Our Vision

To build Healthy Partnerships with Churches, Pastoral Leaders, and our wider ABC Family, to fulfill Christ's Mission in our world.

Who We Are

In 1703 the American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania became a part of America's oldest American Baptist organization, the Philadelphia Baptist Association. In 1972 the American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware (ABCOPAD) was formed as the successor of the Pennsylvania Baptist Convention. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Associations were separate Regions. As of October 2005, the Pittsburgh Baptist Association and ABCOPAD have merged in ministry together.

Distribution of Our Churches

Our region includes a mix of rural, suburban, and urban communities. The distribution of our 281 churches is as follows:

  • 218 are Euro-American

  • 45 are African American

  • 2 are Hispanic

  • 1 is Asian-Pacific

  • 15 are Multi-Racial

  • 40% are in urban areas

  • 47% are in suburban settings

  • 13% are in rural areas

Vital Partnerships

ABCOPAD is thrilled to announce its partnership with the Ascent Movement, a dynamic organization focused on equipping churches to thrive in their mission. By collaborating with Ascent, ABCOPAD is providing churches with innovative tools and resources that foster leadership development, community engagement, and spiritual growth. The Ascent Movement’s commitment to helping churches reach their full potential aligns with ABCOPAD’s vision of supporting local congregations in building strong, sustainable ministries. Together, they are empowering churches to make a lasting impact in their communities and beyond.

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American Baptist Home Mission Societies

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MMBB

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American Baptist Women's Ministries

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American Baptist Churches USA

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United Mission

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International Ministries

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ABCNJ

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Ascent

〰️ American Baptist Home Mission Societies 〰️ MMBB 〰️ American Baptist Women's Ministries 〰️ American Baptist Churches USA 〰️ United Mission 〰️ International Ministries 〰️ ABCNJ 〰️ Ascent

  • Partnerships with Local Congregations

  • Partnerships with Pastoral Leaders

  • Partnerships with our wider ABC Family

Local Congregations

As we look around us, it's pretty clear that people are different. The same thing is true of churches. Certainly, the buildings that house their ministries are different; but more than that, they have different cultures to which they relate and different sets of gifts that make up the membership.

But we all have a common mission: to reach people for the Kingdom of God, and build reproducing disciples who, in turn, will bring others into God's Kingdom. To do that, congregations need to be strong and vital, equipped to carry out this life-saving and life-changing mission. As a regional family, we want to partner with local congregations to help them grow and mature, and to be effective in mission.

Pastoral Leaders

As pastors, godly men and women are called to come alongside the flock to be encouragers, teachers, admonishers, comforters, and models of what it means to be a committed follower of Jesus Christ. The challenges and stresses of ministry today are manifold, and the pastors of our regional family find themselves with a variety of needs that press on them both professionally and personally.

As a regional family, we want to come alongside those shepherds that God has raised up. We want to build healthy/vital partnerships that support them through resourcing and caring ministries. We want to touch their lives, not only as pastors of the flock, but as men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and most of all, children of God.

In the future, we want to enhance our partnerships to be strategic and effective in the common mission we share:

  • Multi-region participation in the Online Youth Training Course

  • Resource-sharing with other regional ministries

  • Regional World Mission Conferences

  • Joint mission trips with other regional bodies

Our Wider ABC Family

One of the phrases that defines Baptists is this: "they have mission in their DNA". At the foundation of our history was a desire to associate with one another for the cause of mission here in the United States and around the world. We are people of mission, with a passion for mission.

ABCOPAD has always been about "family". We join with our sisters and brothers to support our wider ABC mission efforts with National and International Ministries. We strive to enhance our existing partnerships with sister regions, as well as explore new avenues of partnership.

In the past, we have shared in mission with other regions in a variety of ways, a few of those being:

  • Fanning the Flame: A National Pastors Conference at Green Lake

  • The Clergy Ethics Course

  • Face-To-Face