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About
Us
The birth of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, International
is in essence the story of a tremendous move of God beginning
in the last decade of the twentieth century. Since 1994,
when over twenty-five thousand people attended the first Full
Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference in the Louisiana
Superdome, the spiritual religious freedom that makes Full Gospel
Baptist unique has impacted Christian men and women across the
world. Captured by the phrase
"The
Right to Choose", that freedom is based on the belief that the Gospel
of Jesus Christ must be promoted by recognizing the free expression of
the gifts of the Spirit as a viable part of the Body of Christ. The
Fellowship is convinced that the choice to exercise these spiritual gifts
is imperative for the local New Testament Church to fully function as the
dynamic organism God has intended.
The Holy Spirit
first impressed the vision for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
upon the heart of its Founder, International Presiding Bishop Paul S. Morton,
Sr., in 1992. At that time Bishop Morton was experiencing the liberating
power of the Holy Spirit at work in the transition of his own Baptist church
congregation, Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church. The Lord made it
clear that He intended to use Bishop Morton to bridge the gap between Baptist
and Pentecostal traditions not simply on a local level, but nationwide. Just
as the Lord planted the seed that would grow to become the Full Gospel Baptist
Church Fellowship within Bishop Morton, He orchestrated the Presiding Bishop's
connection with national and international leaders with the same heart and
mind. Along with Bishop Morton, twelve men; Bishop Odis A. Floyd, Bishop
Larry D. Trotter, Bishop Carlos L. Malone, Bishop J.D. Wiley, Bishop K.D.
Johnson, Bishop Larry D. Leonard, Bishop Kenneth Robinson, Bishop Kenneth
Ulmer, Bishop Fred Caldwell, Bishop Robert Blake, Bishop Eddie Long, and
Bishop A.R. Williams, would become the Founding Fathers of the movement. The
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship builds upon the traditional Baptist
Church as its foundation. That Baptist heritage is embraced yet balanced
with more charismatic influences. It is the desire of those who have
been drawn to this movement to experience every Biblical command and inheritance
promised in the Word of God. Full Gospel Baptist is one of the first
Christian fellowships with such an inclusive nature. It encompasses
the scope of the Pentecostal movement for its spirituality, the Baptist Church
for its structure, and the Word Church for its emphasis on the Word of God.
The
multi-cultural and multi-denominational Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
is structured with an Episcopal Hierarchy. The "Tiers of Leadership" include
the Bishop's Council, College of Bishops, General, State and District Overseers,
Financial Assistance Council, and Senior Pastors. A truly international
movement, hundreds of Full Gospel Baptist Churches exist in Africa, Asia,
the Bahamas, Germany, India, Canada, Great Britain, Italy and of course North
America. The Fellowship's rapid growth has surpassed even Bishop Morton's
greatest expectations. Its formation out of a spiritual rather than
carnal need has been blessed manifold times. Each year the Annual Full
Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference ministers to nearly 30,000 people
through its School of Ministry classes, spirit filled worship services and
community outreach efforts. The Fellowship's major initiatives since
1994 include: church planting in Africa and India; the dispensation of multiple
$5000 grants to struggling churches; the development of the Full Gospel Baptist
Sunday School Curriculum, which supports the Christian Education Ministry
throughout the world.
The Full Gospel
Baptist Church Fellowship is a movement that has swept across the United
States and abroad, blessing corporate and individual lives in immeasurable
ways. The Fellowship continues to answer the call to "Change A Generation" through
its commitment to submission and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. The
Spirit of the Living God guides the Full Gospel Baptist leadership and member
churches in making a difference throughout the world.
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