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== Baptist Denominations ==

== Baptist Denominations ==

Baptists generally lack a religious hierarchy (like that of Catholicism and mainline denominations, where a "headquarters" makes decisions for the local congregations), tradition, or texts other than the [[Bible]], and they stress [[evangelical]] work.  

Although Baptists organized within a denomination will have a "headquarters" facility, it generally exists solely to foster and assist [[evangelical]] work both at home and abroad.  Unlike Catholicism, Orthodox, or mainline denominations, the "headquarters" will not have oversight for local congregations and cannot mandate their operations.<ref>The only "power" that a denominational headquarters would have is to choose not to recognize the congregation as a cooperating member; it cannot remove the pastor or disband the congregation.</ref>

Baptist denominations include the more [[liberal]] [[American Baptist Churches USA]], based in northern states, and the much larger [[conservative]] [[Southern Baptist Convention]] (SBC). It is the largest non-Catholic denomination in the U.S. and has congregations in every state.  Since its founding in 1845, the SBC has grown to over 16 million members in more than 42,000 churches in the United States.  The SBC sponsors about 5,000 home missionaries serving the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean, as well as another 5,000 foreign missionaries at work in 153 countries.

The most well known Baptist denomination is the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] (SBC), which despite its name has congregations in every state. It is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.  Since its founding in 1845, the SBC has grown to over 16 million members in more than 42,000 churches in the United States.  The SBC sponsors about 5,000 home missionaries serving the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean, as well as another 5,000 foreign missionaries at work in 153 countries.

More African-Americans belong to the National Baptist Convention, with 7.5 million members, than to any other church body. Others are members of the smaller but more liberal Progressive National Baptist Convention, which has over 2000 churches and a total membership of 2.5 million.

More African-Americans belong to the National Baptist Convention, with 7.5 million members, than to any other church body. Others are members of the smaller but more liberal Progressive National Baptist Convention, which has over 2000 churches and a total membership of 2.5 million.

[[Independent Baptist]]s (which are intentionally non-denominational) tend to be more conservative than any other of these groups (generally holding to [[Fundamentalist]] viewpoints; the label "independent Fundamentalist Baptist" is often used interchangeably).  Most independent churches were created in reaction to "worldliness, modernism, apostasy and compromise" within other Baptist churches (even those which are conservative by comparison to mainline churches) and are often led by a leader with high personal popularity. They generally maintain a loose confederation of local congregations, promoting and funding independent missionaries and "church-planters, periodicals and Bible schools"<ref>Leonard (1987) p. 507</ref> (as such they rarely, if ever, work with other groups).  Frequently they hold their membership to very strict standards as to attendance, personal grooming and dress, and worldly activities both inside and outside of the home.

[[Independent Baptist]]s (which are intentionally non-denominational) tend to be more conservative than any other of these groups (generally holding to [[Fundamentalist]] viewpoints; the label "independent Fundamentalist Baptist" is often used interchangeably).  Most independent churches were created in reaction to "worldliness, modernism, apostasy and compromise" within other Baptist churches (even those which are conservative by comparison to mainline churches) and are often led by a leader with high personal popularity. They generally maintain a loose confederation of local congregations, promoting and funding independent missionaries and "church-planters, periodicals and Bible schools"<ref>Leonard (1987) p. 507</ref> (as such they rarely, if ever, work with other groups).  Frequently they hold their membership to very strict standards as to attendance, personal grooming and dress, and worldly activities both inside and outside of the home.

== Protestantism ==

== Protestantism ==