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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 compete ...
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 Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Washington metropolitan area. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Churc ...
,
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, Virgin ...
,
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 territorie ...
. It is led by General Secretary and CEO Elijah M. Brown and by President Tomás Mackey.


History

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 E ...
, 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 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, 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 Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
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 compete ...
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 ea ...
.


Organisational structure

The Alliance is divided into six regional or geographical fellowships: North American Baptist Fellowship,
Asia Pacific Baptist Federation The Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF) is a regional organization of the Baptist World Alliance, a worldwide fellowship of churches that subscribe to Baptist distinctives. The APBF was formed in the then British colony of Hong Kong in 1973 as t ...
(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 Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...
organization, BWAid.


Ecumenical relations

The Baptist World Alliance is involved in
ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
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 Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Massachusetts. Affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It was the product of a merger between Andover Theological ...
, 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', Oxford, St Giles'. Founded in 1810, the college moved to it ...
, 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 The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
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 territorie ...
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 mainli ...
, 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 i ...
, 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 mainli ...
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 Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
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 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
, 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 V ...
and the
Baptist General Convention of Texas The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) is the oldest surviving Baptist convention in the state of Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance. In 2009, the BGCT began to also go by the name ...
, 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 This list of Baptist World Alliance National Fellowships is not exhaustive. The information comes from the Baptist World Alliance. Statistics According to a denomination census released in 2021, it has 245 Baptist denominations members in 128 c ...
*
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