The Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF) is a regional organization of the Baptist World Alliance

Baptist World Alliance

The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist World Congress.-History:...

, a worldwide fellowship of churches that subscribe to Baptist distinctives. The APBF was formed in the then British colony of Hong Kong in 1973 as the Asian Baptist Federation (ABF) . It adopted its current name in 2007 after a resolution was approved during the ABF Congress held in the city of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 from 2 May to 6 May 2007 .

Brief history in Asia and the Pacific

One of the earliest Protestant

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

 missionaries to Asia was an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 Baptist named William Carey who was one of the founders of the Particular Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Heathen (today known as BMS World Mission) in 1792 . He started his work in the Dutch controlled Serampore

Serampore

Serampore is a city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is a pre-colonial town on the right bank of the Hoogli River...

 north of Calcutta, India in 1793, initially focussing on Bible translation, preaching, teaching, and the founding of schools. One of the major schools established by this mission is Serampore College

Serampore College

Serampore College is located in Serampore Town, in Hooghly District, West Bengal, India.The college consists of two entities:*The theological faculty*A separate college with faculties of arts, science, commerce...

, founded in 1818.

Other pioneers include Joshua Marshman and William Ward

William Ward (missionary)

William Ward was an English pioneer Baptist missionary, author, printer and translator. On 10 May 1802 he was married at Serampore to the widow of John Fountain, another missionary, by whom he left two daughters.-Early life:...

 who together with Carey became known as the Serampore Trio

Serampore Trio

The Serampore Trio was the name given to three pioneering English missionaries to India in the 18th century, who set up, amongst other things Serampore College.*Joshua Marshman *William Carey *William Ward -New College at Serampore:...

 . Of the three, Ward was instrumental in converting American Congregationalist missionary, Adoniram Judson

Adoniram Judson

Adoniram Judson, Jr. was an American Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Adoniram Judson became the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma...

, to Baptist beliefs and baptised both Judson and his wife, Ann Haseltine Judson, in Serampore .

Judson later began Baptist missionary work in Burma on 13 July 1813 upon his arrival in Rangoon . Today most countries in Asia have Baptist believers and churches.

Organization

The APBF represents almost 60 Baptist denominations (known as conventions or unions) from 20 different countries, encompassing almost 30,000 congregations with more than 5 million baptized

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

 believers . The single largest member of the APBF is the Myanmar Baptist Convention which claims more than 1.1 million baptized believers .

The headquarters of the APBF is located in Shillong

Shillong

-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...

, Meghalaya

Meghalaya

Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...

, India. The principal officers of the APBF are:

Office	Name	Territory
President	Chu Wood Ping	Hong Kong
Vice Presidents	K. Thanzauva Precy Caronongan John Kok	India Philippines Malaysia
General Secretary	P. Bonny Resu	India
Treasurer	Surang Kinghirunwatana	Thailand

Ministries

• Mission & Evangelism

Chaired by Tim Hyunmo Lee of South Korea, the Mission & Evangelism committee organizes consultations and encourages partnership within member bodies.

• APBF Communications

Chaired by Bijoy A. Sangma of India, ABPF Communications seeks to improve the network of Baptist within Asia by sharing news and information about the work of member bodies. It publishes the quarterly APBF Digest and manages the online presence of the APBF.

• APB Aid (Relief & Development)

Chaired by Les Fussell of Australia, the Relief & Development committee mobilizes resources to support member bodies in responding to calamities and providing development aid.

• Theological Education

Chaired by Miyun Chung of South Korea, the Theological Education committee provides the infrastructure for fellowship and partnership between the more than 50 Baptist theological colleges and seminaries in Asia.

• Asia Baptist Peace Network

Chaired by Alan Marr of Australia, the Asia Baptist Peace Network seeks to be involved in conflict resolution

Conflict resolution

Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...

 and training Baptists for peace making.

• Asia Baptist Peace Network

Chaired by Alan Marr of Australia, the Asia Baptist Peace Network seeks to be involved in conflict resolution

Conflict resolution

Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...

 and training Baptists for peace making.

• Co-opted Members in the APBF Executive Committee

David Kwok from Hong Kong and Ronny Welong from Indonesia.

• Asian Baptist Youth Fellowship

Chaired by Vesekhoyi Tetseo of Japan, the Asia Pacific Baptist Youth Fellowship conducts training programme and conferences at sub-regional and region wide levels including a major youth conference once in four years.

• Asian Baptist Women’s Union

Chaired by Sook Jae Lee of South Korea, the Aisan Baptist Women's Union conducts training programmes for women leaders and hosts a major regional level conference once in five years.

• Asian Baptist Men's Department

Led by a team of dedicated lay people, the Asian Baptist Men's Department seeks to reach out to Baptist men and involve them in ministry and also improve the quality of their faith so as to impact society.

Members

As of 1 February 2011, 57 conventions and unions are represented in the APBF :

Country	Member body	Congregations	Members
Australia	Baptist Union of Australia Baptist Union of Australia The Baptist Union of Australia is the oldest and largest national cooperative body of Baptists in Australia. Its current National President is Reverend Dr John Beasy. The BUA is now known as Australian Baptist Ministries - ABM...	916	63,031
Bangladesh Bangladesh Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...	Bangladesh Baptist Sangha Bangladesh Baptist Sangha The Bangladesh Baptist Sangha is a national cooperative association of Baptist churches in Bangladesh. The BBS is the oldest Protestant denomination in Bangladesh and traces its origins from the pioneering work started by William Carey and the Baptist Missionary Society in 1793 in Bengal.The... Bangladesh Baptist Fellowship Bangladesh Baptist Fellowship The Bangladesh Baptist Fellowship is a national cooperative association of Baptist churches in Bangladesh. It traces its origins from missionary work conducted by Baptists from New Zealand in 1886 under the auspices of the New Zealand Baptist Mission... Garo Baptist Convention, Bangladesh	337 459 148	15,000 15,100 12,254
Cambodia Cambodia Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...	Cambodia Baptist Union Cambodia Baptist Union The Cambodia Baptist Union is a national cooperative association of Baptist churches in Cambodia...	230	6,995
China, People's Republic of People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...    Hong Kong    Macau Macau Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...	Baptist Convention of Hong Kong Baptist Convention of Hong Kong The Baptist Convention of Hong Kong is a cooperative association of Baptist churches in the Hong Kong.- Background :Baptist work in Hong Kong traces its roots from the first missionaries sent by the Triennial Convention to work with the Chinese... Macau Baptist Convention Macau Baptist Convention The Macau Baptist Convention is a cooperative association of Baptist churches in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It was until very recently known as the Macau Baptist Association ....	90 6	72,000 750
China, Republic of Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...    Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...	Chinese Baptist Convention Chinese Baptist Convention The Chinese Baptist Convention is a cooperative association of Baptist churches in Taiwan and the territories administered by the Republic of China.- Background :...	197	22,767
Fiji Fiji Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...	Fiji Baptist Convention	14	750
India	Assam Baptist Convention Assam Baptist Convention Assam Baptist Convention or ABC is a Baptist church based in Assam, India, with more than 37,000 members and 300 congregations.The Assam Baptist Convention traces its origins back to the work of 19th Century Baptists missionaries in Assam such as Krishna Chandra Pal, Nathan Brown, Oliver Cutter and...  ** Baptist Church of Mizoram Baptist Church of Mizoram Baptist Church of Mizoram, abbreviated BCM is a Protestant denomination of India and the second biggest Church in Mizoram state in Northeast India.... Baptist Union of North India Baptist Union of North India Baptist Union of North India is a Protestant denomination of India. The number of its congregations exceeds 100. The number of its members exceeds 50,000. Its bishop is Nimrod Christian.- Sources :* http://www.prayertoweronline.org/reports/2005_dpf/... Bengal Baptist Union Bengal Orissa Bihar Baptist Churches Association Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars The Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars is a Christian denomination in north coastal Andhra Pradesh.CBCNC is a member body of the Baptist World Alliance, and an affiliate member Church of the National Council of Churches in India .Missionaries of the Canadian Baptist Mission founded... Council of Baptist Churches in Northern India Council of Baptist Churches in Northern India Council of Baptist Churches in Northern India is a major Christian denomination of India. It belongs to the Baptist World Alliance. It is not affiliated with the World Council of Churches, however. The Council of Baptist Churches in Northern India belongs to the National Council of Churches in... Evangelical Baptist Convention of India Evangelical Baptist Convention Evangelical Baptist Convention also abbreviated as EBC is a Church denomination in Manipur. Their main area of presence is in the Southern part of Manipur. Currently there are a total of 151 Churches under it. Its headquartered at New Lamka.The Evangelical Baptist Convention is one of the biggest... Garo Baptist Convention of India Garo Baptist Convention Garo Baptist Convention is a Protestant denomination of India and Bangladesh. It is named after the ethnic group of the name Garo. Most members of this church are in Meghalaya... India Association of General Baptists India Baptist Convention Karbi Anglong Baptist Convention ** Karnataka Baptist Sabhegala Samakya Lairam Jesus Christ Baptist Church Assembly Lower Assam Baptist Union Maharashtra Baptist Society Manipur Baptist Convention Manipur Baptist Convention Manipur Baptist Convention is an apex body of the Baptist Churches in Manipur, India. At present, it has 29 Associations, over 1330 Churches and approximately 2,00,000 baptized members. It is under the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India . The convention is also a member of Asia Pacific...  ** Nagaland Baptist Church Council Nagaland Baptist Church Council Nagaland Baptist Church Council is a Protestant church of India. It is in the North Eastern state of Nagaland. It counts more than 1001 congregations. It has over 600,000 members. More than 20 Naga Baptist conventions are affiliated to it. Baptists form more than 80% of Nagaland's population and...  ** North Bank Baptist Christian Association North Bank Baptist Christian Association North Bank Baptist Christian Association is a Protestant church of India. It has about 800 congregations. It has about 80,000 members. It belongs to the Baptist World Alliance.... Orissa Baptist Evangelical Crusade Tripura Baptist Christian Union Tripura Baptist Christian Union The Tripura Baptist Christian Union is the largest protestant church body in the Indian state of Tripura. It has its head office in Agartala, the state capital. It has been found lending support to the banned terrorist organization, NLFT.-History:...   Bengal Orissa Bihar Baptist Convention Bengal Orissa Bihar Baptist Convention Bengal Orissa Bihar Baptist Convention is a Protestant denomination of India. It is in Orissa, Bihar and Bengal, which are areas in the Eastern half of India. It has about12,000 members. It counts about 70 congregations.-External links:... * Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches are churches, that form a denomination in India.The churches are part of the Telugu Christian community of Southern India. Its language isTelugu. It belongs to the Baptist World Alliance.... *	328 422 136 173 85 255 — 141 2,376 121 80 278 14,031 88 261 145 1,350 1,347 894 3,240 500   70 893	26,947 83,501 13,600 16,280 16,500 165,400 — 31,286 207,524 10,300 5,900 22,092 24,493 18,810 20,700 7,025 182,540 454,349 85,818 430,000 80,000   13,990 475,639
Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...	Convention of Indonesian Baptist Churches (KGBI) Union of Indonesian Baptist Churches (GGBI) The Fellowship of Baptist Churches of Papua	140 206 210	9,726 74,581 45,984
Japan	Japan Baptist Conference Japan Baptist Convention Japan Baptist Convention The Japan Baptist Convention, or Nippon Baputesuto Renmei is a Baptist denominational body in Japan, related to the Southern Baptist Convention.... Japan Baptist Union Okinawa Baptist Convention	11 329 74 39	476 34,077 4,437 3,178
Korea, Republic of South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...	Korea Baptist Convention Korea Baptist Convention The Korea Baptist Convention is a Baptist denominational body in the Republic of Korea. Its beginnings hark back to 1949, when the Church of Christ in East Asia made contact with Southern Baptists in the United States...	2,508	774,259
Malaysia	Malaysia Baptist Convention Malaysia Baptist Convention The Malaysia Baptist Convention is an association of Baptist churches in Malaysia. According to statistics provided by the Baptist World Alliance, 164 local congregations comprising 19,143 members are associated with the MBC ....	164	19,143
Myanmar Myanmar Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....	Myanmar Baptist Convention Self Supporting Kayin Baptist Mission Society	4,522 69	1,142,655 11,543
Nepal Nepal Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...	Nepal Baptist Church Council	90	12,000
New Zealand	Baptist Union of New Zealand Baptist Union of New Zealand The Baptist Union of New Zealand is an association of Baptist churches in the country of New Zealand.Several Baptists settled in New Zealand in the 1840s, but the first Baptist minister, Decimus Dolamore from Yorkshire, England, did not arrive until May 1851...	244	23,118
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...	Baptist Union of Papua New Guinea Baptist Union of Papua New Guinea The Baptist Union of Papua New Guinea is a fellowship of Baptists in New Guinea.The Baptist Union is a member of the Baptist World Alliance. Structurally, it is divided into three unions under the main body. In the area of strength of the Baptist Union - three districts in Papua New Guinea - eighty...	283	80,000
Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...	Baptist Conference of the Philippines Baptist Conference of the Philippines The Baptist Conference of the Philippines is an association of Baptist churches in the Philippines that is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference. Work began in Cebu in 1949 with 5 missionaries... Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, Inc. is the oldest Baptist organizational body in the Philippines.Colporters translated and distributed Bibles in the Philippines beginning in the 1890s... Convention of Visayas and Mindanao of Southern Baptist Churches General Baptist Churches of Philippines Luzon Convention of Southern Baptist Churches	354 900 889 252 540	26,906 250,000 52,166 7,667 41,895
Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...	Singapore Baptist Convention Singapore Baptist Convention The Singapore Baptist Convention was established on 28 December 1974. It is affiliated to the Baptist World Alliance and the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation.As of October 2006 The Singapore Baptist Convention has 34 member Churches of 8,500 Baptists...	20	6,939
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...	Sri Lanka Baptist Sangayama	22	5,000
Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...	12th District of Churches of Christ in Thailand Church of Christ in Thailand The Church of Christ in Thailand is a Protestant Christian association. It is the largest Protestant denomination in Thailand and is considered to be the largest by group of Protestant members in Thailand.... Thailand Baptist Convention Thailand Karen Baptist Convention Thailand Lahu Baptist Convention	54 88 134 104	9,846 9,935 23,772 8,130
Total		41,781	5,264,784
Footnotes * Membership under review ** Member churches of the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India is a major Christian denomination of India. It does not belong to the Baptist World Alliance or the World Council of Churches. It belongs to the National Council of Churches in India, however. Furthermore, it is a member of the Asia Pacific Baptist...

External links

• Asia Pacific Baptist Federation
• Baptist World Alliance