WHO ARE THE "BAPTISTS" ? Another way of being a Christian in France
Since the 17th century, this word has been used to designate Christians who refuse to baptise children because they associate baptism to a conscious and explicit act of conversion to Jesus-Christ. An authentic Church is composed of adult baptised members only. The local Church is autonomous [1] under the authority of Jesus-Christ.
The Baptist Churches insist on the authority of Scripture as the only basis for their faith, on personal conversion and on the duty of evangelisation although respecting everybody’s freedom of thought. They also tend to underline the necessity of a strong engagement inily life ethics.
The Baptists have developed an efficient missionary action; thus, it is a Baptist, William Carey (1761-1834), who founded one of the first missionary societies in 1792 and planted Baptist Churches in India.
Today, we can estimate the world Baptist population to at least 125 million people, of which more than 50 million members baptised by immersion.
◾ They represent the most important Protestant denomination in the USA with 26 million people.
◾ In Europe, baptism is a minority [2] but it has been a fast-growing Protestant movement in the recent years.
In France, the Baptist community has about 40,000 members in about 250 local assemblies. A.M.E.B.I. [3] represents the independent branch of the French Baptists, mainly known as forming part of the Evangelical Communion of Independent Baptists (C.E.B.I - Communion Évangélique de Baptistes Indépendants). The goals of AMEBI are encouragement and support of pastors and missionaries working in newly-planted Baptist Churches in France. For a few years, AMEBI has also served a few French missionaries working in foreign countries like Bulgaria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon.
◾ The registered office of AMEBI is set at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Toulon-East : Église Évangélique Baptiste de Toulon-Est, 430 rue Sainte Claire Deville, 83100 Toulon.
◾ Its treasurer is Pastor Frédéric Fernandes, 22 rue Port Sainte Marie, 57245 CHESNY, France
[1] It depends on no institution
[2] 1.1 million people, of which 50% come from the former Soviet Union
[3] Action Missionnaire d’Églises Baptistes Indépendantes - Missionary Action of Independent Baptist Churches
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