BWA in Action

Facing page: Ajoy Lama, former general secretary of the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India

felt they would lose the loyalty of the individual churches. That’s why they were not very much in favor.” The new developments have now been greeted with joy as in 2008 the two groups formally came together as one. “I thank God that after 30 years this effort has been successful, through the insistence of the Arunachal Baptist Church Council, the encouragement of the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF) and the persistence of the young leaders.” Lama commended APBF which, he said, “encouraged the unity of the churches.” The process was also aided by the retirement of those who resisted the move toward unity. “The new leaders who took over understood the need that more than the support of the mission agencies was needed. It is important that we have a united witness in the state.” Lama, who played the role of a consultant to ABCC, expressed gratitude to the BWA for granting membership. “We are so thankful to BWA that they are affirming our aspiration, our desire to be united together by giving this membership.”

The move toward unity will help in confronting issues of law and freedom faced by Christians in Arunachal Pradesh, Lama emphasized. “There is an Indigenous Faith Act under which if you convert to Christianity you can be imprisoned for 10 years and be fined 10,000 rupees,” he said. “Christianity is considered an illegal religion in this state. So it was important for us to present to the government as a united body; that we are not divided.” The enlarged ABCC comprises a sizeable membership of some 95,000 believers in more than 1,000 churches. Lama claimed that the Baptist community is substantially larger, at about 300,000. He intimated that membership may be deliberately under-reported to minimize fees, dues and payments.

“When I was general secretary of the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India, as soon as we passed a law that our membership fee will be based on church membership to one rupee per member, the next year the numbers reported went down,” he declared. A challenge is to overcome unwillingness by local pastors to support the new paradigm and to meet the close scrutiny of the older guard. “It takes time,” Lama mused. Some members of “the older generation of leaders [are] still there. They’re watching us and they still have some influence.” The quest to forge unity and overcome lingering distrust continues. To help build trust, there is a consideration that the

position of ABCC general secretary will be rotated between candidates from the north and the south. Training is now a major focus of ABCC, with plans to build a mission training center and a pastors’ training center, having one seminary. ABCC will continue its mission program, sending its own missionaries to other areas in India, such as the state of Assam.

ANNUAL GATHERING OVERVIEW

Above: General Council members deliberate during BWA Annual Gathering in Vancouver, Canada

More than 300 Baptists from 55 countries attended the Baptist

World Alliance Annual Gathering from July 4-9 in Vancouver on Canada’s west coast. The Annual Gathering brings together an international group of Baptist leaders, theologians, teachers, pastors and other representatives for worship, fellowship, study, theological reflection and decision meetings. This was the first Annual Gathering since the Baptist World

Congress in Durban, South Africa, in July 2015, and the first presided over by Paul Msiza, who was elected BWA president at the congress in Durban.

Commissions delved into core theological matters related to Christian worship, mission, evangelism, spiritual enrichment and other ecclesial topics. Global issues related to various justice concerns such as peacemaking, migrants and poverty, among others, were examined. A communications seminar, opened to all participating at the

gathering, explored “the use of photography and videography to break down barriers and bring persons together.” Canadian Baptists held a welcome event at First Baptist Church,

Vancouver, which included Cheryl Bear singing and sharing First Nations cultural expressions. Networking and fellowship opportunities enabled participants to gather in regional meetings with fellow Baptists from Africa, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and North America; as well as when women, men and youth met together.

Resolutions

The two governing bodies of the BWA, the Executive Committee and the General Council, convened. The General Council considered and passed resolutions on the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe and continuing terrorism and its impact in Nigeria. While acknowledging “the profound challenges created in

many parts of our world by the movement of millions of refugees and displaced persons,” the BWA “calls upon its member bodies, affiliated churches, and individual believers to actively embrace opportunities for Christian ministry and witness that exemplify the biblical teaching.” The international umbrella organization for Baptists is encouraging “Christian believers to personally engage with all refugees and displaced persons, generously showing God’s love and care as we demonstrate the sufficiency of God made known through Jesus Christ.”

OCTOBER/DECEMBER 2016

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