Welcome to the Florida State Association of Missionary Baptist Churches web site. Look around at all of the exciting events planned for this year. If you would like to post an event or news then please contact us as soon as possible to get your event published on the site. Thanks for your participation.

On January 7, 1821 Pigeon Creek Baptist became the first organized Baptist church in Florida. It was in Nassau County. Fleming Bates appears to have been the first Baptist preacher doing any kind of extensive mission work organizing churches.

By 1835 there were eight Baptist churches in Florida. They formed the Suwannee association on September 26, 1835. The Florida Association was formed on October 22, 1842. By 1845 there were 32 churches in the Association. During the Florida Association meeting in 1853 a move was made to organize a Florida Convention to cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention which had formed five years earlier.

Immediately following World War I the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a campaign to raise seventy-five million dollars to “win the world to Christ.” This stemmed from an a-millennial view of the coming of Christ believing that Jesus would return once the world was won to Christ. A band of Bible believing, pre-millennial, independent, landmark, missionary Baptist churches began to discuss the formation of a new Florida State Association of Independent Landmark Baptist Churches.

The Florida State Association of Original Landmark Missionary Baptist churches was organized at First Missionary Baptist Church in Auburndale with Lee Smith moderating. The first annual session was held October 4, 1921 at Lone Oak Baptist Church in Plant City with J.B Simmons moderating. Rules of Decorum were adopted in 1924. A Declaration of Principles was adopted in 1925. In 1930 the messengers from the churches voted to recommend that their churches fellowship in the mission work of the American Baptist Association.

Submitted by Derrick Burrus, History and Archives Committee FSAMBC
Sources:
A History of Florida Baptists by Edward Joiner
A History of The Florida State Association of Missionary Baptist Churches (1920-2000) by Albert Garner and associates