# Southern Baptist Convention **Summary.** The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States and the largest Baptist body in the world. Formed in 1845, it is a cooperative fellowship of autonomous Baptist churches. It is a major force in American evangelicalism. ## What it is - Founded in **1845** in Augusta, Georgia, in a split from northern Baptists tied to the question of slavery. The convention formally repudiated that history in a 1995 resolution. - Made up of tens of thousands of autonomous local churches that cooperate through shared missions and seminaries, funded largely through the Cooperative Program. - Holds conservative evangelical positions on Scripture and doctrine, shaped by the "conservative resurgence" of the late 20th century. Its confessional statement is the Baptist Faith and Message. - Has been the subject of extensive public reporting regarding its handling of sexual abuse allegations, including an independent investigation commissioned by the convention and released in 2022. ## Why it matters in this wiki The SBC's size and political visibility make it central to debates over faith and public power in the United States. Its intersection with American civil religion connects to this wiki's tracking of [[Christian Nationalism]]. ## Related - [[Christian Nationalism]]