Confessional Baptist Association

The Confessional Baptist Association, previously known as the

Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in America, is an Confessional Baptist
association of Reformed Baptist churches in the United States. The Association (CBA)
headquarters is in Mansfield, Texas.

History
On November 12–13, 1996, fifteen Reformed Baptist churches
met at Heritage Church in Fayetteville, Georgia[1] to begin the
planning of a national association of churches. Four months later
on March 11, 1997, the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches
of America was founded in Mesa, Arizona.[2] The union was Abbreviation CBA
founded in 1997 as the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches Formation 1997
of America by 24 member churches from 14 states.[3][4][5][6][7]
Headquarters Mansfield, Texas
In 2022, the organization moved to legally dissolve the current Moderator Corey Smith
organization, and created a new organization headquartered in
Website cba1689.com (htt
Mansfield, Texas named "Confessional Baptist Association" along
p://cba1689.com)
with a new set of bylaws for the new association. In 2023, the
association held its first general assembly at Oak Grove Baptist Formerly Association of
Church in Angier, North Carolina, which consisted of the 13 called Reformed Baptist
founding member churches of the new association. Churches in
America (ARBCA)
Theology
The association's churches all subscribe to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.[5][8] The association's
General Assembly has noted that their adherence to this Confession means "the model for (association)
churches is Puritan and not one of a number of competing contemporary ones."[9]

Theological training
ARBCA originally founded the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies (IRBS) (https://irbsseminary.org) at
Westminster Seminary California which provides training for seminarians as part of studies toward a Master
of Divinity degree program.[4][10] The seminary is now located on the campus of Heritage Baptist Church
in Mansfield, Texas and maintains a relationship with the CBA and other organizations.[11]

Missions
In 2000, ARBCA merged with the Reformed Baptist Mission Services (RBMS), a foreign missions
organization.[1] RBMS, though founded 12 years before the ARBCA,[12] had acted as the foreign mission
arm of the association, until the dissolution of ARBCA in 2022.[4]
ARBCA was recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense as an endorsing agency for United States
military chaplains.[13]

Church Planting
The mission of CBA is to assist local churches in the planting of Reformed Baptist churches that subscribe
to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.[14]

In 2023, at the 1st General Assembly, the Confessional Baptist Association conditionally agreed to
financially support Redeemer Reformed Baptist Church in Belton, Texas which is an existing church plant
of Emmanuel Reformed Baptist Church in Georgetown, Texas. This funding was provided to temporarily
assist the pastoral efforts of the Emmanuel Reformed Baptist Church's elders (in their search for a candidate
for church planter), until the association's next opportunity to discuss a long-term funding plan for the
church plant at the next annual general assembly.

References
1. History (https://web.archive.org/web/20220518100422/https://www.arbca.com/history),
ARBCA, archived from the original (http://www.arbca.com/history) on May 18, 2022.
2. Handbook of Denominations in the United States (13th ed.). Abingdon Press. 2010. p. 170.
3. Jonas, William Glenn, ed. (2006). The Baptist river: essays on many tributaries of a diverse
tradition (https://books.google.com/books?id=9cJjleldIVEC&pg=PA273). Mercer University
Press. p. 273. ISBN 0-88146-030-3.
4. Melton, J. Gordon (2003). Encyclopedia of American Religions (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=TzMOAQAAMAAJ). Gale. p. 558. ISBN 0-7876-6384-0.
5. "News Briefs" (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1997/may19/7t659d.html). Christianity
Today. May 19, 1997. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
6. "Church Directory" (http://www.arbca.com/arbca/pdfdirectories/2012FebruaryDirectory.pdf)
(PDF). Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
7. Handbook of denominations in the United States (12th ed., 2005), p. 211.
8. "About" (https://www.cba1689.com/about). Confessional Baptist Association. Retrieved
November 29, 2022.
9. Theology Committee of the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (March 8,
2001). "A Position Paper Concerning the Regulative Principle of Worship" (http://s3.amazon
aws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/arbca_carlisle_pa/regulative-principle.pdf) (PDF).
Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
10. "Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120123100711/http://
wscal.edu/academics/degrees-and-programs/institute-of-reformed-baptist-studies/).
Westminster Seminary California. Archived from the original (http://wscal.edu/academics/de
grees-and-programs/institute-of-reformed-baptist-studies/) on January 23, 2012. Retrieved
February 4, 2012.
11. "About IRBS Seminary" (http://www.irbsseminary.org/about). IRBS Seminary. Retrieved
May 26, 2023.
12. Brackney, William H. (2009). Historical Dictionary of the Baptists (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=Noz7WtnOV-kC&pg=PA472). Scarecrow Press. p. 472. ISBN 978-0-8108-5622-6.
13. "Armed Forces Chaplains Board Endorsements" (http://prhome.defense.gov/RFM/MPP/AFC
B/Endorsements.aspx). US Department of Defense. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
14. "CBA Church Planting" (http://www.cba1689.com/church-planting). Confessional Baptist
Association. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

External links
Official website (https://www.cba1689.com/)

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