International Baptist Convention

Part of a series on
Baptists
Background Christianity Protestantism Puritanism Anabaptism
Doctrine Priesthood of all believers Individual soul liberty Separation of church and state Sola scriptura Congregationalism Ordinances Offices Confessions
Key figures John Smyth Thomas Helwys Roger Williams John Clarke John Bunyan Shubal Stearns Andrew Fuller Charles Spurgeon D. N. Jackson James Robinson Graves William Bullein Johnson William Carey Luther Rice Martin Luther King, Jr. Billy Graham
Organizations Baptist denominations Baptist colleges and universities
Baptist portal

The International Baptist Convention is an association of English-speaking Baptist churches and missions in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Over one-third of IBC churches are composed of mostly military personnel, but there is a growing "international" membership. Membership in the Convention is open to all churches that "willingly seek to implement" the principles and practices of the IBC Constitution. Over 70 churches in 27 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates) are affiliated with the International Baptist Convention. Possessing an ecumenical outlook, most of the IBC churches cooperate with other Baptist bodies in their respective countries. The IBC also partners with International Baptist Church Ministries, a non-profit corporation headquartered in Richardson, Texas.

History

The International Baptist Convention has its roots in the Association of Baptists in Continental Europe (ABCE) and mission work by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Two Baptist churches in Germany—Immanuel in Wiesbaden and Bethel in Frankfurt—formed the ABCE circa 1959. Beginning in 1961, the Foreign Mission Board of the SBC sent a missionary couple to work with these churches. Some churches from England joined the ABCE in 1964, and the name was changed to the European Baptist Convention (EBC). The first EBC churches were started to minister to United States military personnel stationed in Europe. The name was changed to International Baptist Convention after the body expanded outside Europe.

Beliefs

Churches of the International Baptist Convention hold as important the following beliefs—the triune Godhead, Jesus Christ as the only savior, the Bible as the inspired Word of God, personal faith in Christ, the priesthood of all believers, baptism by immersion for believers only and religious liberty.

Sources

• International Baptist Convention Constitution
• International Baptist Convention Operations Manual

External links

• International Baptist Convention Web Site
• International Baptist Church Ministries Web Site