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)
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1995 Baptist World Congress: Celebrate Christ, the Hope of the World
BWA General Council Resolution 1994.6 The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Uppsala, Sweden from 18-24 July 1994: ENDORSES preparations being made for the 17th Baptist World Congress to be held 1-6 August 1995 in Buenos Aires, Argentina;...
The Ministry of Reconciliation
REJOICES with the world community at recent political developments where negotiation has opened the way to peaceful resolution of long-term hostility or oppression, in particular:
• the September 1993 accords between the Israelis and Palestinians
• the birth of a non-racial and truly democratic society through the April 1994 elections in South Africa
• the peaceful transition to democracy in Malawi in 1994 where Baptists and other Christian leaders played a crucial and courageous role;
Witness in a Secular Europe
CELEBRATES the widespread presence of Baptists through the nations of Eurasia;
RECOGNIZES that member bodies, such as the Baptist Union of Sweden, in their commitment to partnership with other Christians, without compromising their distinctive Baptist identity, provide a model of the sharing of work and witness called for by the Seoul Covenant;
1994 International Year of the Family
ACKNOWLEDGES the actions of Baptists in our own generation in championing religious freedom for all people, especially those who find themselves in a minority situation;
VIEWS WITH ALARM the denial of the right of religious liberty to minority groups such as evangelicals in Bulgaria, Albania, Iran, Ethiopia and the republics of Central Asia, Christians in China, Indonesia and East Timor; and to the Coptic Orthodox and other Christians in Egypt;
Rwanda and Burundi
COMMENDS with appreciation the Baptist Heads of Denominations and its secretary, the Rev. Noah Pashapa, for the invaluable and gracious assistance given to the BWA staff in planning and organizing this first-ever BWA gathering in Southern Africa;
Appreciation
COMMENDS with appreciation the Baptist Heads of Denominations and its secretary, the Rev. Noah Pashapa, for the invaluable and gracious assistance given to the BWA staff in planning and organizing this first-ever BWA gathering in Southern Africa;
South Africa (1993)
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe August 6-9, 1993,
SENDS greetings to our sisters and brothers in the Baptist and wider Christian community in South Africa;
APPLAUDS the decision to hold multi-racial elections with universal adult suffrage in 1994;
Bosnia
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe August 6-9, 1993,
CONDEMNS the deliberate use within the former Republic of Yugoslavia of “ethnic cleansing” and the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war and extends its heart-felt sympathy to the hundreds of thousands of victims;
The Continuing AIDS Crisis
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe August 6-9, 1993,
NOTES with alarm that since its last resolution on AIDS in 1988 the number of those infected has reached epidemic proportions in many countries;
The Sanctity of Human Life
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe August 6-9, 1993,
AFFIRMS that because all life is the gift of God and that every person is created in the image of God, human life is sacred;
Evangelism
REAFFIRMS the priority given by the Alliance to evangelism; and
APPRECIATES the leadership already demonstrated by President Nilson Fanini and eagerly anticipates his continuing efforts in this area; and
Hong Kong
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Hong Kong, July 3-9,1996:
NOTES the approaching return of the territory of Hong Kong to Chinese control effective July 1, 1997; and
RECOGNIZES that some perceive this event as potentially traumatic, while others are more optimistic about a new experiment in plural socio-economic systems co-existing within a single nation; and
Resolution on HIV/AIDS
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, July 2-7, 2001
ACKNOWLEDGES previous General Council resolutions concerning the continuing AIDS crisis;
LAMENTS the rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS crisis, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the devastating impact of this disease on families and communities, and the lack of sufficient economic and medical resources to address its causes, prevention and treatment;
Resolution on Conversations between Christian Communions
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, July 2-7, 2001
RECALLS with appreciation the interchurch conversations between the BWA and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (1969-1973), the Lutheran World Federation 1986-1989), the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity (1984-1988), and the Mennonite World Conference (1989-1992);
Resolution on Forgiveness of National Debts
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, July 2-7, 2001
NOTES the imminent G8 summit meeting to be held in Genoa, Italy;
RECALLS the 1999 General Council resolution on Jubilee 2000 congratulating the G8 nations for adopting a US $100 billion debt forgiveness package;
Resolution on Appreciation
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, July 2-7, 2001
OFFERS sincere thanks to the Baptists of Canada and the local congregations on Prince Edward Island for their warm welcome and generous hospitality;
Appreciation
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Havana July 5-8, 2000
OFFERS sincere thanks to the Baptists of Cuba and the local congregations in Havana for their warm welcome and generous hospitality;
Sanctions
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Havana July 5-8, 2000
NOTES the pain and suffering endured by innocent persons as a result of the imposition of international economic sanctions;
RECALLS that at its meeting in Montego Bay in 1992 the Council took note of the “heavy burdens placed on the poor of … Cuba by the present trade embargo” and called for the “speedy removal of economic sanctions which impact leaders, while devastating the population at large”:
Racism
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting Havana Cuba July 5-8 2000
COMMITTED to the Decade of Racial Justice and affirming that in the Atlanta Covenant we condemn racism and ethnic conflict;
RESOLVES to encourage member bodies to promote programmes to combat racism and ethnic violence around the world;
The Sexual Exploitation of Children
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Havana July 5-8 2000,
RECALLS that Jesus Christ” took little children in his arms and blessed them” as an expression of his love and concern;
RECOGNISES that children all over the world are subjected to abusive relationships perpetrated by adults and tolerated by communities and governments;
Jubilee 2000 Developments
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Dresden July 11-17, 1999 RECALLS the 1998 General Council resolution endorsing the Jubilee 2000 initiative;
REJOICES in the developing success of this campaign, which seeks to encourage the forgiveness of debts by banks and government agencies to ensure a debt-free start to the next millennium for the poorest nations in the world;
Appreciation
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting In Durban July 5-11,1998
OFFERS sincere thanks to the Baptist Convention of South Africa, the Baptist Union of Southern Africa, and the local congregations in Durban and vicinity for their warm welcome and generous hospitality;
Jubilee 2000
BWA General Council Resolution 1998.4 The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting In Durban, July 5-11,1998 ANTICIPATES a special celebration of the anniversary of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the year 2000; AFFIRMS that "there is no other...
Nuclear Proliferation
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Durban. July 5-11,1998
REGRETS the recent nuclear testing by India and Pakistan that has led to renewed global concern
about nuclear proliferation;
DEPLORES the failure of the world’s other nuclear powers to effectively discourage the spread of
nuclear weapons;
Appreciation
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Hong Kong, July 3-9, 1996:
OFFERS sincere thanks to the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong for the warmth of their welcome and the generosity of their hospitality;
ACKNOWLEDGES the gracious welcome to Hong Kong given by President Cecil Chan; and
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