The Association of Regular Baptist Churches was an

Independent Baptist Independent Baptist churches (some also called Independent Fundamental Baptist or IFB) are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily fundamentalist) Baptist beliefs. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse af ...

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worsh ...

in Canada.

History

One of its leading churches is

Jarvis Street Baptist Church The Jarvis Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church located at the intersection of Gerrard Street and Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto. One of the oldest churches in the city, its congregation was founded in 1818, and the present church construc ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, whose well-known pastor of 45 years,

Thomas Todhunter Shields Thomas Todhunter Shields (1 November 1873 in Bristol, Gloucester, England – 4 April 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was a leader of the Fundamentalist Christianity, fundamentalist religious movement in Canada. A self-educated immigrant f ...

(1873–1955), led fundamentalist forces in the

Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) is the oldest union of Baptist churches in central Canada. The organization's headquarters is based in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. CBOQ is a partner of Canadian Baptist Ministries. History ...

during the

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

controversies in the first half of the 20th century. Forerunners of the ARBC include the ''Union of Regular Baptist Churches'', which was formed in 1928 in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

by 77 churches withdrawing from Ontario/Quebec Convention over the election of a liberal professor at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

. ARBC was a partner of the

Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College The Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College is a Reformed Baptist theological college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The seminary trains pastors for the Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada, the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Ca ...

, and ''The Gospel Witness''. In 2003, the ARBC had 10 churches (mostly in Ontario) with approximately 1500 members. In addition to these ten churches that are considered "recognized" members of the association, about 10 more are considered "supporting" churches. The GARBC follows a "

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

" model rather than a denominational model. Each member church is free to act independently in all matters. The home office of the GARBC holds no controlling power over member churches. The purpose of the association is for fellowship between churches of like faith and practice. The few member churches of the association became members of

Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada (SGF) is a fellowship for Reformed Baptist churches in Canada holding to either the Baptist Confession of 1644 or 1689. History The Fellowship was founded in 1983 by William Payne, pastor of Trinity Baptist ...

, and the association ceased to exist at the beginning of the 2000's. Taylor Murray, Paul R. Wilson, ''Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism, 1878-1978'', Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2022, p. 293

References

{{US baptist denominations Independent Baptist denominations Baptist denominations in North America Christian organizations established in 1957 Baptist denominations established in the 20th century

History

See also

References