European Baptist Federation, Baptist World Alliance, Evangelical Alliance of Israel
Headquarters
Nazareth, Israel
Origin
1965
Congregations
17
Members
900
Official website
baptist.org.il
The Association of Baptist Churches in Israel (ABCI) is a Baptist Christian association of churches in Israel. It is a member of the European Baptist Federation, the Baptist World Alliance and the Evangelical Alliance of Israel.
History
The Association has its origins in the founding of the first Baptist Church in Nazareth in 1911 by the Syrian Shukri Mosa.[1][2] An American mission of the International Mission Board also established other churches in 1923.[3] The Association was founded in 1965 by various Israeli Arab churches.[4]
According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 17 churches and 900 members.[5]
Beliefs
The Association has a Baptist confession of faith. It is a member of the Baptist World Alliance and the Convention of Evangelical Churches in Israel.[6]
Schools
The association is a partner of the Nazareth Baptist School founded in 1936, a K–12 school.[7]
In 2007, it founded the Nazareth Centre for Christian Studies.[8] In 2014, the Centre merged with the Galilee Bible college to establish the Nazareth Evangelical College.[9]
References
^William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2021, p. 319
^David Smith, Baptists in the Holy Land, jpost.com, Israel, March 8, 2007
^John H. Y. Briggs, A Dictionary of European Baptist Life and Thought, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2009, p. 271
^Azar Ajaj, Duane Alexander Miller, Philip Sumpter, Arab Evangelicals in Israel, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2016, p. 56
^Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023
^Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved December 5, 2020
^Kul al-Arab, احتفال مميز في الناصرة بمرور 100 عام على بدء الوجود المعمداني في الأرض المقدسة, alarab.com, Israel, May 11, 2011
^Azar Ajaj, Duane Alexander Miller, Philip Sumpter, Arab Evangelicals in Israel, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2016, p. 69
^Azar Ajaj, Duane Alexander Miller, Philip Sumpter, Arab Evangelicals in Israel, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2016, p. 73
Evangelical Christianity portal
Israel portal
External links
Association of Baptist Churches in Israel - Official Web Site
Baptist Twinning with Israel
Jerusalem Baptist Church
The Local Baptist Church - Nazareth
Nazareth Baptist School - Official Web Site
Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary
Nazsem: the blog of Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary