Baptist Union of Poland

The Baptist Union of Poland (or "Union of Christian Baptists") is an association of Baptist churches in the country of Poland.

Modern Baptist work began in Poland in 1844. The first church was formed among German-speaking Poles in the village of Elblag by Gottfried Alf (1831-1898), a school teacher, and missionary Wilhelm Wiest. Wiest baptized Alf and eight others on November 28, 1858 and 17 more on the next day. This station was organized into an independent congregation on August 4, 1861. Another was founded shortly afterward in Kicin, on August 25, where Alf had led a number of Mennonites to Baptist views. For his defection to the Baptists, Alf was persecuted, imprisoned, and even rejected by his own family. The first Slavic congregation was formed in the village of Zelow in 1872. Polish Baptists adopted the "German Baptist Confession of 1847" as their own confession.

In 1922, the "Union of Slavic Baptists in Poland" was formed, and the "Union of the Baptist Churches of the German Language" was formed in 1928. The unions of German-speaking and Polish-speaking Baptists existed until World War II, when they were forced into a merger with other evangelical Christian bodies. After 1947, the Baptists emerged as a small separate body. In 2007 there were 85 churches with 6500 members in the "Baptist Union". The "Baptist Union of Poland" is a member of the European Baptist Federation and the Baptist World Alliance. The "Sabbath Day Christian Church" is a Seventh Day Baptist body that exists independently of the Union.

The Biblical Theological Seminary in Wrocław, now an interdenominational work, was started by the Baptist Union in 1990.

External links

* [http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_71.html#448 Adherents.com]
* [http://www.baptysci.pl Baptist Union of Poland Official site]

References

*"Baptists Around the World", by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
*"Gottfried Alf: Pioneer of the Baptist Movement in Poland", by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
*"The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness", by H. Leon McBeth