The National Association of Free Will Baptists — the largest Free Will Baptist body in the United States, emphasizing free grace, free salvation, and free will in a conservative evangelical framework.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists (NAFWB) was organized in 1935 in Nashville, Tennessee, bringing together Free Will Baptist churches primarily from the South and Midwest. Free Will Baptists trace their theological roots to General Baptist movements in 17th-century England, which held to Arminian theology — the belief that Christ died for all people and that individuals can freely accept or reject salvation.
The NAFWB is theologically conservative and evangelical, affirming the authority of Scripture, believer's baptism by immersion, and the possibility of apostasy — the belief that a true believer can fall from grace and lose salvation. This last point distinguishes Free Will Baptists from most Southern Baptists, who hold to the eternal security of the believer ('once saved, always saved').
The NAFWB is headquartered in Antioch, Tennessee, and supports Welch College and a robust missions program. It is the dominant Free Will Baptist association in the South and is distinct from the Progressive Free Will Baptists, which is a historically Black tradition with roots in eastern North Carolina.
NAFWB churches are distinguished by their Arminian theology, particularly their rejection of eternal security in favor of the possibility of apostasy. They differ from Southern Baptists on this point and from Progressive Free Will Baptists in their organizational history.
Traditional evangelical — hymns, expository preaching, and a conservative worship culture. NAFWB churches tend to be smaller, rural or suburban congregations with a strong emphasis on Scripture and community.
1935, Nashville, Tennessee.
Their Arminian theology, their rejection of 'once saved, always saved,' and their historic strength in the rural South.