Australian Baptist Ministries | |
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Classification | Evangelicalism |
Theology | Baptist |
National Chair | Rev Angela Garton |
National Ministries Director | Rev Mark Wilson |
Associations | Baptist World Alliance |
Origin | 1926 |
Congregations | 1,024 |
Members | 87,555 |
Missionary organization | Baptist Mission Australia |
Aid organization | Baptist World Aid Australia |
Seminaries | 3 |
Official website | baptist |
Australian Baptist Ministries (formerly Baptist Union of Australia) is the oldest and largest national cooperative body of Baptists in Australia. The Baptist Union of Australia was inaugurated on 24 August 1926 at the Burton Street Church in Sydney. The headquarters is in Belmont. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance.
Baptist work in Australia began in Sydney in 1831, forty-three years after the British penal colony was established. [1] The first preacher was John McKaeg, who conducted the first Baptist service on Sunday 24 April in The Rose and Crown Inn on the corner of Castlereagh and King Streets. The first baptism, of two female congregants, was conducted by McKaeg in Woolloomooloo Bay on 12 August 1832. [2]
It was not until 1835 that the first church was established in Hobart Town by Henry Dowling, [3] a strict Calvinist. John Saunders, who had been sent by the Baptist Missionary Society of England to Sydney in 1834, raised the funding to erect a second church which was opened on 23 September 1836. [4] [2] The first state Union was formed in Victoria in 1862. The national Baptist Union was founded in 1926 by representatives from existing state unions. [5] In 1978, Marita Munro became the first woman ordained pastor within the body. [6] In 2009 it was renamed Australian Baptist Ministries. [7]
According to a census published by the association in 2023, it has 1,024 churches and 87,555 members. [8]
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Australian Baptist Ministries is a member of the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (formerly Asian Baptist Federation) and the Baptist World Alliance. Ministry arms of ABM include Baptist Mission Australia (formerly known as the Australian Baptist Missionary Society and then as Global Interaction), Australian Baptist World Aid, Baptist Care, and a number of Delegated Bodies which represent communities of practice, developing strategies and resources that benefit the Australian Baptist movement. [9] These include: Crossover Australia, and Crossover Remote (formerly Northreach). The national work is divided among one territory and six state unions, which operate independently, with the national body functioning as a governance council to facilitate collaborative ministries and mission initiatives across the Baptist movement in Australia.
It has three affiliated theological institutes. [10]
Baptists form a major branch of evangelical Protestantism distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers, and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul competency, sola fide, sola scriptura and congregationalist church government. Baptists generally recognize two ordinances: baptism and communion.
Peter Dodds McCormick was an Australian schoolteacher and songwriter, known for composing the Australian national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair". He published under the pseudonym Amicus, Latin for "friend".
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is an international Baptist association of Christian churches with an estimated 51 million people in 2023 with 253 member bodies in 130 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.
Converge, formerly the Baptist General Conference (BGC) and Converge Worldwide, is a Baptist Christian denomination in the United States. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and the National Association of Evangelicals. The headquarters are in Orlando, Florida. The current president of Converge is John K. Jenkins.
Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) or Ministères Baptistes Canadiens is a federation of four regional Baptist Christian association of churches in Canada. The federation is a member of the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarter is in Mississauga, Ontario.
The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches (CPBC) is a Baptist Christian denomination in the Philippines. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and is headquartered in Jaro, Iloilo City. CPBC was founded in 1900 as the oldest and first organized union of Baptist churches in the Philippines. This occurred after the country opened to Protestant American missions in 1898, following Spain's transfer of the Philippine islands to the United States.
The International Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian association of English-speaking churches and missions in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Frankfurt.
The Baptist Union of Papua New Guinea is a Baptist Christian denomination in Papua New Guinea. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Mount Hagen.
The Diocese of Riverina is one of 23 dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese covers 37% of New South Wales, including the Riverina and the far west of the state. The diocese was established in 1884 when the Diocese of Goulburn was divided.
Sir Albert Arthur Dunstan, KCMG was an Australian politician who served as the 33rd premier of Victoria from 1935 to 1945, and previously as the 3rd deputy premier of Victoria for five days in March 1935. A member of the Country Party, now the National Party, his term as premier was the second-longest in the state's history and the longest of any third-party premier. He was the first person to hold the office of premier in its own right, and not an additional duty taken up by the Treasurer, Attorney-General or Chief Secretary.
The Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF) is a federation of 65 Baptist associations and is one of six regional fellowships in the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Okinawa City, Japan.
The Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India is a Baptist Christian denomination in North East India. It is a member of the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation. It is also a member body of the North East India Christian Council, the regional council of the National Council of Churches in India. Its presently led by Mr. Norbu Lama as President and Rev. Prof. Akheto Sema as General Secretary.
The National Baptist Convention of Mexico is a Baptist Christian association of churches in Mexico. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Mexico City, Mexico.
Pilgrim Uniting Church is a Uniting church located on Flinders Street, Adelaide in South Australia.
The Jamaica Baptist Union is a Baptist Christian denomination, affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance, founded in 1849 in Jamaica. The headquarters is in Kingston, Jamaica. The president of the union is Rev. Dr. Glenroy Lalor.
The Baptist Community of Congo is a Baptist Christian denomination in Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is affiliated with the Church of Christ in the Congo, and the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Kinshasa.
The Union of Baptist Churches of Cameroon is a Baptist Christian denomination in Cameroon. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Douala.
The Thailand Karen Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination in Thailand. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Chiang Mai.
Baptist Mission Australia, formerly Global Interaction, the Australian Baptist Missionary Society, and originally the Australian Baptist Foreign Mission, is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists in Australia in 1864. The national office is in Melbourne.