The Baptist Union of Sweden ( sv, Svenska Baptistsamfundet) is the oldest of several

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 ...

bodies in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. The first-known Baptist church in Sweden was organized on September 21, 1848, in Vallersvik, where a group of people committed the first-known Baptist baptism in Sweden. The Conventicle Act was in effect at the time, outlawing all religious meetings other than those of the Lutheran

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

. The new movement's leader, F.O. Nilsson, was exiled. Others were fined or jailed. A few years later, in 1858, the law was abolished, and religious groups other than the official state church (

free church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions fr ...

es) were allowed to work.

History

A general conference was formed in 1857 through the work of pastor

Anders Wiberg Anders Wiberg (17 July 1816 – 5 November 1887) was a preacher, missionary, and leader of the early Swedish Baptist movement. Life Early life and influences Wiberg was born on 17 July 1816 in Vi in Hälsingtuna parish, Hälsingland, Swed ...

and others. By 1866, the conference had established a seminary, Betelseminariet, and the conference later formed the Swedish Baptist Union in 1889. In 1934 the Swedish Baptist Union attained its peak, with 68,000 members. In 2006 it reported a total of 17,000 members in 223 parishes. The Union has suffered two divisions, the first leading to the formation of the

Free Baptist Union The Free Baptist Union (Swedish: ) was a Swedish Baptist denomination that began in 1872, when Baptist preacher was expelled from the Baptist Union of Sweden, after having been accused of heresy. The Free Baptist Union gained followers mainly ...

() in 1872, and the second to the

Örebro Mission The Örebro Mission ( sv, Örebromissionen) was a Protestant denomination in Sweden. It was founded in Örebro in 1892 by Baptist pastor John Ongman and was part of the Baptist Union of Sweden until 1936. In 1997, the denomination became part o ...

() (started in 1892, but separated from the Union in 1936). The Baptist Union of Sweden was a member of the Swedish Free Church Council, 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 ...

. It was the first Swedish church to appoint a woman as head of the assembly. It was led by Ms Karin Wiborn (2007). , 220 parishes were affiliated with the Baptist Union of Sweden, consisting of more than 17,000 members. Many parishes were also connected to other church communions. For years there were ongoing discussions regarding a closer relationship with the

Mission Covenant Church of Sweden The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska Missionskyrkan), founded in 1878, was a Swedish evangelical free church. It was the second-largest Protestant denomination in Sweden, after the national church, the Church of Sweden. In 2011, t ...

() and the

United Methodist Church in Sweden The United Methodist Church in Sweden ( sv, Metodistkyrkan i Sverige) was a Protestant Christian denomination that existed in Sweden between 1868 and 2012. The church participated in creating the Uniting Church in Sweden Uniting Church in Swed ...

(). In the summer of 2008, the three church communions created a joint annual conference. Finally, in 2011–2012, they merged to form a new denomination, Joint Future Church, now called

Uniting Church in Sweden Uniting Church in Sweden ( sv, Equmeniakyrkan) is a united Protestant denomination in Sweden. History It was established on 4 June 2011 by the merger of the United Methodist Church, Baptist Union of Sweden, and Mission Covenant Church of Swede ...

References

*''Baptists Around the World'', Albert W. Wardin, Jr., editor

External links

Svenska baptistsamfundet
official website Religious organizations established in 1889 Baptist denominations in Europe Protestantism in Sweden 1889 establishments in Sweden Christian denominations in Sweden {{Baptists-stub