| Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec | |
| Classification | Protestant |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Baptist |
| Associations | Canadian Baptist Ministries, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Canadian Council of Churches |
| Origin | 1880 (as the "Baptist Union of Canada"; it became known by the present name in 1888) |
| Separations | Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada (separated as Union of Regular Baptist Churches in 1927. Became FEBCC in 1953) |
| Congregations | 380 |
| Members | 45,000 |
Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) is the oldest union of Baptist churches in central Canada.
In 1880 a "Baptist Union of Canada" was formed. Since the churches were located chiefly in the central provinces, the name was changed in 1888 to "Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec"[1] (BCOQ). In 1927 the "Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy" resulted in 77 churches splitting off to form the Union of Regular Baptist Churches - out of which the current Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada merged in 1953. Even today, in the affected geographic regions, this split results in baptists to be known as either "fellowship" baptists or "convention" baptists. In 1944, the CBOQ joined with the United Baptist Convention of the Maritimes and the Baptist Union of Western Canada to form the Canadian Baptist Federation. It was renamed in 2008 to "Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec" (CBOQ) to better align with other Baptist groups in Canada: i.e. Canadian Baptists of Western Canada.
The Convention Assembly meets annually, electing officers, addressing issues, and offering workshops. According to its mission statement, "[t]he Convention exists to assist our churches to carry out their individual mission for Christ and to do that which we believe God calls us to do together." The Canadian Baptist is a quarterly newsletter published by the Convention. McMaster Divinity College is affiliated with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Convention offices are located in Etobicoke, Ontario. BCOQ is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Canadian Council of Churches, and Canadian Baptist Ministries.
Around the turn of the 20th century, the Convention was composed of over 450 churches with about 44,000 members. Due to internal controversies, such as fundamentalism vs. modernism, and the strength of the United Church of Canada in Ontario and the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec, the CBOQ has declined to about 380 churches in 2003, with an estimated 45,000 members.