Black Churches, Salmon, Jacqueline L., 2007-08-19, The Washington Post, en-US, 0190-8286, 2016-02-25,

See also

• Christianity in the United States

Notes

Further reading

• William Booth, A Call to Greatness: The Story of the Founding of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, {{ISBN|1-55618-196-5}}
• Gilbreath, Edward, The Forgotten Founder, Christianity Today, Vol. 46, No. 3, 11 March 2002
• Albert W. Wardin, Jr., Baptists Around the World, {{ISBN|0-8054-1076-7}}
• Bill J. Leonard, editor, Dictionary of Baptists in America, {{ISBN|0-8308-1447-7}}
• Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, & Craig D. Atwood, Handbook of Denominations, {{ISBN|0-687-06983-1}}
• National Council of Churches, Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches

External links

• Official website

{{US baptist denominations}}{{Black church}}{{Baptist World Alliance Members}}{{National Council of Churches members}}{{World Council of Churches}}{{authority control}}