Encyclopedia > Baptist General Conference of Canada
Baptist General Conference of Canada - a national body of evangelical Baptist churches introduced to Canada by Swedish Baptists late in the 19th century.
The Baptist General Conference of Canada (BGCC) was formed in 1981, but has roots in Swedish Baptist missionary work in Winnipeg and Quebec. A church was formed in Quebec in 1892 and another in Winnipeg in 1894. The Quebec church no longer exists. The Grant Memorial Baptist Church in Winnipeg is the oldest surviving Canadian BGC church. Though organized into regional conferences, these churches also affiliated with the Baptist Union of Western Canada (BUWC) for the first half of the 20th century. The Central Canada Baptist Conference and the Baptist General Conference in Alberta withdrew from the BUWC in 1948 and 1949, respectively. The BGCC churches affiliated with the Baptist General Conference in the United States until 1981. Beginnning in 1977, the three districts then in existence - Baptist General Conference in Alberta, British Columbia Baptist Conference, and Central Canada Baptist Conference - started exploring the possibilities of working together to evangelize Canada and the world. At the second meeting of the representatives, a recommendation came to organize a General Conference.
The BGC churches in Canada are organized into 5 district conferences [BGC Alberta, BGC Central Canada, BGC Quebec, BGC Saskatchewan, & British Columbia Baptist Conference], and cooperate together through the General Conference. Headquarters are located in Edmonton, Alberta. The BGCC operates a number of ministries, including the Canadian Baptist Seminary, global missions, & a stewardship foundation, and affiliates with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. In 1995, there were 6465 members in 92 churches.
External link
Baptist General Conference of Canada (http://www.bgc.ca/) - official Web Site
British Columbia Baptist Conference (http://www.bcbc.ca/) - official Web Site
Sources
Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness, by H. Leon McBeth
One of the pioneer preachers and planters of Swedish Baptist churches in the mid-19th century was Fredrik Olaus Nilsson.
Resolutions at the annual meetings of the Swedish BaptistConferences (that became the BaptistGeneralConference after the Swedish language was no longer used) reveal the concerns for separation of Church and State.
Carlson reminded Baptists that prayer was too sacred an act of worship to be used for “civil religion” in the public schools.
BaptistGeneralConference of Canada is a national body of evangelical Baptist churches introduced to Canada by Swedish Baptists late in the 19th century.
The Central CanadaBaptistConference and the BaptistGeneralConference in Alberta withdrew from the BUWC in 1948 and 1949, respectively.
The BGC churches in Canada are organized into 5 district conferences [BGC Alberta, BGC Central Canada, BGC Quebec, BGC Saskatchewan, and British Columbia BaptistConference], and cooperate together through the GeneralConference.
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