Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists

Dissatisfaction among some Regular Baptists in British Columbia would eventually lead to the establishment of the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists (CCSB). Some churches participated in the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, but this affiliation proved unsatisfactory. Contact with the Southern Baptists, especially through the Northwest Baptist Bible College, increased the interest of Canadian churches in the Southern Baptist educational and evangelistic programs. In the fall of 1952, Northwest began using the Teacher Training Course of the SBC. Early in 1953, a pastor's conference recommended the Sunday School program of the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board.

The first SBC association in Canada, the Capilano Association of Vancouver, was organized in 1955. The Canadian Southern Baptist Pastor's Conference was formed in February 1959. The Midwest Baptist Association of Alberta and Saskatchewan was formed in 1957. In 1960 churches in British Columbia established the Plateau Association. The forerunner of the CCSB, the Canadian Southern Baptist Conference, was formed in 1963 and superseded the Pastor's Conference. In 1985 the Canadian Southern Baptist Conference adopted a new constitution and became the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists. In July 2008, the convention voted to change its name to the Canadian National Baptist Convention (In French: Convention Nationale Baptiste Canadienne).

The CNBC headquarters and its seminary, the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary & College, are located in Cochrane, Alberta. Its official publication, Baptist Horizon is published 8 times per year and is also available online at the CNBC web site. The Convention engages in specific men's, women's, youth and university ministries. The CNBC maintains a Foundation for receiving financial contributions, labors in Canadian church planting, and partners in global missions with the International Mission Board of the SBC. The National Leadership Board, elected by Convention messengers, is the highest operating board within the organization.

Local churches are autonomous, but must vote to apply for membership in the CNBC. Applications must be approved in annual session by voting messengers of the Convention body. The official statement of faith of this Convention is the Baptist Faith and Message.

There were 11,578 members in the CCSB churches in 2005. The largest concentration of churches remains in western Canada. The vision of the CNBC is "1,000 healthy, reproducing, cooperating churches by 2020."

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