National Baptist Convention Of America Churches

Worship in the constituency of the National Baptist Convention of America has been characterized by a free and emotionally powerful expression of faith in a God who promises liberation from oppressive circumstances. In recent years, worship has taken on greater structure without stifling freedom, and considerable resources have been devoted to enhancing the worship experience. The divisions of the national black Baptist bodies do not represent distinctions in the types and modes of worship. The emergence of worship among all black Baptists can only be understood against the backdrop of the dehumanizing, servile status imposed upon them, which forced them to initiate the only form of worship they knew. Their worship was unstructured because they could not reconcile themselves to the structure of their masters' worship nor their masters' God, who permitted freedom and servitude to obtain. The earliest worship of black Baptists consisted of spirituals calling upon God to give them str…