The Baptist Union of Poland (or ''Union of Christian Baptists'') is an association of
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 ...
churches in the country of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. It is a member of the
Polish Ecumenical Council
Polish Ecumenical Council ( pl, Polska Rada Ekumeniczna) founded in 1946 to promote interchurch cooperation includes nearly all churches except the Polish Roman Catholic Church. In 1989 member churches included the Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, B ...
, the
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 ...
and 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
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
.
History
Modern Baptist work began in Poland in 1844. The first typical Polish congregation was formed in the village of Zelow in 1872. Polish Baptists adopted the ''German Baptist Confession of 1847'' as their own confession.
In 1922, the ''Union of Slavic Baptists in Poland'' was formed, and the ''Union of the Baptist Churches of the German Language'' was formed in 1928.
[Robert E. Johnson, ''A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches'', Cambridge University Press, UK, 2010, p. 311] The unions of German-speaking and Polish-speaking Baptists existed until
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when they were forced into a merger with other
evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
bodies. In 1946, the Polish Evangelical Christian-Baptist Church was founded.
[John H. Y. Briggs, ''A Dictionary of European Baptist Life and Thought'', Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2009, p. 394] The Biblical Theological Seminary in
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
, now an interdenominational work, was started by the Baptist Union in 1994.
[
According to a denomination census released in 2020, it claimed 102 churches and 5,390 members.]
See also
* Baptists in Ukraine
The Baptist Church in Ukraine ( uk, Баптизм в Україні; ) is one of the oldest and most widespread Evangelical Christian denominations in the country. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, over half the 1.5 million acknowledged Bapti ...
*
* Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine
The Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine or All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (AUC ECB) ( ua, Всеукраїнський союз церков євангельських християн-баптистів (ВСЦ ...
* 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
Sources
*''Baptists Around the World'', by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
*''Gottfried Alf: Pioneer of the Baptist Movement in Poland'', by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
*''The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness'', by H. Leon McBeth
External links
Adherents.comBaptist Union of Poland Official siteBaptist mission work Poland, Stargard Official site
Protestantism in Poland
Christian organizations established in 1947
Baptist denominations in Europe
Baptist denominations established in the 20th century
1947 establishments in Poland
{{Poland-org-stub