Baptists Together

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Baptists Together (Baptist Union of Great Britain)
Gospel Standard Baptists
Congregations1,897
Members99,475
Missionary organizationBMS World Mission
Aid organizationNational Council for Voluntary Youth Services,
BMS World Mission,
Annuity Fund
Baptist Aid
Orphan Society
Tertiary institutions1
Seminaries4
Official websitebaptist.org.uk
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Baptism at Northolt Park Baptist Church, in Greater London, Baptist Union of Great Britain, 2015.
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Baptists Together, formally 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
.

History

The Baptist Union was founded by 45

Particular Baptists work was united in the Baptist Union in 1891.[4]
The Baptist Historical Society was founded in 1908.

In 1922, Edith Gates became the first woman ordained pastor in the Convention.[5]

In 2013 Lynn Green was elected, with no votes against, as the first female General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain to commence in September 2013. She was received at the vote by a standing ovation and her inaugural message included "I believe that our union is ready for generational change... It is time to cast off the institutional mindset that has served us well in the past, and embrace a new way of being for the 21st century."[6]

Also in 2013, the union publicly re-branded itself as "Baptists Together" and introduced a new logo to reflect the change (although it is still known in an official capacity by its former name, the Baptist Union of Great Britain).[7]

Membership

Farnham Baptist Church, Surrey.

According to a census published by the denomination in 2023, it claimed 1,897 churches and 99,475 members.[8]

Missionary organization

The Fellowship of British Baptists and

The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS)[9]
because of its work to promote young people's personal and social development.

Inter-denominational associations

The union maintains membership with Christian

ecumenical organisations such as Churches Together in England, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, the Conference of European Churches, and the World Council of Churches
.

Missionary Society

The Particular Baptist Missionary Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Heathen (later the Baptist Missionary Society, and now BMS World Mission) was organised in 1792, under the leadership of Andrew Fuller (1754–1815), John Sutcliff (1752–1814), and William Carey (1761–1834).[10][11]

Beliefs

The union has a

confession of faith.[12] It is a member of the Baptist World Alliance.[8]

Schools

Regent's Park College, Oxford.

The Union is a partner of 4 theological seminaries, namely South Wales Baptist College, Northern Baptist College, Bristol Baptist College and

Regent's Park College.[13]

Structure

Since 2001 the Baptist Union of Great Britain has been divided into 13 regional associations:

  • Central Baptist Association
  • East Midlands Baptist Association
  • Eastern Baptist Association
  • Heart of England Baptist Association
  • London Baptist Association
  • North Western Baptist Association
  • Northern Baptist Association
  • South Eastern Baptist Association
  • South Wales Baptist Association
  • South West Baptist Association
  • Southern Counties Baptist Association
  • West of England Baptist Association
  • Yorkshire Baptist Association

Leadership

The principal of the Union is the General Secretary.

List of presidents

[2]

List of general secretaries

  • 1898 – 1924 John Howard Shakespeare
  • 1925 – 1951 Melbourn Aubrey
  • 1951 – 1967 Ernest A. Payne
  • 1967 – 1982 David S. Russell
  • 1982 – 1991 Bernard Green
  • 1991 – 2006 David Coffey
  • 2006 – 2013 Jonathan Edwards
  • 2013 – Lynn Green

Doctrinal controversies

At the Baptist Union Assembly in April 1971, Michael Taylor, then Principal at the Northern Baptist College, asserted, "I believe that God was active in Jesus, but it will not do to say quite categorically: Jesus is God." The statement bred controversy, and some charged him with denying the Deity of Christ.[14][15][16][17] Nigel G. Wright, later Principal of Spurgeon's College, commenting on the affair, claimed the, "Spectre of theological downgrade had lingered within the denomination throughout the 20th century," alluding to the Downgrade Controversy of a century earlier.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ No president following the death of Revd R Martin

References

  1. ^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 76
  2. ^ a b Stephen R. Holmes, Baptist Theology, T&T Clark, UK, 2012, p. 51
  3. ^ Robert E. Johnson, A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2010, p. 104
  4. ^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 77
  5. ^ Erich Geldbach, Baptists Worldwide: Origins, Expansions, Emerging Realities, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2022, p. 111
  6. ^ Allen, Robert 'Bob' (6 May 2013), "Woman Named to Lead British Baptists", News, Associated Baptist Press, archived from the original on 23 October 2013, retrieved 28 July 2013
  7. ^ The Baptist Union of Great Britain : Baptist Union logo, retrieved 9 September 2014
  8. ^ a b Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023
  9. ^ Full list of NCVYS member organisations Archived 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Robert E. Johnson, A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches, Cambridge University Press, Royaume-Uni, 2010, p. 99
  11. ^ J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 292
  12. ^ Baptists Together, Declaration of Principle, baptist.org.uk, UK, retrieved 5 December 2020
  13. ^ "The Baptist Union: Colleges". baptist.org.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2022.[title missing]
  14. ^ a b "Freedom with Foundation: The George Beasley-Murray Memorial Lecture". Baptist Times. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  15. ^ Thomas, Geoff. "The Divine Glory of Christ". Alfred Place Baptist Church. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  16. ^ "Federation Speaker, in Congregational Concern" (PDF). Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Concerns. 1993. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Liberal Baptist Denominations". Way of Life Literature. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.

Bibliography

  • Wardin, Albert W jr, Baptists Around the World.
  • Payne, Ernest Alexander, The Baptist Union: A Short History.
  • Brown, Raymond, The English Baptists of the Eighteenth Century.
  • Briggs, JHY, The English Baptists of the Nineteenth Century.
  • Clements, Keith, Baptists in the Twentieth Century.

External links