Comments by Missionary Baptist Historians
Regarding the Bethel Association
Comments made by Missionary Baptist historians regarding the Bethel Association
The Bethel Association was organized on the fourth weekend in October, 1829. Ten churches were in the constitution, eight of which were dismissed from the Muddy River Association. They were: East Fork, Middle Fork, Ten Mile Creek, Mt. Vernon, Salem, Bethlehem, Moore's Prairie, and Mt. Pleasant. Other churches which were either charter members or joined very shortly thereafter were Nine Mile, Town Mount Prairie, Little Muddy, and Sugar Camp Creek. Elders Hamilton, Stilley, Henderson and Gholson were present to assist in the organization, which occurred at Middle Fork of Muddy River Church, near Ewing, Illinois. Her churches were mostly in the counties of Hamilton, Jefferson, Washington, Perry and Franklin. The Association was called "Muddy River Bethel" in 1829. In 1832, it met under the name United Baptist, which continued until 1839, when the name was changed to Regular Baptist.
CASE STUDY 5. THE BETHEL ASSOCIATION
Trouble in the Bethel Association
"Attention is now called to Bethel Association. ... Be it remembered that this Association was organized on ten churches, principally from the Muddy River Association. The convention met for the purpose, and on Saturday preceding the fourth Sunday in October, A. D. 1829, at the Middle Fork of Muddy River meeting house, Franklin County, Illinois, organized the said Association, giving it the name of Muddy River Bethel Association, without any prefix, such as Regular, United, or even Baptist. I have their articles of faith and rules of decorum before me, and I find them to correspond with those of the Regular, or Primitive Baptists generally. At the commencement they appointed a Secretary, whose duty it was to keep on file a copy of the minutes for inspection, when called upon, but owing to deaths and removals three are lost, but to their credit they now have a fine book wherein the records are neatly kept.
"In 1832 they met in the name of Bethel Association of United Baptists. Whether this name was assumed without an act of the Association, I have no means of knowing, since the minutes of 1830 and 1831 are among the lost. At their sitting, in 1832, they rejected the Gun Prairie Church on account that she presented herself in the name of Regular and neglecting to exhibit her constitution and articles of faith; but in 1833 she was received into the union under the name Regular. The Association, however, still bore the name United until 1839.
"For the benefit of those interested, I will give the cause which led to the unhappy division of Bethel Association. By reference to the records of the sitting of this Association in 1838, the following may be seen: "Received a request from Salem Church, requesting this Association to refer the subject of the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions and all its various branches to the churches of this Association." "This Association requests the churches to say in their next letters to this Association whether they fellowship the system, yea or nay." (See Association book, page 40 and item 20.)
"Now turn to the records of next year and the following item may be seen: "Took up the inquiry of Middle Fork and Salem churches, which was in the following form, viz: 'What shall be done with those churches, if any, refusing to answer the request of the Association respecting the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions?' In answer to them, we say it is a breach of good order." (See Association book, page 43 and item 8.)
"It is a well established fact that the Missionary question caused the division of said body, which occurred in the year 1840, and the members and churches that went off with the Missionaries were the first to remonstrate against the system. I once had a letter in my possession from Mt. Pleasant Church to the Bethel Association, informing them that they had declared an unfellowship with the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions, and all its various branches, and requesting the Association to advise the rest of the churches to do the same; and I find in the minutes of that body, for the year 1832, the following record: "Inasmuch as the most of the churches of this Association have declared non-fellowship with the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions, we therefore advise all of our churches to do the same." (See Association book, page 16 and item 11.) This was prior to the split; but by the influence of money-hunting ministers the strife and excitement was raised to such a degree that the Association thought best to refer the subject to the churches, requesting them to say in their next letters to the Association whether they fellowshiped the system, yea or nay, as has already been stated. This was in the year 1838; and in 1839, when the Association met, eight churches out of thirteen answered that they did not fellowship it. Two churches were not represented, but were the same in faith, while three churches refused to answer the request. The Association at that sitting, decided that a refusal to answer was a breach of good order. Those churches refusing to answer the request of the Association were Ten Mile Creek, Mt. Pleasant and Unity; and in 1840, about three weeks previous to the time appointed for the meeting of the Association, those three churches met at Mt. Pleasant church and formed what they called the Bethel Association of United Baptists, but said organization did not last a year.
"From the above it maybe seen that ten churches out of thirteen stood firm on the doctrine and practice of the Regular Baptists, while one and a-half, and the excluded party from Bethlehem church, went off with the Missionaries and formed the Franklin Association, and one and a-half went off with the Robert Moore party (which was opposed to missions, but retrograded and went out of existence, and some of their members returned to the Regular Baptists)." - Coffey, pages 67-76.
Copyright c. 2004-2024. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
