Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship

The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship (FGBCF) or Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International (FGBCFI) is a predominantly African-American Charismatic Baptist denomination. It was founded by Black Baptist pastor and Gospel singer, Bishop Paul S. Morton in 1992 when he separated from the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. He founded the denomination as a response to the teachings of many conservative Baptist bodies who traditionally believe in cessationism. The denomination advocates for and teaches the operation of the traditional Pentecostal-Holiness/Charismatic-style spiritual gifts, while also holding to traditional Baptist church theology and traditions.[1] The denomination's headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia. Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, of Nashville, Tennessee, is the current Presiding Bishop.[2]

Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
AbbreviationFGBCFI
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationFull Gospel Baptist
PolityEpiscopal
Presiding BishopJoseph W. Walker III
FounderPaul S. Morton
Origin1992
Separated fromNational Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
Congregations800
Official websitefullgospelbaptist.org

History

The FGBCFI was founded by Bishop Paul S. Morton, a Black Baptist Pastor and Gospel Music singer from Atlanta, Georgia, when he and other Black Charismatic Baptist pastors and bishops separated themselves from the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., following the charismatic movement in 1992.[3]

Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, pastor of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, a Black Baptist megachurch in Nashville, Tennessee, is the current Presiding Bishop and head leader of the denomination who became the Presiding Bishop in 2013. The FGBCFI has an Executive Council, a Bishop's Council, and several auxiliary bishops. The FGBCFI has an annual "6-in-1" Conference that convenes in various locations (e.g., Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana) typically in July. 25,000 attended the first conference in 1994.[4]

The FGBCFI was reported to have over 10,000 active members in 1993 and 20,000 in 1995;[3] in 1997 it claimed 1 million members and 5,000 churches throughout the United States.[5] In 2020, they reported more than 800 affiliated churches and claimed to have almost 2 million members.[6]

Beliefs

Like most Baptist denominations, the FGBCFI believe in the same traditional Baptist beliefs and theology such as believer's baptism by full immersion; soul competency; sola fide; and sola scriptura; however in addition to these Baptist beliefs, they also believe in traditional Pentecostal and Charismatic beliefs as well, such as speaking in tongues and continuationist spiritual gifts as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the laying on of hands as a part of prayer for divine healing and the anointing of the sick and miracles, prophecy, and other similar continuationist spiritual gfts. The FGBCFI, also like other Pentecostal churches, places special emphasis on preaching and practicing holiness, or Christian sanctification. Their theology and beliefs also tend to fall within the tradition of Wesleyan-Arminian Theology.[1]

Also unlike many of their Baptist counterparts, they use a mixture of congregationalist polity and episcopal polity, where their local congregations have significant autonomy to function mostly however they please, but nationally as a whole, their church uses an episcopal hierarchy with different types of bishops and auxiliary bishops. [7] The Presiding Bishop is the head clerical and executive leader of the denomination, and exercises authority along with the other clerical councils and bishops of the church to provide administration. [1]

The FGBCFI also ordains and consecrates a significant number of female pastors and bishops as well, although the majority of their clergy is still male.[1]

References
  1. "About – Full Gospel Baptist". Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  2. "Bishop Walker's Biography". Bishop Joseph W. Walker III. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  3. Sherry S. DuPree (13 September 2013). African-American Holiness Pentecostal Movement: An Annotated Bibliography. Taylor & Francis. p. 347. ISBN 978-1-135-73717-7. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  4. Double Honor. Walter Kambulow. pp. 95–96. GGKEY:3XBW0K49BJT. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  5. Jacqueline Trussell. "The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship: Giving Baptists A Choice". Black and Christian. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  6. Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. "Locations - Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship". Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  7. "Ministries – Full Gospel Baptist". Retrieved 2022-03-26.
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