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American Baptist Churches of the South (ABCOTS) is a Maryland
non-profit corporation associated as a covenanting Regional
organization with the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.
(ABC-USA), and with other covenanting American Baptist Regions
and the covenanting ABC-USA National Bodies.
Statement of Mission
"ABCOTS proclaims that God is in the world
establishing the divine kingdom over the entire creation, liberating
persons and nations from every form of bondage and reconciling
all things in Christ. We adhere to the philosophy that: mission
determines purpose; purpose determines program; program determines
structure; and, structure determines staffing. " (ABCOTS
By-Laws) mission determines purpose; purpose determines program;
program determines structure; and structure determines staffing.
History
The Reverend J. C. Herrin, Program Associate
with the American Baptist Home Mission Society, was the Society
special missionary in the South from 1959 through 1970. Sometime
during that period he wrote, "our distinctive role in
the South (as American Baptist) may well be to encourage and
expand an integrated Christian fellowship". Rev. Herrin
pioneered ABC relationships with the Baptist churches, black
and white, in the South that wished to develop a more inclusive
witness across the divisive barrier of race.
The churches involved also wished to expand
their role in the support of higher education as it is carried
out through American Baptist related black colleges in the
South. Further, these churches were committed to working with
the National Council of Churches, the Southern Inter-agency
Council and the Fellowship of Southern Churches.
Other persons who pioneered in the development
of American Baptist relationships in the South as Home Mission
Society missionaries were Dr. Paul Stagg, in Valley Forge,
1960 - 1964, and Rev. Henry M. Steel, in Atlanta, from 1960
- 1970.
An anonymous grant of $10,000 made in late 1950's
made it possible to study the feasibility of forming an organization
of American Baptist Churches in the South. A special committee
consisting of twenty-five pastors and lay persons from churches
in the South was formed. This committee put together a program
and an agenda for an organizational meeting of the American
Baptist Churches of the South.
This organizational meeting was held from April
10 through 12, 1970 in the Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte,
North Carolina, hosted by Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Dr. Leon
C. Riddick and Dr. E. Eugene Owens, Myers Park. The late Reverend
Dr. Kelly Miller Smith was the keynote preacher. The proposal
coming out of the organizational meeting was ratified by both
the first formal meeting of the American Baptist Churches of
the South (ABCOTS) and the General Board of the American Baptist
Churches, USA meeting in November and December respectively.
Dr. E. B. Hicks, who had had a long and distinguished
career with National Ministries, ABC, was called as the first
Executive Minister of the new Region and, its first Annual
Session will be on March 19-20, 1971 in Richmond, Virginia.
The session was held in the Fifth Street Baptist Church of
that city. Dr. Hicks' work began on July 1, 1971.
111 churches made up the first official listing
of ABCOTS. The late Dr. J. B. Henderson, pastor of the Bank
Street Memorial Baptist Church, Norfolk, Virginia, became the
Region's first president. From that beginning, a constant attempt
has been made to maintain an office staff and elected officers
that are racially inclusive and are composed of men and women
across a broad age range.
The budget of the American Baptist Churches
of the South has grown from $55,000 to almost half a million
dollars. The number of cooperating churches has grown from
111 to 264. Black churches in ABCOTS are giving close to half
of the dollars being given to the United Mission Program by
black ABC congregations.
Dr. E. B. Hicks served as Region's Executive
Minister through 1976, at which time he retired. Dr. Hicks
was succeeded by Rev. James E. Peters, who came to the office
from work with the Fund of Renewal. Dr. Peters resigned to
return to pastoral ministry.
In January, 1979, Dr. Walter L. Parrish,
II left the pastorate of the St. Johns' Baptist Church of
Columbia, Maryland to become the third Executive Minister
of the American Baptist Churches of the South.
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