Faith and Message

On May 9, 1963, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a revised summary of the Southern Baptist faith. The committee's report says in part:

Baptists emphasize the soul's competency before God, freedom in religion, and the priesthood of the believer. However, this emphasis should not be interpreted to mean that there is an absence of certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely identified. It is the purpose of this statement of faith and message to set forth certain teachings which we believe.

On June 9, 1998, the Southern Baptist Convention added an eighteenth section, "The Family," to the seventeen sections adopted in 1963. The complete text of the committees' reports and the entire Baptist Faith and Message can be found below.