Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (BPFNA) is an organization of Baptist Christians for uniting in efforts for peace throughout the world.
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America was formed in 1984. One of its early leaders was Glen Stassen. The stated goals of the Baptist Peace Fellowship are "to educate, inspire and mobilize Baptists for greater involvement in justice and peace concerns at local, regional, national and international levels." The group believes there is a need for a Baptist Peace Fellowship. The general movements "dealing with justice and peace issues...have few entry points into the subculture of Baptist institutions" because "the vocabulary and appeals" often do not speak the language of Baptists. Nevertheless, the efforts for peace and justice are for all creeds and all persons. There are over 70 Baptist congregations partnering with the BPFNA, a small membership in proportion to the total number of Baptist churches in North America. Its size reflects both that it is a young organization, and that the agenda of the body does not necessarily represent the views of a large number Baptists in North America, even those that are otherwise engaged in peace efforts.
Headquarters are located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Partnership is available to any Baptist church that is interested in the goals of the BPFNA and are willing to provide funding to achieve those goals. The majority of partner churches are in the United States and a few are in Canada. The Baptist Peacemaker is published by the BPFNA.