The Conference was founded as the Believers' Meeting for Bible Study in 1875 by evangelical pastors in the United States. The driving force behind the meeting was
James H. Brookes, a
Presbyterian minister from
St. Louis. Brookes publicized the meeting through his magazine
Truth, and devoted substantial space to summaries of the speeches. Most of the speakers were
dispensationalists, and the Niagara Conference introduced many evangelical Protestants to dispensationalist teaching. The messages generally centered on the doctrines of
Christ, the
Holy Spirit, the Bible,
missions and
prophecy.
Premillennialism and
dispensationalism were defended and taught. In 1878, 14 fundamental
creeds were established by evangelical pastors. The Niagara Creed does not explicitly affirm dispensationalism, but it refers to several key dispensationalist beliefs, including the reality of the millennium, the restoration of Israel, and the distinction between the judgment of the saved and the damned. Starting in 1883, it was held in
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario at the
Queen's Royal Hotel and its pavilion. In 1890, the Niagara Creed was officially adopted. == References ==