The Baptist Churches of New Zealand is a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
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
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It is affiliated with 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 ...
. The headquarters is in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
.
History
![Nelson Baptist Church New Zealand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Nelson_Baptist_Church_New_Zealand.jpg)
Several Baptists settled in New Zealand in the 1840s, but the first Baptist minister,
Decimus Dolamore Decimus may refer to:
Romen praenomen
* Decimus (praenomen)
* Decimus Carfulenus (died 43 BC), Roman statesman
* Decimus Haterius Agrippa (died 32 AD), consul in 22 AD
* Decimus Junius Brutus (consul 77 BC)
* Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus (–43 ...
from
Yorkshire, England
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, did not arrive until May 1851. Dolamore settled in Nelson and was involved in the formation of the first Baptist Church in New Zealand - Nelson Baptist Church - that same year. He was instrumental in obtaining a change in the law to allow Baptist ministers to perform marriage ceremonies; until 1854, only
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
priests were allowed to do so. Dolamore later went to
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
and was the first minister for that congregation.
The Canterbury Baptist Association was formed in 1874. This association started the ''New Zealand Baptist'' magazine, which has been published monthly since January 1881. The Baptist Union of New Zealand was formed at Wellington in October 1882. At that time, there were 22 Baptist churches, with 1,890 members. The New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society was formed at the 1885 conference of the Baptist Union. At the 1891 conference, the Union established a plan to divide the country into four districts - "Otago/Southland" (org. 1892), "Auckland" (org. 1892), "
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
&
Westland Westland or Westlands may refer to:
Places
*Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya
* Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme
*Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila, ...
" (org. 1892), and "Central" (org. 1896). Central District was later divided into the Central District Association and the "
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
" Association, and "South Auckland" was formed in 1939. South Auckland was later divided into the "
Waikato
Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...
" Association and the "Bay of Plenty" Association (now Bay of Plenty & Eastland). The "Top of the South" Association was formed in 1990. Some groups were called "auxiliary" and some "association", but in 1957, the term "auxiliary" was dropped in favor of the term "association". There are currently 9 associations.
According to a denomination census released in 2020, it claimed 243 churches and 21,284 members.
Beliefs
Theologically, the Baptist Union member churches are deeply influenced by the
charismatic renewal movement, though there is no official position regarding the movement. A study in 1989 indicated that 69% of churches belonging to the Baptist Union identified with the charismatic movement. A smaller portion of member churches are
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
in doctrine.
Education
The Union supports education through
Carey Baptist College
Carey Baptist College is a Baptist Bible and theological college in Auckland, New Zealand. It is affiliated with the Baptist Churches of New Zealand.
History
The college was founded in 1924 as ''New Zealand Baptist Theological College''.Willia ...
in
Penrose, Auckland, and Te Whare Amorangi, designed for Māori men and women, in
Papatoetoe
Papatoetoe is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest suburb in Auckland by population and is located to the northwest of Manukau Central, and 18 kilometres southeast of Auckland CBD. Papatoetoe has the unofficial title of Auckland ...
, Auckland. The Baptist National Centre is the registered office of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society and Baptist Care Limited, and is located in Penrose.
Prominent New Zealand Baptists
*Decimus Dolamore - first Baptist minister in New Zealand
*
Thomas Spurgeon
Thomas Spurgeon (20 September 1856 – 17 October 1917) was a British Reformed Baptist preacher of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, one of the fraternal twin sons of the famous Charles Spurgeon (1834–92).
Life
Thomas and his twin brother were bor ...
- successful evangelist and son of famous English Baptist preacher,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher.
Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He wa ...
*Charles Dallaston - "the Father of the Baptist Union"
*
John James North
John James North (26 July 1871 – 14 July 1950) was a New Zealand Baptist minister, editor and the first principal of the New Zealand Baptist Theological College. He was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England, in 1871.
He was appointed an Off ...
- the first principal of the
New Zealand Baptist Theological College
*
Hopestill Pillow
Hopestill Harland Pillow (28 June 1857 – 28 May 1895) was a Baptist missionary to India.
Early life
Pillow was born in 1857 in Lewisham, Kent, England. She was the third child of Thomas Pillow and Ann Aspin.
New Zealand
Pillow emigrated wi ...
- Baptist Missionary in the
Zenana Missions
The zenana missions were outreach programmes established in British India with the aim of converting women to Christianity. From the mid 19th century, they sent female missionaries into the homes of Indian women, including the private areas of h ...
to India.
*
Charles Henry Carter
Charles Henry Carter (29 October 1828 – 6 July 1914) was a Baptist missionary to Ceylon. Son of Thomas Carter, a stonemason, and his wife Anne (née Thomson), Charles Carter was raised near Leicester, UK. While working as a miller for an unc ...
(29 October 1828 – 6 July 1914) - a Baptist missionary to Ceylon. Literary Works - Translations. Carter translated directly from the Greek and Hebrew texts, rather than the English. The Sinhalese work was done in vernacular language, that it could embody the message in a dialect that was understood by the people everywhere. His works include:
**Sinhalese New Testament 1855
**Sinhalese Book of Psalms 1863
**Sinhalese Old Testament 1869
**English – Sinhalese Dictionary 1881
**Sinhalese – English Dictionary 1889
Towards the end of his life, Carter became Pastor of the Ponsonby Baptist Church in New Zealand. He was the first president of the Baptist Union of New Zealand.
Bishop Coppelstone, Anglican Primate of India is said to have described Carter as the "foremost Sinhalese scholar of this age".
[Lapham, H.A. Public Speech to Bible Translation Society (NZ) 27 April 1903.]
See also
*
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
*
Born again
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
*
Baptist beliefs
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 ...
*
Worship service (evangelicalism)
A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...
*
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
*
Believers' Church The believers' Church is a theological doctrine of Evangelical Christianity that teaches that one becomes a member of the Church by new birth and profession of faith. Adherence to this doctrine is a common feature of defining an Evangelical Christia ...
References
Further reading
*''A Handful of Grain: The Centenary History of the Baptist Union of New Zealand (Volumes 1-4)'', by Paul Tonson, J. Ayson Clifford, G. T. Beilby, & S. L. Edgar
*''Baptists Around the World'', by Albert W. Wardin Jr.
*''The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness'', by H. Leon McBeth
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Baptist denominations in Oceania
Evangelicalism in New Zealand
Religious organizations established in 1882
Baptist Christianity in New Zealand