Baptist

Free Will Baptist

228 listed in North Carolina. What they believe, and what a service is actually like.

Free Will Baptists are Arminian Baptists: they hold that Christ died for everyone and that a person may freely accept or reject that grace. That single conviction is what separates them from the Calvinistic Baptist mainstream, and it is where the name comes from. North Carolina is the denomination's centre of gravity — the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists is headquartered in Mount Olive, and the state's congregations are organised into conferences like the Eastern, Central, and Cape Fear. Many are small, rural, and older than the towns around them.

In North Carolina: The Original Free Will Baptist Convention is headquartered in North Carolina.

What to expect if you’ve never been

A Sunday morning service of about an hour to ninety minutes, often preceded by Sunday school.
Traditional hymns with a piano or organ in most congregations; some have added a contemporary set.
A sermon of 30 to 40 minutes, plainly delivered and directly applied.
An invitation at the close of the service, usually with a hymn sung while people come forward.
Communion periodically — and in many congregations followed by foot washing, which is practised as a third ordinance alongside baptism and the Lord's Supper. Participation is voluntary and visitors are not expected to join.
Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services are still common, more so than in most denominations.
Modest, traditional dress in most congregations, though this varies by church.

What Free Will Baptist churches believe

Christ's atonement is general — offered for all people, not only for the elect.
Salvation is received freely and, in the Free Will Baptist understanding, can be forfeited: perseverance is conditional rather than guaranteed.
Baptism is by immersion, for believers old enough to profess faith.
Foot washing is observed as an ordinance in many congregations, following John 13.
Each congregation governs itself, while belonging to a conference and the state Convention.
Scripture is the final authority for faith and practice.

Commonly confused with

Free Will Baptist vs. Southern Baptist

Both are Baptist in practice — believer's baptism by immersion, congregational government — and the difference is doctrinal. Southern Baptists are broadly Calvinistic or moderately so, holding that those truly saved will persevere. Free Will Baptists are Arminian and hold that salvation can be lost. In North Carolina you will find both in the same small towns.

Original Free Will Baptist vs. National Association of Free Will Baptists

The Convention of Original Free Will Baptists separated from the National Association in 1961 and remains centred in eastern North Carolina. Both are Free Will Baptist in doctrine; the split was organisational. A church's own name usually says which body it belongs to.

Free Will Baptist vs. Pentecostal Free Will Baptist

The Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church is a separate denomination that adds Pentecostal convictions about the gifts of the Spirit to the Free Will Baptist base. The names are close enough to confuse; the services are not.

Common questions

What does 'Free Will' actually mean here?

That Christ died for everyone and each person can genuinely accept or refuse that offer — as against the view that God has chosen in advance who will be saved. It is a real theological position, not a comment about how the church is run.

Do I have to take part in foot washing?

No. Where it is practised it is voluntary, and visitors are never expected to participate. You can remain seated and watch.

Are these churches connected to the Southern Baptist Convention?

No. They are a separate denomination with a different doctrine of salvation, and North Carolina's are organised through the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists in Mount Olive.

Why do so few of these churches have websites?

Many are small rural congregations that never built one. Their details here come from the Convention's own printed directory, and the date we last checked it is shown on every listing.

North Carolina