National Association of Free Will Baptists

The National Association of Free Will Baptists (NAFWB) is a national body of Free Will Baptist churches in the United States and Canada, organized on November 5, 1935 in Nashville, Tennessee. The National Association of Free Will Baptists traces its history in the United States through two different lines: one beginning in the South in 1727 (the "Palmer line") and another in the North in 1780 (the "Randall line"). The "Palmer line" however, never developed as a denomination. It consisted of only about three churches in North Carolina. The National Association of Free Will Baptists is the largest of the Free Will Baptist denominations.

In 1702, English General Baptists who had settled in the Province of Carolina requested help from the General Baptists in England. Though they did not receive help, native Paul Palmer labored there about twenty-five years later, and founded the first "General" or "Free Will" Baptist church in Chowan County, North Carolina, in 1727. (Many General Baptists held to general atonement but "personal predestination" or eternal security.) Palmer organized at least three churches in North Carolina. From one church in 1727, they grew to over twenty churches by 1755. After 1755, the churches began to decrease and many churches and members became Particular Baptists. By 1770, only four churches and four ministers remained of the General Baptist persuasion. By the end of eighteenth century, these churches were being referred to as "Free Will Baptist." The churches in the "Palmer" line would again experience growth slowly in the nineteenth century. They organized various associations and conferences, and finally organized into the General Conference of Free Will Baptists in 1921. The problem with the history of Paul Palmer, however, stems from the fact that it is uncertain exactly what view of perseverance he held. In fact, some church historians think he was Calvinistic in his views. He had come from the Welsh Tract Church which was Calvinistic.

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