Liberty Baptist Fellowship is a fellowship of independent Baptist churches that grew up around Jerry Falwell, Thomas Road Baptist Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, and Liberty University. Most pastors of the Fellowship are alumni of Liberty University. In 1994, the Liberty Baptist Fellowship had 100 churches, including the 21,000 member Thomas Road church, which was also affiliated with the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. In 1996, the Thomas Road church joined the newly formed Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, thereby aligning itself with 3 Baptist bodies. With its leading church and pastor affiliated with Southern Baptists through the Virginia Convention, the future of Liberty Baptist Fellowship is unclear.
The Liberty Baptist Fellowship (LBF) was started in 1981 with the mission of planting New Testament local churches and endorsing chaplains in the military. Since then, hundreds of churches have been planted and 24 chaplains are currently serving around the world.
LBF pastors/churches and their full-time staff receive a scholarship to the External Degree Program at Liberty University and its schools. Many have taken advantage of this scholarship. In addition, students sent from churches to Liberty University receive a scholarship.
Famous quotes containing the words liberty, baptist and/or fellowship:
“Of all the enemies of public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)
“I am perhaps being a bit facetious but if some of my good Baptist brethren in Georgia had done a little preaching from the pulpit against the K.K.K. in the ‘20s, I would have a little more genuine American respect for their Christianity!”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
“Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.”
—John Fawcett (1739/40–1817)