Resolutions | Baptist World Alliance

Resolutions

Compiled by Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer, BWA Historian

Welcome to the Baptist World Alliance Historical Archive!

We are pleased to share with you the entire set of Resolutions, Manifestos, Messages and Proclamations approved by delegates attending the Baptist World Alliance World Congresses from 1905 through 2015 (the 2020 Congress was postponed to 2021 due to the global pandemic).

Additionally, we are offering the Resolutions and Manifestos approved by the BWA General Council, which meets yearly. The online collection includes the years 1976-2019. The BWA Executive Committee Resolutions are currently being compiled, and a limited number are already accessible. The collection will be expanded over time.

Each Resolution document is in PDF format and seeks to reproduce the original text as closely as possible. This means that language and punctuation may be archaic and not in accordance with contemporary standards of discourse. Spellings of words sometimes are in British English and have been preserved as they were originally published. I am solely responsible for any typographical errors in reproduction, and I would deeply appreciate it if you would share with me any that you may discover.

It is the BWA’s hope that this collection will be useful to scholars, historians, denominational leaders, and clergy. Each document now contains a unique identification number, topical keywords, and four types of citations for academic purposes.

The range of issues covered by the collection is comprehensive, and many of the Resolutions speak to contemporary concerns (such as racism, antisemitism, poverty and war) with multi-cultural wisdom, spiritual integrity, and intellectual depth. Readers seeking to learn how Baptists on a global scale and across time have addressed the human condition in all of its variations (moral, social, economic, political, etc.) will be rewarded as well as challenged.

In Baptist polity, Resolutions and other collective statements are not binding on Baptist individuals or churches. They intend to share wisdom and raise consciousness rather than to demand or coerce conformity or hinder the soul freedom and responsibility of people to follow God according to the dictates of their own Christ-led conscience. In the foreword to the 1955 Golden Jubilee World Congress Official Report (p. 6), BWA General Secretary Arnold T. Ohrn stated this principle well:

Further, it should be understood that an Alliance Congress, when adopting pronouncements, can speak for itself alone. The resolutions naturally carry great moral authority, coming as they do from a Congress so representative of Baptists in the entire world. But no union or convention has ever authorized a Baptist World Congress to speak on its behalf. The people who voted for the resolutions, did so on their own behalf, not on behalf of their churches or conventions. But these statements would never have been proposed, much less adopted, if they were not considered indicative of the trends of opinion within the Baptist world.

If you should need any further assistance in utilizing this online historical archive, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer,
BWA Historian (Click here to contact)

For ease of reference, click one of the buttons below to see resolutions in that category.

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African installed president of global Baptist body

Ngwedla Paul Msiza of South Africa was installed as the second African to be president of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), the global organization for Baptist Christians. The ceremony took place on July 25 during the Baptist World Congress in Durban, South Africa....

Pastors called to faithful leadership

Bahamian Baptist pastor Anthony Carroll made an impassioned call for pastors to avoid the pitfalls of leadership. Speaking at the Baptist World Congress in Durban, South Africa, on Friday, July 24, Carroll, former president of the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary...

21° Congreso Bautista Mundial – Noticias en Español

CONCLUYÓ EL XXI CONGRESO DE LA ALIANZA MUNDIAL BAUTISTA Informe desde Durban de Tomás Mackey. El domingo 26 de julio, con la plenaria matutina, única actividad del día, concluyó el XXI Congreso de la Alianza Mundial Bautista, con la totalidad de los participantes...

Rwandan accepts global human rights award

The fifth Congress Human Rights Award was presented by the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) to Rwandan Corneille Gato Munyamasoko, general secretary of the Association of Baptist Churches in Rwanda (AEBR), during the 21st Baptist World Congress in Durban, South Africa....

Peace and freedom in Christ

Persons can experience freedom in the midst of turmoil and peace in the midst of conflict, declared Dimitrina Oprenova during the 21st Baptist World Congress in Durban, South Africa. Oprenova, from Bulgaria, said Christians in her country experienced peace even during...

Baptists should shine their lights brightly

“Let us rejoice and celebrate.” With this announcement, Baptist World Alliance President John Upton officially declared the start of the 21st Baptist World Congress in Durban, South Africa, on July 22. The roll call of the more than 80 nations encapsulated the...

BWA referenced in UN report on Eritrea

The Baptist World Alliance was one of several nongovernmental organizations whose findings were incorporated into a report issued by the United Nations (UN) on Eritrea in June. BWA and other NGO findings were referred to in the UN report as “testimonies and...

Baptist Youth World Day of Prayer on June 14

The annual Baptist Youth World Day of Prayer will be observed on June 14. Churches are encouraged to plan worship services and events that include the participation of youth and reflect the importance of youth being engaged in prayer, worship and the mission of the...

BWA launches congress app

The Baptist World Alliance has launched an app especially dedicated for use before, during and after the Baptist World Congress (#‎BaptistCongress15) scheduled to take place in Durban, South Africa, from July 22-26. The BWA Congress 2015 app is for use on Android, iOS...

Baptists concerned about unrest in Burundi

Baptists in Burundi have expressed grave concern as to the state of unrest in the East African country. “We ask you to continue to pray for us because some have left their jobs, homes, and churches,” said Juvenal Nzosaba, general secretary of the Union of Baptist...

Liberia Ebola free, Baptists say thanks

Baptists in Liberia have expressed thanks to God and to the global Baptist family after finally being declared Ebola free. “Since Saturday, May 9, 2015, Liberia has gone through an incubation period of 42 days without any new case of the deadly Ebola virus. I thank my...

Nepal Baptists assist earthquake victims

Baptists of Nepal continue to provide assistance to communities affected by the April 25 earthquake that devastated parts of the South Asian country, including the capital, Kathmandu. The Nepal Baptist Church Council (NBCC), a member organization of the Baptist World...

Baptists among those who died in Nepal, rescue team arrived

An undetermined number of Baptist Christians have died in Nepal after the devastating earthquake that affected the South Asian country on April 25. They died after the church in which they were collapsed. Some 144 Christians are known to have died in the earthquake in...

Baptist World Alliance appeals for aid for Nepal

The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is making an urgent appeal to Baptists around the world to make meaningful contributions to emergency disaster relief in Nepal. As of April 27, at least 3,617 people are now known to have died in a massive earthquake that hit Nepal on...

BWA magazine wins award

Baptist World, the quarterly magazine of the Baptist World Alliance, won an award of excellence in the magazine, national category from the Religion Communicators Council (RCC). The October/December 2014 issue of the magazine was recognized for its attractiveness, use...

Callam receives leadership award

Baptist World Alliance (BWA) General Secretary Neville Callam was presented with the Campbellsville University Leadership Award on March 25 at the university’s campus in the state of Kentucky, in the United States. Callam was recognized “for his dedicated and...

Baptists affected by insurgency in Nigeria

At least 32 Baptist churches and just fewer than 2,000 individual Baptists have been affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in Nassarawa State  and parts of Benue State in Nigeria. These are just the latest in a series of attacks. Previous attacks have occurred in...

Rwandan to receive international human rights award

Corneille Gato Munyamasoko, general secretary of the Association of Baptist Churches in Rwanda (AEBR), is the recipient of the 2015 Baptist World Alliance Congress Quinquennial Human Rights Award. The award, presented every five years, will be given in July in Durban,...

Baptist congress early bird registration extended

At its recently concluded meetings in early March, the Executive Committee of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) responded to appeals for an extension of the early bird registration for the 21st Baptist World Congress to be held in Durban, South Africa, from July 22-26....

Appeal made for Vanuatu after destructive cyclone

The Baptist World Alliance is appealing to the global community to provide assistance to the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu following the destruction and severe damage caused by Cyclone Pam. The cyclone slammed into Vanuatu on the weekend, causing the most severe...

Churches burned in Niger

At least 68 churches, two of which were Baptist, have been burned in the West African country of Niger. Panlieba Tchalieni, president of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Niger, reported that the church burnings, carried out by Muslim fundamentalist group...

Flavors of Durban to Sweeten Baptist World Congress in South Africa

Participants in this year's Baptist World Congress (#BaptistCongress15) in Durban, South Africa, will have access to extensive dining facilities that will be available at the congress venue.  Studio 54, a South African event management company, will establish and...

Baptists and Methodists hold theological dialogue in Singapore

The second session of the international theological dialogue between the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the World Methodist Council (WMC) gets underway in Singapore on February 5 and ends on February 10. The first session was held a year earlier, from January 30...

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