| Bangladesh Baptist Sangha | |
| Classification | Protestant |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Baptist |
| Polity | Congregationalist |
| Associations | NCCB, CCA, WCC, APBF, BWA |
| Geographical areas | Bangladesh |
| Origin | 1971 |
| Branched from | Baptist Missionary Society |
| Congregations | 337 |
| Members | 15,000 |
| Hospitals | 2 |
| Primary schools | 64 |
| Secondary schools | 3 |
The Bangladesh Baptist Sangha (English: Baptist Union of Bangladesh; BBS) is a national cooperative association of Baptist churches in Bangladesh. The BBS is the oldest Protestant denomination in Bangladesh and traces its origins from the pioneering work started by William Carey and the Baptist Missionary Society in 1793 in Bengal.[1]
The church was one community known as the East Bengal Baptist Union (established in 1913 from the former Baptist Missionary Society's East Bengal Mission) until the partition of India and Pakistan in 1948 when it became known as the East Pakistan Baptist Union. With the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971, the church took its current name. The current president of the BBS is Joyanto Adhikari with Milton Biswas serving as General-Secretary.[2]
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One of the major contributions by the early Baptists missionaries to the development of modern Bengal in the area of linguistics and educational work. This included the development of a Bengali dictionary and grammar, the first translation of the Bible in Bengali as well as the publication Digdarshan and Samachar Darpan, periodicals that represent the beginnings of the Bengali press. They also co-founded the Calcutta School Book Society in 1817 which published thousands of textbooks in modern science, geography and history for the first time in Bengali.[3]
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The BBS participates as a partner with the College of Christian Theology in Dhaka and also operates hostel programs for students at college and university level. The BBS runs 2 high schools for girls and boys, a junior high school, 64 primary schools, a school for blind girls, two children’s homes with schools as well as a hospital, a leprosy hospital, and 4 clinics.[1]
The BBS participates actively in ecumenical relationships through: