The Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF) is a regional organization of the

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA account ...

, a worldwide fellowship of churches that subscribe to

Baptist distinctives Baptist beliefs are not completely consistent from one church to another, as Baptists do not have a central governing authority. However, Baptists do hold some common beliefs among almost all Baptist churches. Since the early days of the Baptist ...

. The APBF was formed in the then

British colony The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...

of Hong Kong in 1973 as the Asian Baptist Federation (ABF). It adopted its current name in 2007 after a resolution was approved during the ABF Congress held in the city of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

from 2 May to 6 May 2007.Baptist World Alliance News
Asian Federation changes name, elects new leadership

History

One of the earliest Protestantism, Protestant missionaries to Asia was an English people, English Baptist named William Carey (missionary), William Carey who was one of the founders of the ''Particular Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Heathen'' (today known as BMS World Mission) in 1792.BMS World Mission
BMS origins and early days
/ref> He started his work in the Dutch controlled Serampore north of Calcutta, India in 1793, initially focussing on Bible translation, preaching, teaching, and the founding of schools. One of the major schools established by this mission is Serampore College, founded in 1818. Other pioneers include Joshua Marshman and William Ward (missionary), William Ward who together with Carey became known as the Serampore Trio. Of the three, Ward was instrumental in converting American Congregationalist missionary, Adoniram Judson, to Baptist beliefs and baptised both Judson and his wife, Ann Haseltine Judson, in Serampore. Judson later began Baptist missionary work in Burma on 13 July 1813 upon his arrival in Rangoon. Today most countries in Asia have Baptist believers and churches.

Organization

The APBF represents almost 60 Baptist denominations (known as conventions or unions) from 20 different countries, encompassing almost 30,000 congregations with more than 5 million baptism, baptized believers. The single largest member of the APBF is the Myanmar Baptist Convention which claims more than 1.1 million baptized believers. The principal officers of the APBF are:

Ministries

* Mission & Evangelism : Chaired by Tim Hyunmo Lee of South Korea, the Mission & Evangelism committee organizes consultations and encourages partnership within member bodies. * APBF Communications : Chaired by Bijoy A. Sangma of India, ABPF Communications seeks to improve the network of Baptist within Asia by sharing news and information about the work of member bodies. It publishes the quarterly APBF Digest and manages the online presence of the APBF. * APB Aid (Relief & Development) : Chaired by Les Fussell of Australia, the Relief & Development committee mobilizes resources to support member bodies in responding to calamities and providing development aid. * Theological Education : Chaired by Miyun Chung of South Korea, the Theological Education committee provides the infrastructure for fellowship and partnership between the more than 50 Baptist theological colleges and seminaries in Asia. * Asia Baptist Peace Network : Chaired by Alan Marr of Australia, the Asia Baptist Peace Network seeks to be involved in conflict resolution and training Baptists for peace making. * Co-opted Members in the APBF Executive Committee : Makoto Kato from Japan and John Kok from Malaysia. * Asian Baptist Youth Fellowship : Chaired by Vesekhoyi Tetseo of Japan, the Asia Pacific Baptist Youth Fellowship conducts training programme and conferences at sub-regional and region wide levels including a major youth conference once in four years. * Asian Baptist Women's Union : Chaired by Precey Caronangan of the Philippines, the Asian Baptist Women's Union conducts training programmes for women leaders and hosts a major regional level conference once in five years. * Baptist Women's Union of the South West Pacific : Chaired by Sue Peters of Australia, the Baptist Women's Union of the South West Pacific networks as a resource body for women's ministries across the South West Pacific, encourages and supports women leaders and hosts a major regional conference every five years. * Asian Baptist Men's Department : Led by a team of dedicated lay people, the Asian Baptist Men's Department seeks to reach out to Baptist men and involve them in ministry and also improve the quality of their faith so as to impact society.

Members

As of 1 February 2011, 57 conventions and unions are represented in the APBF:Asia Pacific Baptist Federation
APBF Member Bodies

References

{{reflist, 2

External links