Baptist World Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall
in London
during the first Baptist World Congress.
, in his publication in 1904, called for a world gathering of Baptists. John Howard Shakespeare, editor of The Baptist Times and Freeman, London
, endorsed the proposal. In October
1904, the Baptist Union of Great Britain
passed a resolution to invite a Congress to meet with them in July
1905. At the Congress, a committee was formed, which proposed a Constitution for a World Alliance. A Constitution was adopted, containing the following preamble: "Whereas, in the providence of God, the time has come when it seems fitting more fully to manifest the essential oneness in the Lord Jesus Christ as their God and Saviour of the Churches of the Baptist order and faith throughout the world, and to promote the spirit of fellowship, service and co-operation among them, while recognizing the independence of each particular church and not assuming the functions of any existing organization, it is agreed to form a Baptist World Alliance, extending over every part of the world." Membership was opened to "Any general Union, Convention or Association of Baptist Churches", and it was decided that the Alliance would "meet in general assembly ordinarily once in five years, unless otherwise determined by the Executive Committee". Three leading personalities involved in the organisation included Prestridge, Shakespeare and Alexander Maclaren
(who served as provisional President).
The meetings of the Alliance are called "Congresses." World conflicts made it impossible to hold to a strict five-year plan, but BWA has held 20 Congresses: London, 1905; Philadelphia, 1911; Stockholm
, 1923; Toronto
, 1928; Berlin
, 1934; Atlanta, 1939; Copenhagen
, 1947; Cleveland, 1950; London
, 1955; Rio de Janeiro
, 1960; Miami Beach, 1965; Tokyo
, 1970; Stockholm
, 1975; Toronto
, 1980; Los Angeles
, 1985; Seoul
, 1990; Buenos Aires
, 1995; Melbourne
, 2000; Birmingham
, England
, 2005; and Honolulu, 2010.
Several conservative and separatist Baptist groups are not members of the Baptist World Alliance. On June 15, 2004 the Southern Baptist Convention
voted to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance.
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, Union of Baptists in Latin America, and European Baptist Federation
. Each regional fellowship is served by an Executive Secretary.
In July 2007, the General Council elected Neville Callam
of Jamaica to succeed Denton Lotz as General Secetary of the Baptist World Alliance. Lotz retired on December 31, 2007.
. 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. In 2000 and 2001 preliminary consultations for a second series of conversations were held, leading to formal meetings between 2006 and 2010. The current Co-Moderators are the Reverend Paul Fiddes, DD
, Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford
and formerly Principal of Regent's Park College, Oxford
, and The Most Reverend Dr Arthur J. Serratelli
, Bishop of Paterson.
Exeter Hall
Exeter Hall was a hall on the north side of The Strand, London, England. It was erected between 1829 and 1831 on the site of Exeter Exchange, to designs by John Peter Gandy, the brother of the visionary architect Joseph Michael Gandy...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the first Baptist World Congress.
History
John Newton Prestridge, editor of The Baptist Argus, at Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, in his publication in 1904, called for a world gathering of Baptists. John Howard Shakespeare, editor of The Baptist Times and Freeman, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, endorsed the proposal. In October
October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the...
1904, the Baptist Union of Great Britain
Baptist Union of Great Britain
The Baptist Union of Great Britain, despite its name, is the association of Baptist churches in England and Wales. -History:...
passed a resolution to invite a Congress to meet with them in July
July
July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. It is, on average, the warmest month in most of the Northern hemisphere and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere...
1905. At the Congress, a committee was formed, which proposed a Constitution for a World Alliance. A Constitution was adopted, containing the following preamble: "Whereas, in the providence of God, the time has come when it seems fitting more fully to manifest the essential oneness in the Lord Jesus Christ as their God and Saviour of the Churches of the Baptist order and faith throughout the world, and to promote the spirit of fellowship, service and co-operation among them, while recognizing the independence of each particular church and not assuming the functions of any existing organization, it is agreed to form a Baptist World Alliance, extending over every part of the world." Membership was opened to "Any general Union, Convention or Association of Baptist Churches", and it was decided that the Alliance would "meet in general assembly ordinarily once in five years, unless otherwise determined by the Executive Committee". Three leading personalities involved in the organisation included Prestridge, Shakespeare and Alexander Maclaren
Alexander Maclaren
Alexander Maclaren was an English non-conformist minister of Scottish origin.-Biography:Maclaren was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of David Maclaren, a merchant and Baptist lay preacher. In 1836, his father went to Australia where from 1837 to 1841 he served as Resident Manager of the South...
(who served as provisional President).
The meetings of the Alliance are called "Congresses." World conflicts made it impossible to hold to a strict five-year plan, but BWA has held 20 Congresses: London, 1905; Philadelphia, 1911; Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 1923; Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, 1928; Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, 1934; Atlanta, 1939; Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, 1947; Cleveland, 1950; London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1955; Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, 1960; Miami Beach, 1965; Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, 1970; Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 1975; Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, 1980; Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, 1985; Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, 1990; Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, 1995; Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, 2000; Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 2005; and Honolulu, 2010.
Several conservative and separatist Baptist groups are not members of the Baptist World Alliance. On June 15, 2004 the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
voted to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance.
Organizational Structure
Currently, the Baptist World Alliance brings together 210 Baptist groups representing over 47 million baptized believers in more than 200 countries. The group's stated goals are to: "(1) To Unite Baptists Worldwide; (2) To Lead in World Evangelization; (3) To Respond to People in Need; and (4) To Defend Human Rights."The Alliance is divided into six regional or geographical fellowships: North American Baptist Fellowship, Asia Pacific Baptist Federation
Asia Pacific Baptist Federation
The Asia Pacific Baptist Federation 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 the Asian Baptist Federation...
(formerly Asian Baptist Federation), All-Africa Baptist Fellowship, Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, Union of Baptists in Latin America, and European Baptist Federation
European Baptist Federation
The European Baptist Federation is a federation of 51 Baptist associations and is one of six regional fellowships in the Baptist World Alliance. The EBF was founded in Ruschlikon, Switzerland, in 1949. It lays a great deal of emphasis on human rights, religious liberty and aid programs. The...
. Each regional fellowship is served by an Executive Secretary.
Past presidents
| Name | Country | Year elected |
|---|---|---|
| John Clifford | United Kingdom | 1905 |
| Robert Stuart MacArthur | United States | 1911 |
| Edgar Young Mullins Edgar Young Mullins Edgar Young Mullins was a Baptist minister and educator, who from 1899 until his death was the fourth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention.-Biography:Mullins entered Texas A&M College at 16, and after graduation studied... |
United States | 1923 |
| John MacNeill | Canada | 1928 |
| George Washington Truett George Washington Truett George Washington Truett also George W. Truett served as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1927-1929, minister and writer. He was one of the most significant Southern Baptist preachers of his era... |
United States | 1934 |
| James Henry Rushbrooke | United Kingdom | 1939 |
| Charles Oscar Johnson | United States | 1947 |
| Fred Townley Lord | United Kingdom | 1950 |
| Theodore Floyd Adams | United States | 1955 |
| Joao Filson Soren | Brazil | 1960 |
| William R. Tolbert, Jr. William R. Tolbert, Jr. William Richard Tolbert, Jr. was the 20th President of Liberia from 1971 to 1980.Trained as a civil servant, he entered the country's House of Representatives in 1955 for the True Whig Party, then the only established party in the country... |
Liberia | 1965 |
| Carney Hargroves | United States | 1970 |
| David Wong David Wong David Wong may refer to:* David Wong Louie, American writer of novels and short stories * Dave Wong , Chinese singer* David Wong , philosophy professor at Duke University... |
Hong Kong | 1975 |
| Duke Kimbrough McCall Duke Kimbrough McCall Duke Kimbrough McCall is a Christian religious leader who has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, as president of two seminaries, as president of the Baptist World Alliance, and a Baptist preacher.-Childhood, college and marriage:Born in... |
United States | 1980 |
| Noel Vose | Australia | 1985 |
| Knud Wumpleman | Denmark | 1990 |
| Nilson Do Amaral Fanini | Brazil | 1995 |
| Billy Kim Billy Kim Billy Kim was the president of the Baptist World Alliance from 2000 until 2005 when he was succeeded by David Coffey.-Career:Billy Kim first began to work with Suwon Central Baptist Church on January 1, 1960, when it had only 10 members... |
South Korea | 2000 |
| David Coffey | United Kingdom | 2005 |
| John Upton | United States | 2010 |
In July 2007, the General Council elected Neville Callam
Neville Callam
Neville Callam is General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance.Callam was born in Jamaica to a committed Baptist family, his father a deacon and his mother involved in other ministries...
of Jamaica to succeed Denton Lotz as General Secetary of the Baptist World Alliance. Lotz retired on December 31, 2007.
Ecumenical relations
The Baptist World Alliance maintains ecumenical relations with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian UnityPontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962–1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
. 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
Andover Newton Theological School is a graduate school and seminary located in Newton, Massachusetts. It is America's oldest graduate seminary and the nation's first graduate institution of any kind...
, and the Most Reverend Bede Heather, Bishop of Parramatta. In 2000 and 2001 preliminary consultations for a second series of conversations were held, leading to formal meetings between 2006 and 2010. The current Co-Moderators are the Reverend Paul Fiddes, DD
Paul Fiddes
Paul Stuart Fiddes is a British Baptist theologian. He is Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford and was formerly Principal of Regent's Park College and Chairman of the Theology Faculty...
, Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and formerly Principal of Regent's Park College, Oxford
Regent's Park College, Oxford
Regent's Park College is a Permanent Private Hall in the University of Oxford, situated in central Oxford, just off St Giles.The College admits both undergraduate and graduate students to take Oxford degrees in a variety of Arts, Humanities and Social Science subjects...
, and The Most Reverend Dr Arthur J. Serratelli
Arthur J. Serratelli
Arthur Joseph Serratelli is the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson in northern New Jersey.-Early life:...
, Bishop of Paterson.