The African Baptist Assembly of Malawi is a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. It is affiliated with the

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is an international communion of Baptists, with an estimated 51 million people from 266 member bodies in 134 countries and territories as of 2024. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA accounts f ...

. The headquarters is in Chilembwe.

History

The African Baptist Assembly of Malawi has its origins in an Australian mission of Joseph Booth, with the

Zambezi Industrial Mission The Zambesi Industrial Mission was an independent Baptist mission founded in British Central Africa, now Malawi, in 1892 by Joseph Booth, an independent and radical clergyman whose aim was to create a self-supporting mission providing African conv ...

in 1892, which he convinced British Baptists to help finance. He was also involved in the Nyaza Industrial Mission (1893) and the Baptist Industrial Mission (1895). In 1897, Booth took Yao tribesman

John Chilembwe John Chilembwe (June 1871 – 3 February 1915) was a Baptist pastor, educator and revolutionary who trained as a minister in the United States, returning to Nyasaland in 1901. He was an early figure in the resistance to colonialism in Nyasaland ...

(ca.1871-1915) to America, where the

National Baptist Convention, USA The National Baptist Convention, USA, more commonly known as the National Baptist Convention (NBC USA or NBC), is a Baptist Christian denomination headquartered at the Baptist World Center in Nashville, Tennessee and affiliated with the Baptist ...

sponsored his education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and College at

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

. In 1900 Chilembwe returned to Africa under the banner of the

and established the

Providence Industrial Mission Providence Industrial Mission (PIM) was an independent church in Nyasaland, modern-day Malawi. The PIM was founded by John Chilembwe, who would later lead a rebellion against colonial rule, upon his return to Nyasaland in 1900 from the United S ...

. After Chilembwe was killed on February 4, 1915, while leading an uprising against British authority, the government banned the ''Providence Mission''. Today the nation of Malawi regards and honors Chilembwe as a martyr. His face appears on the 200 Kwacha (Malawian currency). In 1926, the British government allowed the ''Providence Industrial Mission'' to be reopened under Daniel Sharpe Malekebu (ca.1890-1978). Malekbu had been trained in medical and Bible school in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 1945, he led Baptists to form the ''National Baptist Assembly of Africa, Nyasaland''. This group has experienced two divisions, resulting in the formation of the

African United Baptist Church The African United Baptist Church is a denomination of Baptists in the Republic of Malawi. It is one of two schisms from the Providence Industrial Mission (forerunner of the African Baptist Assembly of Malawi, Inc.) of the National Baptist Convent ...

(1946) and the ''Independent Baptist Church'' (1971). According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 800 churches and 72,000 members. Baptist World Alliance
Members
baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023

References

{{Reflist Baptist Christianity in Malawi Baptist denominations in Africa Baptist denominations established in the 20th century Christian organizations established in 1945

History

See also

References