The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international
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 compe ...
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 accounts for about half the Baptists in the world. It is the 8th largest Christian communion.
The BWA was founded in 1905 in London during an international congress of Baptist churches. Its headquarters are in
Falls Church,
Washington metropolitan area
The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgi ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is led by General Secretary and CEO Elijah M. Brown and by President Tomás Mackey.
History
![Chumukedima Ao Baptist Church](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Chumukedima_Ao_Baptist_Church.jpg)
The roots of the Baptist World Alliance can be traced back to the seventeenth century when Baptist leader
Thomas Grantham
Sir Thomas Grantham (bap. 1641 – 1718 non.br>‘Grantham, Sir Thomas (bap. 1641, d. 1718)’ rev. Peter Le Fevre, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008, accessed 8 Sept 2008) was a ...
proposed the concept of a congregation of all Christians in the world that are "baptised according to the appointment of Christ."
Similar proposals were put forward later such as the call of
John Rippon
John Rippon (29 April 1751 – 17 December 1836) was an English Baptist minister. In 1787 he published an important hymnal, ''A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, Intended to Be an Appendix to Dr. Watts’ Psalms and Hymns'', commonly ...
in 1790 for a world meeting of Baptists "to consult the ecclesiastical good to the whole."
It was, however, only in 1904 when such congregation became a reality.
John Newton Prestridge, editor of ''
The Baptist Argus'', at
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
called for a world gathering of Baptists.
John Howard Shakespeare
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, editor of ''
The Baptist Times and Freeman'', London, endorsed the proposal. In October 1904, the
Baptist Union of Great Britain
Baptists Together (officially The Baptist Union of Great Britain) is a Baptist Christian denomination in England and Wales. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and Churches Together in England. The headquarters is in Didcot.
Hi ...
passed a resolution to invite a Congress to meet with them in 1905.At the Congress, a committee was formed, which proposed a ''Constitution for a World Alliance''. The Baptist World Alliance was founded in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, during this first Baptist World Congress in July 1905.
The gathering was referred to as an "alliance" and not a council in order to establish the nature of the dialogue as a meeting. This means that the body wields no authority over participating churches or national Baptist unions, serving only as a forum for collaboration.
In 2020, the
Argentine Pastor Tomás Mackey succeeded
South African Pastor Paul Msiza.
Statistics
According to a denomination census released in 2022, the BWA has 246 participating Baptist denominations or fellowships in 128 countries, with 176,000 churches and 51,000,000 baptized members. These statistics are not fully representative, however, since some churches in the United States have dual or triple national Baptist affiliation, causing a church and its members to be counted by more than one Baptist denomination.
Beliefs
The Alliance has 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 compe ...
confession of faith
A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets.
The e ...
.
Organisational structure
The Alliance is divided into six regional or geographical fellowships: North American Baptist Fellowship,
Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (formerly Asian Baptist Federation), All-Africa Baptist Fellowship, Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, Latin American Baptist Union, and
European Baptist Federation
The European Baptist Federation (EBF) is a federation of 59 Baptist associations and is one of six regional fellowships in the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
History
The EBF was founded in Ruschlikon, Swit ...
. Each regional fellowship is served by an Executive Secretary.
List of presidents
Baptist World Congress
Baptist World Congresses have been held every few years since 1905.
Social programs
The denomination has an affiliated
humanitarian organization, BWAid.
Ecumenical relations
The Baptist World Alliance is involved in
ecumenical dialogues, including with the
Roman Catholic Church
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 the
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council (WMC), founded in 1881, is a consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition. It comprises 80 member denominations in 138 countries which together represent an estimated 80 million people; this ...
. One series of International Conversations between the BWA and the Catholic Church took place from between 1984 and 1988 moderated by the Reverend Dr David T. Shannon, sometime President of
Andover Newton Theological School, and the Most Reverend Bede Heather, Bishop of Parramatta. While this dialogue produced the report called ''Summons to Witness to Christ in Today's World'', the second phase did not push through because of opposition from within the Baptist World Alliance itself.
Negotiations continued, however, so that a series of consultations transpired from 2000 to 2003. During this period the Baptists and Catholics discussed important doctrines that divide these denominations.
These second series of conversations resulted in formal meetings between 2006 and 2010. The current Co-Moderators are
Paul Fiddes
Paul Stuart Fiddes (born 30 April 1947) is an English Baptist theologian and novelist.
Fiddes is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow of Regent's Park College, ...
, Professor of Systematic Theology in the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
and formerly Principal of
Regent's Park College, Oxford
Regent's Park College (known colloquially within the university as Regent's) is a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford, situated in central Oxford, just off St Giles'.
Founded in 1810, the college moved to its present site in ...
, and
Arthur J. Serratelli
Arthur Joseph Serratelli (born April 18, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey from 2004 to 2020 and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Newark in Ne ...
, Bishop of Paterson.
Controversies
In 2004, the
Southern Baptist Convention of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
had accused then-BWA President Kim of adopting a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
theology, because of his support for the exercise of
pastoral ministry of women, its anti-Americanism, and because a member denomination, the
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainl ...
, had accepted an organization that had two churches favorable to marriage between
people of the same sex, and thereafter left the organization. Alliance Secretary General Denton Lotz replied that the Alliance was not
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
, but evangelical
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, that the
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainl ...
in its constitution believed only in
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
between a man and a woman and that any accusations of anti-Americanism had resulted from his visits to
Fidel Castro in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
for the import of Bibles and the expansion of the
freedom of belief
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...
. The SBC also claimed the Alliance refused to discuss abortion stances. In a General Council Resolution, the Alliance lamented the widespread resort to abortion but acknowledges the diversity of views and calls on Baptists to honor each individuals freedom of conscience. In 2005, two state denomination members of the
Southern Baptist Convention, the
Baptist General Association of Virginia
The Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV), founded in 1823, is an umbrella organization of Baptist churches in Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance.
History
Baptists have been in ...
and the
Baptist General Convention of Texas, applied for membership in the Alliance and were admitted.
[Robert Dilday, Marv Knox]
Part of the family: Virginia is elected new BWA member
baptistnews.com, USA, 7 August 2005
See also
*
List of Baptist confessions
Since the early days of the Baptist movement, various denominations have adopted common confessions of faith as the basis for cooperative work among churches.William H. Brackney, ''Historical Dictionary of the Baptists'', Scarecrow Press, USA, 20 ...
*
List of Baptist World Alliance National Fellowships
*
World Evangelical Alliance
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, founded in 1846 in London, England, United Kingdom to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA i ...
*
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
External links
*
{{Authority control
Christian organizations established in 1905
Baptist denominations
Baptist denominations established in the 20th century
1905 establishments in England
Falls Church, Virginia
International Christian organizations