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:
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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BWA, CBF partner to increase Baptist presence at the UN
The Baptist World Alliance and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship have formed a partnership to identify and respond to the needs of people and congregations worldwide through joint participation in work with the United Nations. The collaborative effort seeks to increase...
Baptists and Methodists conclude first session of dialogue
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) continues its preparation for the 2014 Annual Gathering in Izmir, Turkey, from July 6-12. BWA Annual Gathering, normally held in July, brings together denominational leaders, pastors, theologians, seminary presidents, professors and...
Baptists and Methodists begin theological dialogue
The first session of the theological dialogue between the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the World Methodist Council will be held at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, in Birmingham, Alabama, in the United States, from January 30 to February 5. The dialogue...
Ukrainian Baptist appeals for prayer
Pavel Unguryan, a Baptist who was a Member of Parliament in Ukraine from 2008-2012, is appealing for prayer for his country that is now in the midst of domestic turmoil. "Today, as never before, Ukraine desperately needs prayer," Unguryan said. "In light of recent...
Baptists to tour biblical sites in Turkey
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) continues its preparation for the 2014 Annual Gathering in Izmir, Turkey, from July 6-12. BWA Annual Gathering, normally held in July, brings together denominational leaders, pastors, theologians, seminary presidents, professors and...
BWA appeals for help for Central African Republic
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is appealing for assistance to the Central African Republic (CAR) due to widespread suffering after rebels overthrew the government in March 2013. Nicolas Aimé Singa-Gbazia, president of the Association of Baptist Churches of Central...
South African Baptists denounce Westboro
The Baptist Convention of South Africa (BCSA) denounced Westboro Baptist Church of the United States for its incendiary attacks against the country's recently deceased former president, Nelson Mandela. Westboro, a small, fringe congregation with no affiliation with...
BWA hosts American youth leaders
The Baptist World Alliance hosted a diverse group of 17 youth leaders from the Mid Atlantic area of the United States at its international offices in November to participate in wide ranging discussions on issues affecting Baptist youth ministry in the US....
Tributes to Mandela
"God bless Africa," remembering Nelson Mandela The Baptist World Alliance joins the wonderful people of South Africa in mourning the death of The Honorable Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela, the first President of a free and democratic South Africa. In the days...
Callam urges contextualization of the gospel
Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Neville Callam offered praise to God and encouragement to Baptists in Myanmar during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Baptist witness in the Southeast Asian country. Callam, who delivered greetings at the opening...
رسالة الميلاد 2013
البساطة في أسلوب الحياة يواجه هذا الخيارُ الذين يدركون أنّ مريم وَلَدَت ابنها البكر، ابن الله، لا في مكان فاخر يَنُمُّ عن التباهي والغنى، إنما في مذود موضوع في إصطبل، وَفْقَ تعاليمنا، إذ لم يكن للأبوَين موضعٌ في المنزل. في هذا المكان الوضيع بالذات رُحِّب بالمسيح الطفل...
2013年 聖 誕 信 息
簡單的生活方式 從耶穌誕生的情境， 讓跟隨基督的信徒已習慣於選擇過簡單的生活方式。 作此抉擇，皆因了解到馬利亞因無處可棲而誕下她頭生的孩子──上帝的兒子時，不在豪華富麗之處，正如我們傳統的記載 ，出生在馬糟、牛棚，石洞裡。然而，在此等卑微的地方，基督聖嬰被迎接和照顧。馬利亞用布包著他 (路加 2:7)。 為闡明耶穌出生的卑微，作曲家William Dix盡其想象才華創作了流行的聖誕詩歌"What Child Is This"...
Рождественское послание 2013
Простота жизни Последователи Христа привыкли слышать, что обстоятельства рождения Спасителя являются призывом к простоте жизни. Этот призыв звучит для тех, кто осознал, что Мария родила своего Первенца, Сына Божия, не в роскоши и изобилии, но, поскольку в гостинице...
Message de Noël 2013
Un style de vie simple Ceux qui suivent le Christ ont souvent été amenés à vivre d'une façon plus simple à cause des circonstances de la naissance de Jésus. Cette façon de vivre s'impose quand on se rend compte qu'au lieu de donner naissance à son premier enfant, le...
Mensaje de Navidad 2013
Un estilo de vida sencillo Se ha hecho habitual para los seguidores de Cristo el encuentro, con ocasión del nacimiento de Jesús, con la opción de vida sencilla. Esta opción sugiere, a quienes lo entienden, que María dio a luz a su primer hijo, el Hijo de Dios, no en...
Christmas Message 2013
A Simple Lifestyle It has become customary for followers of Christ to encounter, in the circumstances of Jesus' birth, the option to live simply. This option suggests itself to those who realize that Mary gave birth to her first child, God's Son, not in a place of...
Callam on Mandela’s Passing
The worldwide community mourns the passing of President Nelson Mandela, the first Black leader of democratic South Africa.As a citizen of Jamaica, the first country in the world to impose a trade embargo against apartheid South Africa – that was in 1957, when my...
Callam addresses Baptist diversity at global meeting of Christian leaders
Baptist World Alliance (BWA) General Secretary Neville Callam presented a report on the work of the BWA at a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries of Christian World Communions (CS-CWC) in Geneva, Switzerland, in November. The CS-CWC brings together heads of global...
Baptists plan global consultation on development in 2014
A Global Development Consultation will precede the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) Annual Gathering in Izmir, Turkey, in July 2014. The event, set for July 5-6, is sponsored by Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the BWA. The consultation aims to bring...
Typhoon Haiyan stories and gallery
Philippine Baptists report on devastation in country The five Baptist World Alliance (BWA) member organizations in the Philippines, with total membership of about 430,000 Baptists, reported on the widespread devastation in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan that devastated...
Philippine Baptists report on devastation in country
The five Baptist World Alliance (BWA) member organizations in the Philippines, with total membership of about 430,000 Baptists, reported on the widespread devastation in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan that devastated parts of the Southeast Asian country on November 8....
Baptists appeal for help for typhoon victims in the Philippines
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is appealing to Baptist organizations, churches and individuals to make generous and urgent contributions to assist victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The typhoon, described as perhaps the most powerful ever recorded, had...
BWA leader appeals for church unity
Baptist World Alliance (BWA) General Secretary Neville Callam said the unity of the church, wherever and whenever it exists, should be celebrated. Callam, who was speaking during the 10th assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Busan, South Korea, lauded...
BWA observes Human Rights Day in December
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) observes World Human Rights Day on December 7 and 8, depending on whether Baptists worship on Saturday or Sunday. The date coincides with the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United...
BWA leader impressed by Estonian Baptists commitment to mission and evangelism
BWA General Secretary Neville Callam, 2nd right, visiting the Lutheran Church Consistory in Estonia. (Courtesy of the ECC). Baptist World Alliance (BWA) General Secretary Neville Callam declared that he was impressed by the commitment of Estonian Baptists to mission...
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