Free Will Baptist roots can be traced to England as early as 1611. The first Free Will Baptist church established in America was begun by Paul Palmer in 1727 in Perquimans County, North Carolina.

From these early beginnings, Free Will Baptists in America have had a continuing ministry. Today, the National Association of Free Will Baptists is active in 40 states, 10 foreign countries, and a number of the islands of the sea. The work of the National Association of Free Will Baptists is promoted from the National offices and the Sunday School and Church Training Department located in Nashville, Tennessee.

• God - We believe that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Righteous Ruler of the Universe.
  
  
• Jesus Christ - He is God's unique Son; the only one of a kind. He is the One once crucified for man's sin, the now risen and glorified Savior and Lord who mediates between God and man. None can come to the Father but through Him.
  
  
• Holy Spirit - All attributes of God are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. He convicts and convinces men of their sin and of that which is right. He, it is, who comes to live in us at conversion, to open our understanding to the Scripture, and to lead us into the truth.
  
  
• The Bible - God used holy men to write the Scriptures. They are the very words God intended us to have. As given by God, they are without error and are our only rule of faith and practice. They instruct and guide us in our lives, speaking to us about wrongdoing and getting us back on course when we stray.
  
  
• Man - God created man in a state of innocence. As Adam yielded to Satan, and willfully disobeyed God, he became a sinner, incurring God's judgment upon sin. Thus, as descendents of Adam, it is a natural inclination within us to sin before God, placing us in need of salvation.
  
  
• God's Relationship to His Creatures and Creation - God exercises a wise and benevolent providence over all beings and things. He maintains the laws of nature and performs special acts as His created order of things require.
  
  
• Salvation - Man receives pardon and forgiveness for his sins when he admits to God that he is a sinner, when in godly sorrow he turns from them and trusts in the work of Christ as redemption for his sin. Acceptance of God's great salvation involves the belief in Christ's death on the cross as man's substitute and the fact of God's raising Him from the dead as predicted. It is a salvation by grace alone and not of earthly deeds.
  


• Perseverance - We believe that there are strong grounds to hope that the saved will persevere unto the end, and be saved because of the power of divine grace pledged for their support. We believe that any saved person who has sinned, but has the desire to repent, may do so and be restored to God's favor and fellowship.
  
  
• Gospel Ordinances - Free Will Baptists believe the Bible teaches three ordinances for the church to practice:
  1. Baptism in water by immersion
  2. The Lord's Supper, to be perpetuated until His return
  3. The washing of the Saints' feet, an ordinance in teaching humility
     
     
• Resurrection - Free Will Baptists believe the Scriptures teach the resurrection of the bodies of all men, each in its own order; they that have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.
  
  
• Church Government - Free Will Baptist churches enjoy local church autonomy (self-governing). The local church is the highest authority in the denomination. They voluntarily organize themselves into quarterly meetings, district, state, and national associations for the purpose of promoting the cause of Christ.
  
  
• Christ's Second Coming - The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, who ascended on high and sits at the right hand of God, will come again to close the Gospel dispensation, glorify His saints, and judge the world.
  
  
• Missions - Free Will Baptists believe that Jesus commanded the church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.