| Malaysia Baptist Convention | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Malaysia Baptist Convention | |
| Classification | Evangelical Christianity |
| Theology | Baptist |
| Associations | NECF, APBF, BWA |
| Headquarters | Petaling Jaya, Malaysia |
| Origin | 1953 |
| Congregations | 197 |
| Members | 24,504 |
| Seminaries | Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary |
| Official website | mbc |
The Malaysia Baptist Convention is an association of Baptist Christian churches in Malaysia. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Petaling Jaya.
The Malaysia Baptist Convention has its origins in a mission of Baptist immigrants from Swatow, China in 1905. [1] The first Baptist church in Alor Setar, Kedah has been established in 1937. Although Baptist work in Malaysia was initiated by Asians, missionaries from the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention played an important role in helping the new churches establish Baptist distinctives in teaching, polity and ministry. [2]
In 1953, the Malaya Baptist Convention was organised comprising the following five churches as charter members : [3]
The Malaya Baptist Convention became a member of the Baptist World Alliance in 1957 and continued growing steadily. With the establishment of the larger federation of Malaysia, the convention changed its name to the Malaysia Baptist Convention in 1964. The first edition of the bi-monthly MBC Newsletter was first published in 1966 and that year also saw the convention being formally registered as a society in Malaysia.[ citation needed ]
In May 1967, a Baptist from Hong Kong, Wong Chung, was appointed the first Secretary General of the MBC and later in the same year, in view of the changing political landscape due to Singapore leaving the Malaysian federation in 1965, the convention changed its name again to the Malaysia-Singapore Baptist Convention.[ citation needed ]
On 8 March 1971 the Singapore Baptist Churches Fellowship was set up, becoming on 28 December 1974 the Singapore Baptist Convention. Following a formal separation of the Singapore Baptist Convention in 1975, the Malaysia-Singapore Baptist Convention reverted to its former name, the Malaysia Baptist Convention. [4] [5]
From the time of its formation, membership in the MBC was limited primarily to churches in what was then Malaya (later West Malaysia) and Singapore. In 2005, the Sarawak Baptist Church joined the MBC and this was later followed by the 2006 affiliation of the Sabah Baptist Association making the MBC representative of Baptists throughout Malaysia for the first time. [4]
According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 197 churches and 24,504 members. [6]
The theological positions of the MBC is contained in a Statement of faith adopted in its 1979 Annual Messengers' Conference [7] with articles similar to those adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in the latter's 1963 revision of the Baptist Faith and Message. [8]
Similar to most Baptist and Protestant churches, the MBC accepts the Lord's Supper and Baptism as its ordinances. The primary difference is in its understanding of the ordinances where they are viewed not as sacraments with the means of conveying God's saving grace but as symbols acting as outward testimonies to the recipient's faith and commemorations signifying deeper spiritual truths. [9]
The MBC Statement of Faith does not specify the gender of those called to serve as pastors and deacons in the church. [10] There are women who serve as pastors and associate pastors in churches affiliated with the MBC [11] but to date no women have been officially ordained in the MBC. Whether this is incidental or a matter of policy remain unclear.[ citation needed ]
Most MBC affiliated churches have historically conducted services in either English, Mandarin or other varieties of Chinese. Other languages are increasingly being used in recent years including the national language, Malay, as well as non-indigenous languages, like Burmese, Chin, Korean, Nepali, and Tagalog.[ citation needed ]
In 2004, the MBC adopted a 5-year plan dubbed Vision X208 that sought to challenge affiliated churches and Baptist Christians to embark aggressively in church planting and evangelism to double Baptist work in Malaysia. A progress report was published on the MBC website showing significant growth by the year 2007: [12]
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Churches, Chapels and Outreach points | 123 | — | 162 | 164 |
| Baptist Believers | 13,000 | — | 16,800 | 19,143 |
| Baptisms | — | — | — | 1,220 |
| MBC Members | 45 | 76 | 102 * | — |
| Baptist Seminary Campus | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Book Store | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Convention Staff | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| * Both Sarawak Baptist Church and Sabah Baptist Association and their respective members are included |
The Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary was established in 1954 for the training of national workers. [13] Accredited by the Asia Theological Association, it awards qualifications up to the postgraduate level.
The following institutions are affiliated with the MBC: [14]
The MBC participates actively in ecumenical relationships through:[ citation needed ]
Kedah, also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and consists of a mainland portion and the Langkawi islands. The mainland has relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice, while Langkawi is composed of mostly of uninhabited islands.
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah was a Malaysian statesman and lawyer who served as the first prime minister of Malaysia and the head of government of its predecessor states from 1955 to 1970. He was the first chief minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1957. He supervised the independence process that culminated on 31 August 1957. As an independent Malaysia's first prime minister, he dominated the country's politics for the next 13 years.
Christianity is a minority religion in Malaysia. In the 2020 census, 9.1% of the Malaysian population identified themselves as Christians. About two-thirds of Malaysia's Christian population lives in East Malaysia, in the states of Sabah and Sarawak. Adherents of Christianity represent a majority (50.1%) of the population in Sarawak, which is Malaysia's largest state by land area. Christianity is one of four major religions, including Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, that have a freedom protected by the law in Malaysia based on diversity law especially in East Malaysia.
Alor Setar is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is home to the third-tallest tower in Malaysia, the Alor Setar Tower.
The Catholic Church in Malaysia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. The apostolic nuncio to Malaysia is currently Archbishop Wojciech Załuski, who was appointed on 22 September 2020; The current resident ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See is Hendy anak Assan.
The Methodist Church in Malaysia is a body within the Methodist tradition in Malaysia. With approximately 200,000 members in more than 1034 congregations, it is the second largest Protestant denomination in the country after Sidang Injil Borneo. The current bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia is the Rev. Dr. T. Jeyakumar.
The Boys' Brigade in Malaysia or Briged Putera Malaysia is part of the global Boys' Brigade movement.
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia - STM is an interdenominational Protestant seminary in the city of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Established in 1979, STM is accredited by the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) and a participating school of the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology (SEAGST) from which the Master of Theology degree is awarded.
Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) is a denominational seminary affiliated with the Malaysia Baptist Convention. It is located in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia. Established in 1954, MBTS is accredited by the Asia Theological Association (ATA).
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Asia Theological Association (ATA) is a Christian organisation of seminaries in Asia. It is a member of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education. The headquarters is in Quezon City, Philippines.
The Diocese of West Malaysia is an Anglican diocese which covers the entire West Malaysia. The Diocese of West Malaysia (DWM) was founded on 8 April 1970, as DWM together with Diocese of Singapore split from Diocese of Singapore and Malaya. As a result, Diocese of Singapore and Malaya was dissolved.
The Baptist Convention of Hong Kong is an association of Baptist Christian churches in Hong Kong. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Mong Kok.
Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya, also known as West Malaysia or the "Malaysian Peninsula", is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the nearby islands. Its area totals approximately 132,490 km2 (51,150 sq mi), which is nearly 40% of the total area of the country; the other 60% is in East Malaysia on the island of Borneo.
The Presbyterian Church in Malaysia or GPM is a Christian church in Malaysia. Established as an independent synod in 1974, it currently has approximately 7,000 members in 100 congregations nationwide.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia or ELCM is one of the four Lutheran bodies in Malaysia. It currently has 21 congregations nationwide with a total of 3,650 members.
The Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia, abbreviated GRII, also Indonesian Reformed Evangelical Church (IREC), is a Reformed Christian church that is headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was founded by Stephen Tong, a Chinese-born Indonesian evangelist.
The Sabah Methodist Church is a body within the Methodist tradition in Malaysia. With approximately 200,000 members in more than 1034 congregations, it is the largest Protestant denomination in the country. The current bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia is the Rev Dr Ong Hwai Teik.
Tan Sri Salma binti Ismail was a Malaysian medical doctor and the first Malaysian Malay woman to qualify as a doctor. She became one of the first Malay general practitioners to open a private practice in 1967.
