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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Baptists respond to Hurricane Isaac

Baptists in the United States and elsewhere are responding to the disasters caused by the passage of Hurricane Isaac through sections of the Caribbean and the United States. Churches in Haiti provided shelter and other forms of assistance to those affected by the...

Caribbean Baptists meet despite tropical storm

Baptist leaders and delegates met on the island of Antigua for the Mid Term Assembly of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship (CBF) despite the passage of Tropical Storm Isaac over the island. Winds caused by the storm grew in strength over Antigua from in the early...

Humanitarian crisis in Congo, BWA receives appeals for aid

The Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) is responding to appeals for assistance from Baptists in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to a humanitarian crisis that has seen tens of thousands of Congolese fleeing their homes. The United...

Great Commission should be part of daily life

Baptist World Alliance® General Secretary Neville Callam recently reaffirmed that commitment to the Great Commission should be taken as a given in the life of the Christian believer, and that this also includes bearing witness to Christ in one's daily life. Callam was...

Human Rights Day 2012

Nigeria Prayer Requests / Litany  / Bible Verses / Hymns /Other Resources  18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,     because he has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to...

BWA engaging long-time and new supporters

The Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) has implemented several initiatives that will serve to strengthen the financial health of the international Baptist organization. In the face of challenges in the world economy, the BWA seeks to exercise financial stewardship through...

British Baptists engage in Olympic mission outreach

Baptists in the United Kingdom (UK) are part of a ministry outreach by a network of churches focused on the Summer Olympic and Pralympic Games that take place in London from July 27 to August 12 and from August 29 to September 9, respectively. The Baptist Union of...

New and potential changes in the BWA

Both the General Council and the Executive Committee, the two main governing bodies of the Baptist World Alliance® (BWA), which convened during the Annual Gathering in Chile that was held July 2-7 in the capital city of Santiago, are entertaining potential changes to...

Baptist Youth conference speakers confirmed

The Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) has confirmed the main speakers for the Baptist Youth World Conference in Singapore from July 17-21 next year. More than 6,000 youth from some 100 countries are expected to attend the plenary sessions each morning and evening, "fringe...

BWA forging Baptist unity worldwide

The Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) welcomes two new member organizations and recently reported progress in improving relationships among Baptists worldwide. The Reformed Baptist Convention in Rwanda, whose president, Faustin Bashaka, attended the BWA Annual Gathering...

BWA Honors Retirees

“It was a dream to work for the BWA” A number of retiring staff members of the Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) were recognized for their period of service to the BWA during the Annual Gathering in Santiago, Chile, that was held from July 2-7. Paul Montacute of Britain...

BWA urges action on Nigerian crisis and climate change

The Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) has made an appeal for the crisis in Nigeria to come to an end. In a resolution passed by the General Council, the international Baptist organization denounced the levels of violence in the West African country caused by Muslim...

Christians face mounting pressure in the Middle East

There is a special need for Baptists to pray for and remember the Middle East. This call was made by Tony Peck, Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) regional secretary for Europe and general secretary for the European Baptist Federation (EBF). The EBF includes conventions...

BWA appoints new personnel

The Baptist World Alliance® formalized two appointments during a meeting of the General Council in Chile on July 6. The General Council forms part of the Annual Gathering in the capital city of Santiago from July 2-7, and is one of the governing bodies of the BWA....

Palacios accepts BWA human rights award

Edgar Palacios of El Salvador received the Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award during a meeting of the General Council in Chile on July 6. The General Council forms part of the BWA Annual Gathering that runs from July 2-7 in the...

Tales of disaster and recovery

Baptists in Chile gave a detailed report of their response to the devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake that affected the South American country on February 27, 2010, at the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance® currently taking place in the capital city of...

The global mission of the church

The mission of the church is, first of all, the mission of God. This was the consensus of a meeting of mission leaders and those who are involved or interested in mission at the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) in Chile. The meetings are being...

Technology is here to stay

Technology is a reality that will have to be embraced by the church. This was the general consensus at a Technology and Ministry forum that was held during the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) on July 2. Maribel Salamanca, communications...

Thousands of Chileans welcome the BWA

Several thousand Baptists from across Chile welcomed the roughly 300 Baptist World Alliance® leaders and delegates at an evening of celebration in Santiago on the evening of July 2. The BWA is having its Annual Gathering in Santiago from July 2-7. Leaders from the two...

2012 Annual Gathering

Edgar Pelacios responds to receiving the Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award while his daughter and General Council member Raul Scialabia share the moment Rothang Chhangte addresses the General Council after being formally appointed as the director of Baptist...

Preparations in high gear for 2015 congress

The Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) has signed two major contracts in preparation for the 21st Baptist World Congress in South Africa in 2015. The Congress Committee, which met as part of the BWA Annual Gathering in Santiago, Chile, received reports that contracts have...

BWA launches interactive website

The Baptist World Alliance® has launched its second website within a month. Bwalive.org is an interactive website where the public determines much of the content. According to the welcome page, "all persons... are encouraged to share your news, views, comments and...

Latin American youth conference convenes in Chile

A conference for Latin American Baptist youth leaders is being held in Santiago, Chile, from June 29 to July 1. Sponsored by the Baptist World Alliance®, the conference will focus on resource and information sharing, leadership development, and on mission. Among...

Baptists prepare for global meeting in Chile

Baptists from across the world are preparing to attend the Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) Annual Gathering in Santiago, Chile, from July 2-7. The gathering includes times for worship, fellowship, theological reflection, and decision making. The two governing bodies,...

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