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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