National Association of Free Will Baptists (1935 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: BaptistReligious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: The National Association of Free Will Baptists dates to the ministry of Paul Palmer in the American South in the 18th century. As Palmer's church grew and spread, a yearly meeting with 16 churches was formed in 1752. A general conference formed in 1827 and expanded in 1916. In 1921, a number of churches in the south withdrew and formed the Eastern General Conference. The settlement from this event led to the formation of the National Association of Free Will Baptists in 1935. It operates internationally through the International Fellowship of Free Will Baptist Churches, a structure that has emerged as the missionary program has matured.
Official Site: https://www.nafwb.org/site/
Interactive Timeline: Baptist Family Interactive Timeline
Connections: National Association of Free Will Baptists
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Maps: National Association of Free Will Baptists1
Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)
Congregations (2020)
Top 5 National Association of Free Will Baptists States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | 192 | 22,048 | 5.57 |
| 2 | Arkansas | 158 | 16,530 | 5.49 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 135 | 6,268 | 3.49 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 123 | 13,631 | 3.03 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 187 | 17,540 | 2.54 |
Top 5 National Association of Free Will Baptists Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon County, MO | 18 | 1,328 | 153.79 |
| 2 | Johnson County, KY | 20 | 2,214 | 97.62 |
| 3 | Lawrence County, KY | 13 | 1,475 | 90.53 |
| 4 | Lamar County, AL | 12 | 1,194 | 85.46 |
| 5 | Miller County, GA | 7 | 477 | 79.50 |
Top 5 National Association of Free Will Baptists Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Gay-Shamrock, WV Micro Area | 27 | 1,252 | 38.44 |
| 2 | Russellville, AR Micro Area | 26 | 2,730 | 32.64 |
| 3 | Ada, OK Micro Area | 10 | 1,164 | 30.58 |
| 4 | Greeneville, TN Micro Area | 22 | 2,032 | 28.97 |
| 5 | Big Stone Gap, VA Micro Area | 17 | 965 | 24.24 |
National Association of Free Will Baptists, Members (1925 - 2007)2
National Association of Free Will Baptists, Ministers & Churches (1925 - 2007)2
National Association of Free Will Baptists, Trends (1925 - 2007)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 54,996 | 876 | 762 |
| 1935 | 79,650 | 412 | 397 |
| 1937 | 397 | ||
| 1940 | 118,871 | 1,102 | |
| 1946 | 221,317 | ||
| 1947 | 255,127 | 3,467 | |
| 1950 | 220,000 | 3,050 | 1,825 |
| 1951 | 400,000 | 5,200 | 2,700 |
| 1953 | 425,000 | 6,500 | 4,200 |
| 1954 | 405,000 | 6,423 | 4,023 |
| 1955 | 159,831 | 2,567 | 1,947 |
| 1956 | 163,619 | 2,985 | 2,054 |
| 1957 | 172,683 | 2,981 | 2,091 |
| 1958 | 184,287 | 3,313 | 2,166 |
| 1959 | 200,000 | 3,359 | 2,500 |
| 1960 | 191,448 | 3,234 | 2,232 |
| 1961 | 193,664 | 3,137 | 2,150 |
| 1962 | 168,706 | 3,129 | 1,974 |
| 1963 | 171,676 | 3,274 | 2,036 |
| 1965 | 173,275 | 3,166 | 2,028 |
| 1966 | 178,450 | 3,310 | 2,109 |
| 1967 | 250,000 | 3,000 | 2,200 |
| 1968 | 184,869 | 3,395 | 2,142 |
| 1969 | 200,000 | 3,372 | 2,200 |
| 1970 | 186,136 | 2,300 | 2,163 |
| 1972 | 210,000 | 3,374 | 2,250 |
| 1973 | 214,104 | 3,806 | 2,229 |
| 1974 | 215,000 | 3,700 | 2,350 |
| 1976 | 229,498 | 4,191 | 2,407 |
| 1977 | 216,831 | 4,302 | 2,430 |
| 1978 | 216,831 | 4,367 | 2,436 |
| 1979 | 231,167 | 4,525 | 2,437 |
| 1980 | 227,888 | 2,837 | 2,452 |
| 1981 | 216,848 | 2,864 | 2,479 |
| 1982 | 243,658 | 2,890 | 2,505 |
| 1983 | 226,422 | 2,867 | 2,480 |
| 1984 | 212,527 | 2,895 | 2,485 |
| 1985 | 217,838 | 2,895 | 2,548 |
| 1986 | 205,546 | 2,895 | 2,483 |
| 1987 | 200,387 | 2,895 | 2,524 |
| 1988 | 204,382 | 2,895 | 2,496 |
| 1989 | 204,489 | 2,900 | 2,517 |
| 1990 | 197,206 | 2,900 | 2,506 |
| 1991 | 209,223 | 2,900 | 2,495 |
| 1992 | 209,223 | 2,900 | 2,495 |
| 1993 | 214,577 | 2,900 | 2,513 |
| 1994 | 207,576 | 2,900 | 2,496 |
| 1995 | 213,716 | 2,900 | 2,491 |
| 1996 | 210,305 | ||
| 1997 | 210,305 | 2,900 | 2,320 |
| 1998 | 210,461 | 2,900 | 2,297 |
| 1999 | 216,711 | 2,900 | 2,476 |
| 2000 | 199,134 | 4,229 | 2,472 |
| 2001 | 197,919 | 4,104 | 2,470 |
| 2003 | 204,353 | 4,035 | 2,461 |
| 2005 | 198,924 | 3,959 | 2,425 |
| 2007 | 185,798 | 3,915 | 2,369 |
Sources
1 The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]
2 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.
Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.
When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.
