Denominational Profile

History

	National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. (1895)	continuedNational Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
		split into National Baptist Convention of America (1915) Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. (1961)

The National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., the largest predominantly black denomination in America, was founded in 1895 when the Foreign Mission Baptist Convention of the U.S.A., the American National Baptist Convention, and the Baptist National Educational Convention merged.

Membership Data

Year	Clergy	Churches	Members
1937	-	24,000	3,796,645
1940	-	24,575	4,046,840
1942	-	24,575	3,911,612
1944	-	24,460	4,021,618
1946	-	24,460	4,122,315
1950	24,587	25,350	4,445,605
1951	23,601	25,350	4,467,779
1952	-	25,350	4,467,779
1953	27,005	24,415	4,526,847
1954	30,251	25,603	4,557,416
1958	27,500	26,000	5,500,000
1991	-	30,000	7,800,000
1992	32,832	33,000	8,200,000
2004	-	9,000	5,000,000

Data were taken from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and recent editions of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Denomination descriptions provided by Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR). [More information on data sources]