Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches

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The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, Inc. (Kasapulanan sang Bautista nga Pilipinhon) is the oldest Baptist organizational body in the Philippines.

Colporters translated and distributed Bibles in the Philippines beginning in the 1890s. Eric Lund (1852-1933), a missionary of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society (now International Ministries), and Braulio Manikin established a mission on the island of Panay in 1900. A church was organized there, at Jaro, in February of 1901. Lund translated the entire Bible into Panayan, and the New Testament into two other dialects. In 1905, the Jaro Industrial School (now known as Central Philippine University) was established.

The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches was formed May 23, 1935. The American missionaries then created the Philippine Baptist Missionary Group, which maintained offices in Iloilo City until they were closed in 1991. Unlike many Baptist groups, the Convention has allowed ordination of women to the ministry since 1981.

In 1999, the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches had 104,000 members in 763 churches, according to BWA statistics. Headquarters are located on Fajardo St., Jaro, Iloilo City. Within the convention operates ten provincial associations, two hospitals and a university. Central Philippine University is affiliated with the Convention and maintains partnership ties with the International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches in the USA. The Convention is a member of the Asian Baptist Federation and the Baptist World Alliance.

There about 20 different Baptist groups in the Philippines, including the Association of Fundamental Baptist Churches in the Philippines, which represents a schism from the American Baptist missions and "Convention" churches before the national organization was created. Over 25% of all Baptists in the Philippines are members of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches.