| Baptist General Conference of Canada | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Evangelicalism |
| Orientation | Baptist (specifically Swedish Baptist and Radical Pietist with Pietist and former Lutheran origins) |
| Associations | Evangelical Fellowship of Canada |
| Headquarters | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Origin | 1981 |
| Separated from | Converge - Baptist General Conference (United States branch) |
| Branched from | Mission Friends |
| Members | 7,137 |
| Official website | bgc |
Baptist General Conference of Canada (BGCC) is an association of Baptist Christian churches in Canada. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The headquarters is in Edmonton, Alberta.
A church was formed in Quebec in 1892 and another in Winnipeg in 1894 by Swedish Baptists that emerged in Radical Pietism late in the 19th century. [1] From its beginning among Scandinavian immigrants, the BGCC has grown to a network of autonomous churches from Vancouver Island to Nova Scotia. [2] The Quebec church no longer exists. The Grant Memorial Baptist Church in Winnipeg is the oldest surviving Canadian BGC church. Though organized into regional conferences, these churches were also affiliated with the Baptist Union of Western Canada (BUWC) for the first half of the 20th century. The Central Canada Baptist Conference and the Baptist General Conference in Alberta withdrew from the BUWC in 1948 and 1949, respectively. The BGCC churches were affiliated with the Baptist General Conference in the United States until 1981. Beginning in 1977, the three districts then in existence - Baptist General Conference in Alberta, British Columbia Baptist Conference and Central Canada Baptist Conference - started exploring the possibilities of working together to evangelize Canada and the world. At the second meeting of the representatives, a recommendation came to organize a General Conference. The BGCC was formed in 1981, but has roots in Swedish Baptist missionary work in Winnipeg and Quebec. [3]
The BGC churches in Canada are organized into four district conferences (BGC Alberta, BGC Central Canada, BGC Saskatchewan, and British Columbia Baptist Conference) and another region known as Eastern Expansion which includes churches in Quebec, Nova Scotia and southern Ontario.
The Conference is led by a Board composed of members from BGC churches from the districts. The executive director oversees the Canadian office, gives missional alignment to the various national ministries and provides visionary leadership to move the Conference forward.
In 2016, Kevin Schular was appointed to a five-year term as executive director.
The Conference holds an annual meeting, held at various locations around Canada. Delegates are sent from their local church and conduct the business of the Conference. The BGCC operates a number of ministries, including the Canadian Baptist Seminary, Global Missions and Foundation, and is affiliated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. According to a census published by the association in 2001, it claimed 7,137 members. [4]
The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada is an association of Baptist Christian churches in Canada. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The national headquarters are located in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. In 2011 Rev. Steven Jones was appointed as president.
Converge, formerly the Baptist General Conference (BGC) and Converge Worldwide, is an association of Baptist Christian churches 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 an association of Baptist Christian churches in Canada. It is a member of the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarter is in Mississauga, Ontario.
The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), is an international LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination. There are 222 member congregations in 37 countries, and the fellowship has a specific outreach to members of the LGBT community.
The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to Canada.
The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is a Radical Pietistic denomination of evangelical Christianity. The denomination has 129,015 members in 878 congregations and an average worship attendance of 219,000 people in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents.
The Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) is an evangelical Christian denomination in the Radical Pietistic tradition. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. It is affiliated with the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches.
Mennonite Church Canada, informally known as the General Conference, is a Mennonite denomination in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is a member of the Mennonite World Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
The Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (CCMBC) is a Mennonite Brethren denomination in Canada. It is a member of the Mennonite World Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
Lutheran Church – Canada (LCC) is a confessional Lutheran denomination in Canada. It is the second largest Lutheran body in Canada after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). Together with the ELCIC and the Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations, it is one of only three all-Canadian Lutheran denominations. LCC was founded in 1988 when Canadian congregations of the St. Louis–based Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) formed an autonomous church body with a synodical office in Winnipeg, Manitoba. LCC has no substantial theological divisions from LCMS and the two church bodies are in full altar and pulpit fellowship with each other.
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) is a Finished Work Pentecostal denomination of Christianity and the largest evangelical church in Canada. Its headquarters is located in Mississauga, Ontario.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Canada 2021 Census 301,400 Canadians identify themselves as Presbyterian, that is, 0.8 percent of the population.
Prairie College is an interdenominational Christian College located in the town of Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. Founded as Prairie Bible Institute, classes began on October 9, 1922, on the property of the McElheran family farm.
According to the Canada 2021 Census, the number of people in Canada who identify themselves as Baptists is 436,940, about 1.2% of the population. The major Baptist associations are the Canadian Baptist Ministries, the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada, the Canadian National Baptist Convention, and the Baptist General Conference of Canada.
Radical Pietism are those Christian churches who decided to break with denominational Lutheranism in order to emphasize certain teachings regarding holy living. Radical Pietists contrast with Church Pietists, who chose to remain within their Lutheran denominational settings. Radical Pietists distinguish between true and false Christianity and hold that the latter is represented by established churches. They separated from established churches to form their own Christian denominations.
The Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, formerly the Baptist Union of Western Canada, is an association of Baptist Christian churches in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Headquarters is in Calgary, Alberta. The union is one of four components of Canadian Baptist Ministries.
The Heritage College & Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It is affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.
The Canadian National Baptist Convention is an association of Baptist Christian churches in Canada. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The headquarters is in Cochrane, Alberta.
