Founding at Shiloh Baptist Church (1897)

On December 16, 1897, African-American Christian leaders gathered at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., to organize the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention—later known as the Lott Carey Baptist Home and Foreign Mission Convention. In an era of hard laws, social exclusion, and frequent violence, they met not to retreat, but to advance. Shiloh, a strong and historically influential Black congregation in the nation’s capital, provided a fitting home for a work shaped by prayer, order, and gospel purpose.

These delegates believed the church must not be confined by the limits others imposed. They joined hands to support missionaries, strengthen congregations, and send the good news beyond their own neighborhoods and across the sea. Their resolve echoed Christ’s command: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). The convention’s early labor testified that suffering need not silence witness; it can sharpen it.

Lott Carey (c. 1780–1828)

The convention took its name from Lott Carey, once enslaved in Virginia, later freed, and called to preach. Carey became a Baptist leader with a missionary burden and sailed to Liberia in 1821. There he served with uncommon courage—proclaiming Christ, organizing church life, and helping meet practical needs in a frontier setting. His life displayed a steady faith that refused to separate gospel proclamation from sacrificial service. In honoring him, the convention lifted up a model of perseverance: a man changed by grace and compelled to bring that grace to others.

Mission, Unity, and Enduring Legacy

The Lott Carey movement embodied Christian heroism that is quiet yet costly: giving, going, praying, and trusting God’s power to save when circumstances argued otherwise. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16). By supporting workers at home and abroad, the convention encouraged believers to practice generous stewardship, heartfelt unity, and obedient mission—living proof that God builds His church through steadfast faith.