Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists
Encyclopedia
The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB) is a group consisting of Baptist
individuals, organizations, and congregations that are committed to advocating and encouraging the full inclusion of lesbian
, gay
, bisexual
and transgender
persons in the lives and ministries of Baptist churches. It is one of many LGBT-welcoming church movements to emerge in American Christianity in the 1980s.
AWAB was established by about ten congregations in 1993 during that year's ABCUSA Biennial in San Jose, California. It grew out of a group called "American Baptists Concerned for Sexual Minorities", which was founded in 1972 and which merged with AWAB in 2003.
As of 2009 AWAB had 75 member congregations. These congregations are affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
, the Alliance of Baptists
, and the United Church of Christ
. Informal partners of AWAB include the Roger Williams Fellowship, the Coalition for Baptist Principles, and Baptists without Borders. In addition to the member congregations and informal partner organizations, AWAB has a number of local affiliated groups, member organizations, one member seminary and hundreds of individual members in all parts of the United States. Beyond Baptist circles, AWAB cooperates ecumenically with welcoming and affirming organizations in other Christian denominations and faith traditions.
AWAB is partners in the Institute of Welcoming Resources and publishes a quarterly newsletter, The InSpiriter and an email newsletter, Associational. The national offices of AWAB are in Kensington, MD. As of May, 2009, the Director of Community Outreach of AWAB is Chris Boisvert, working out of San Francisco, CA.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
individuals, organizations, and congregations that are committed to advocating and encouraging the full inclusion of lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
persons in the lives and ministries of Baptist churches. It is one of many LGBT-welcoming church movements to emerge in American Christianity in the 1980s.
AWAB was established by about ten congregations in 1993 during that year's ABCUSA Biennial in San Jose, California. It grew out of a group called "American Baptists Concerned for Sexual Minorities", which was founded in 1972 and which merged with AWAB in 2003.
As of 2009 AWAB had 75 member congregations. These congregations are affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its...
, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, abbreviated BPFNA, is a nonprofit 501 organization headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, the Alliance of Baptists
Alliance of Baptists
The Alliance of Baptists is a fellowship of Baptist churches and individuals in the United States. In its theology and social stances, the Alliance is characterized as a progressive or liberal Christian fellowship...
, and the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. Informal partners of AWAB include the Roger Williams Fellowship, the Coalition for Baptist Principles, and Baptists without Borders. In addition to the member congregations and informal partner organizations, AWAB has a number of local affiliated groups, member organizations, one member seminary and hundreds of individual members in all parts of the United States. Beyond Baptist circles, AWAB cooperates ecumenically with welcoming and affirming organizations in other Christian denominations and faith traditions.
AWAB is partners in the Institute of Welcoming Resources and publishes a quarterly newsletter, The InSpiriter and an email newsletter, Associational. The national offices of AWAB are in Kensington, MD. As of May, 2009, the Director of Community Outreach of AWAB is Chris Boisvert, working out of San Francisco, CA.
See also
- LGBT-affirming churches
- Pullen Memorial Baptist ChurchPullen Memorial Baptist ChurchPullen Memorial Baptist Church is an 850-member Baptist church located in Raleigh, North Carolina, US, that has a decades-long tradition of progressive stands on social issues. These have encompassed civil rights for African Americans and other minorities...
(Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
) - Wake Forest Baptist ChurchWake Forest Baptist ChurchWake Forest Baptist Church is located on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The church was organized in 1956 when Wake Forest College moved from Wake Forest, NC, to Winston-Salem, perpetuating a 125-year-old tradition of having a Baptist church at the center of...
(Winston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
) - University Baptist Church (Austin, Texas)University Baptist Church (Austin, Texas)University Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, USA, was organized in 1907–1908 to serve students at the University of Texas. Originally leasing space from the Highland Presbyterian Church, the church was officially chartered on September 27, 1908, with 80 original members.In 1914, the church absorbed...
External links
- Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists — official website
- Rainbow Baptists, an AWAB outreach