What is the Baptist General Conference?

Answer

The Baptist General Conference (BGC) was rebranded as Converge in 2015. It is a national association of independent evangelical churches that originated in the Midwest with Scandinavian immigrants. These immigrants, who faced persecution for their faith in Europe, established a Swedish Baptist Church in the mid-19th century. The influx of Swedish immigrants further fueled the movement’s rapid growth. As part of the Pietist movement, the Swedish Baptists emphasized righteous living. They adhered to the belief in the infallibility of the Bible, salvation through grace by faith, the importance of spiritual rebirth, the independence of local churches, and baptism of believers through immersion.

When the number of Swedish Baptist churches in America reached 65, they united to form a general conference. By 1945, most churches had transitioned to English-speaking congregations, prompting them to remove the “Swedish” from their name, becoming the Baptist General Conference. Over time, the Baptist General Conference expanded to include 17 ethnic groups across 19 countries. In 2008, they rebranded as Converge Worldwide while maintaining the Baptist General Conference name for legal purposes. In 2015, they simplified their name to Converge. By dropping the term “Baptist,” Converge aimed to stay current and distance its missionaries and global ministries from a potentially negative connotation associated with the label. The term “converge” in their name symbolizes their unity around the cross to share the message of Christ’s work with others (source: official website). Converge sponsors Bethel Theological Seminary and Bethel University near St. Paul, Minnesota.

Converge has upheld its original beliefs in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, believer’s baptism by immersion, and the divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible.The accuracy of the Word of God, and the certainty of heaven and hell. The Baptist General Conference aims to stay evangelical, multi-ethnic, and dedicated to carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).