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The Converge MidAtlantic Story

What if …

Jesus invented the assembly line?

He could’ve cranked out faithful followers. Manufactured identical congregations. Cornered the market on preaching styles, discipleship pathways, and music.

Instead he gave rise to a Church with varieties of personality, flavor, creativity, and insight. And He sent us on a single mission to reach a multifaceted world—all as one body.

It’s not an easy task. As churches, we all need each other. Yet many of us, in our search for connection to other congregations, felt pressured into “assembly line” uniformity.

Until we found each other.

Converge MidAtlantic is a collection of churches, united in spirit and purpose, collaborating on the same mission: the Great Commission.

For over a century, we’ve been sharing best-in-class resources, training, and relationships, so we can all have what we need to thrive.

Together, we’ve seen more church planters creating unique expressions of the body of Christ…

More existing churches flourishing in their callings and contexts…

And more pastors staying connected, healthy, and strong in God.

You can hold onto your church’s color, flavor, and vision. But you don’t have to go it alone.

Stay true to your unique calling.
Just don’t go it alone.

If you want help starting a church, strengthening your church, or reaching unreached people groups with the gospel, let’s talk.

Our History

An Overview of

  1. Founding Baptisms in Rock Island

    Gustaf Palmquist baptizes three adults in Rock Island, Illinois, establishing the first Swedish Baptist congregation in the United States.

  2. Swedish Baptist Conference Begins

    Seven congregations from Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota meet in Rock Island, Illinois, and label themselves The Swedish Baptist General Conference.

  3. Conference Officially Forms

    With 65 congregations and 3000 baptized believers, the Swedish Baptist General Conference in the United States officially forms.

  4. First Overseas Missionary Sent

    Johanna Anderson becomes the first Converge missionary in Burma.

  5. Bethel Seminary Moves to St. Paul

    Bethel Seminary relocates to St. Paul, Minnesota. Graduates of Bethel University will come to include Converge pastors like John Piper and Bob Merritt, as well as artists, theologians, business leaders, governmental leaders, and professional athletes.

  6. Independent Foreign Missions Launch

    Launch of an independent foreign missions program, initiating significant growth in world missions.

  7. Dropping “Swedish” for Diversity

    As we reach non-Swedish neighbors for the gospel, we diversify, and The Swedish Baptist General Conference of America drops the word “Swedish” from its name.

  8. Membership & African Outreach Surge

    Church membership grows from 72,000 to 132,000. Converge begins mission work in Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

  9. Global Expansion Accelerates

    Growth to over 140,000 members in 880 churches. New mission work in the Middle East, France, Bulgaria, Central Asia, Slovakia, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam.

  10. 1,000+ Churches & Bethel University

    Membership exceeds 140,000 in 1075 churches and church plants. Converge launches missions in Cambodia, Haiti, Nigeria, Senegal, Singapore, and Montreal. Structural changes include Bethel College & Seminary becoming Bethel University.

  11. Rebranded as Converge Worldwide

    Converge adopts a new missional name, Converge Worldwide.

  12. Mission Refocus—Name Shortened

    We refocus on our mission of “starting and strengthening churches together worldwide,” renaming to Converge.

  13. First African-American President

    As our movement has diversified to include people and leaders of many ethnicities, backgrounds, and expressions of worship, we elect our first African-American president, Pastor John Jenkins of First Baptist Church of Glenarden.

  14. One Movement, Global Gospel Impact

    Converge is a movement of churches and leaders collaborating on the one thing that matters: Lives changed through Jesus, person by person, worldwide.

Stories of impact

Read how God is at work through Converge partners across the U.S. and around the world.

Read the stories
Culture & Society

Turning unprepared people into unstoppable partners

Have you ever felt just about as unprepared as possible for doing what God wants next?      Victoria Tidwell was 25, pregnant for the first time and unsure what to do for herself or the baby growing inside her.    But today, Tidwell is an experienced mother of two, and she knows exactly what to […]

Church Strengthening

Converge MidAtlantic leader helps churches find their vision

Christ Community Church was working through a season of change, so pastor Kevin Wing eagerly embraced a Vision Day for the upstate New York congregation.    The Converge MidAtlantic church had already formed its vision and mission statements in recent years, but it wasn’t making progress in its community.    “We were stuck as the […]

Church Planting & Multiplication

‘This isn’t church as normal’

A Ph.D. and the pandemic mostly blocked Farida Yada’s desire to actively serve in a church near her Charlotte, North Carolina, home.  But LightWay Church, launched this Resurrection Sunday, gave her what she’d been waiting years to find.    “I have been missing that piece of finding a good, local church where I could serve,” […]

International Ministries (IM)

Converge for Ukraine

Ukrainians and Americans Converge in Washington DC for Prayer The war in Ukraine rages on. The devastation is unimaginable.  Families are displaced.  Pastors and church leaders are overwhelmed.  The threat to freedom is very real. In the midst of the ongoing chaos of war, what an incredible blessing to witness a gathering of nearly a […]

Resources

Access our shared resources, knowledge, experience, and insights.
Find what you need
Church Strengthening, Pastor Strengthening

Coaching

Every leader needs a coach. Every leader is a coach. Every leader needs a coachOften ministry can be a lonely journey. Each day brings new challenges, such as managing church health and growth, leading staff and caring for your congregation—all while trying to move ministry forward and avoid burnout. We believe every leader needs a coach. The significance of coaching runs […]

Article
Biblical Diversity

Racial Healing

What does racial healing really look like? How can the church move beyond just talking about reconciliation? In this video, Converge Biblical Diversity Co-Directors Jim Eaton and Roderick Hairston offer a compelling discussion on the practical steps toward racial healing. They unpack the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate key principles like empathy, intentionality, […]

Video

Camp Burton

Investing in the next generation Camping ministries are one of the most powerful and productive tools the church has for evangelism and disciple-making. In a camping or retreat setting, children, youth and adults can experience God’s presence and power in awesome ways. While Converge MidAtlantic utilizes the resources of a number of camping and retreat […]

Article

Stay connected

Hear stories from our churches, access our latest resources and events, and stay connected to what God’s doing here in the MidAtlantic region.