TheGeneral Association of General Baptists is aBaptistChristian denomination in theUnited States. It is affiliated with theNational Association of Evangelicals and theBaptist World Alliance. The headquarters are located inPoplar Bluff, Missouri, where they operate Stinson Press.
A distinct belief is thegeneral atonement (thatChrist died for all persons).
Though theologically similar to theGeneral Baptists inEngland and early America, this body of General Baptists arose in the MidwesternUnited States in the 19th century through the work of Benoni Stinson (1798-1869), aUnited Baptist minister first inKentucky and then inIndiana. Stinson was ordained in Kentucky in 1821, and evidently was already leaning toward or embracingArminian theology. Shortly after he moved to Indiana, in 1822 the Wabash District Association decided to divide into two bodies, for convenience sake. Stinson's church would be in the new body, and he labored to have a statement that "the preaching that Christ tasted death for every man shall be no bar to fellowship" would be included in the articles of faith. The next fall, in 1823, the Liberty Baptist Church ofHowell, Indiana, was organized with 33 members, and Elder Stinson was called as pastor. Three other churches were soon organized, all in theEvansville, Indiana, area. In October 1824, representatives from these four churches came together and organized theLiberty Association of General Baptists. This appears to be the first time the name "General" was officially associated with this movement. A number ofGeneral Baptist local associations were organized from 1824 to 1870. During this period, some attempts were made by the Liberty Association to correspond with the northernFree Will Baptists, but this appears to have eventually proved unsatisfactory to both parties. In 1870, a convention was called to meet with Harmony Church,Gallatin County, Illinois, with the idea of organizing a general association comprising all the annual General Baptist associations. Delegates from Liberty, Mt. Olivet and Ohio associations gathered and formed theGeneral Association of General Baptists.
According to a denomination census released in 2023, it claimed 47,193 members and 793 churches.[1]
The official denominational publication isThe General Baptist Messenger. The General Association oversees publication of Sunday School literature, a home mission board, a foreign mission board, and theOakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana.
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