Adapted from the chapter, “Alabama,” by J.D. O’Donnell, published in History of Free Will Baptist State Associations.
Many facts about the origins of Free Will Baptists in Alabama are unknown, with different groups springing from different sources. The oldest known church is Mt. Moriah, located in Pickens County. In 1834, pastor Ellis Gore and his congregation found themselves out of harmony with the prevailing views of the Baptist group to which they belonged, and the Mt. Moriah Church was disowned amid fierce opposition. Bullets flew and struck the pulpit in the ensuing struggles.
Descendants of Ellis Gore have preserved his story, including a fascinating account of a horseback ride to somewhere in the Carolinas to seek ordination by Free Will Baptists. (There was a Mt. Moriah Association that included churches in Western North and South Carolina.
Pastor Gore later organized the Macedonia Church and others. He also organized churches in Mississippi and influenced the organization of the Tupelo Association in 1884.
In 1851, the Mt. Moriah Association was formed, and by 1888, it numbered 12 churches with 675 members. Reverends T. Maloy and T. W. Springfield joined Rev. Gore in the work and churches multiplied in Pickens, Marion, Lamar, and other counties.
Out of the Mt. Moriah, the Vernon Association was founded by 1880, and by 1888, it had 20 churches. As a result of the rapid growth of the Vernon, the Jasper Association was organized with ten churches in 1887. The churches in all three of these associations were in the western part of the state.
In Northern Alabama, Tennessee influence apparently brought about the organization of Free Will Baptist churches. Several Alabama churches were members of the Tennessee River Association, which is said to have come out of a Bethel Association in Tennessee. Apparently, Alabama churches also were members of the Flat Creek Association of Tennessee. The Flint River Association was formed out of these churches in 1881, including churches in Colbert, Lawrence, and Morgan counties on the Alabama side of the Tennessee River. By 1884, eight churches in this association numbered 500 members.
In the Southeastern part of Alabama, the Chattahoochee United Freewill Baptist Association was organized in 1836, including churches in Georgia and Alabama; but in 1882, the Alabama churches formed their own organization, called the South Eastern Association. Within a few years it had 25 churches and more than a thousand members. Out of this association, the State Line United Freewill Baptist Association was formed in 1887 and had fourteen churches within two years.
Churches and associations in Alabama were members of a triennial General Conference, led by Thomas E. Peden of Ohio, which convened from 1895 to 1910. The final meeting of this conference was held in 1910 at Florence, Alabama.
The Alabama State Convention
The Alabama State Convention was organized September 5, 1907, at the Mt. Moriah Church, from five regional associations: Bear Creek, Cahaba River, Jasper, Liberty, and Mt. Moriah. By 1911, the convention had added four additional associations: Vernon, South Eastern, State Line, and Morning Star. The Free Will Baptist Visitor, a paper housed in Vernon, Alabama, printed the 1923 minutes. Rev. M. L. Hollis edited this publication, which was adopted as the “orgain [sic] of the state.” He subsequently became an outstanding church organizer in Alabama and Mississippi.
In 1929, the state organization adopted a new constitution and bylaws and changed its name to the Alabama State Conference. The Flint River, Muscle Shoals State Line, and Alabama-Mississippi State Line associations had been added to its membership. Delegates were elected to represent the state in the 1930 General Conference, which met annually from 1921 to 1938 and was composed of associations in the Southeastern United States. That meeting would be in Vernon, Alabama.
Growth and Development
Since its organization, the Alabama State Association of Free Will Baptists (as it is now named) has grown and added various ministries to its program of activities. A Children’s Home in Eldredge was founded in 1943 and has been a unifying influence in the state since that time. An active Home Missions Board oversees the planting of new churches. A full-time Promotional Director has offices in Eldredge.
The Alabama State Association has been part of the National Association of Free Will Baptists since the organization of the latter in 1935. At present (2015), there are thirteen district associations active in the State Association: Cahaba River, East Alabama, Alabama-Florida State Line, Alabama-Mississippi State Line, Jasper, Liberty No. 1, Liberty No. 2, Mt. Moriah, North Alabama, Progressive, Southeastern, Vernon, and Walker County.
About the Writer: Alabama native J.D. O’Donnell was born in 1929. He attended Bob Jones University and New Orleans Theological Baptist Seminary, where he earned a Th.D. He taught at Welch College in Nashville, Tennessee, and later served as president of Hillsdale College in Moore, Oklahoma. He also served as moderator of the National Association of Free Will Baptist for several years. O’Donnell worked at Randall House Publications and pastored Free Will Baptist and Methodist churches in Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas before his retirement at age 78. He wrote several books including The Handbook for Deacons and Faith for Today. This excerpt adapted from the volume, Who’s Who Among Free Will Baptists.