Baptist Convention of Angola
Encyclopedia
The Baptist Convention of Angola is an organization made up of many Baptist Churches in Angola
and has its headquarters in Luanda
. It is smaller than the other group of Baptist congregations in the country, the Evangelical Baptist Church of Angola.
missionaries
, the Baptist denomination spread rapidly throughout the country with the support of Angolan evangelists
and encouragement from North American missionaries who arrived in the central region of Angola during the same decade. Separate from the Evangelical Baptist Church in Angola, whose association is historically identified with the northern provinces of Angola (particularly the province of Zaire
), the Baptist Convention of Angola has maintained a distinctive multi-ethnic
character with an active ministry
functioning in ten of the eighteen Angolan provinces since the time of Portuguese colonization
.
After the war for independence
ended in 1975, the Convention had a period of natural stagnation owing to the civil war
that dominated the next three decades. In part this stagnation was due to the forced abandonment of the country by the missionary forces from America, Portugal, Denmark and Brazil who, up to that point had led the evangelistic spread of Christianity among the Baptist churches. As a result of the lack of trained nationals (no Angolan Baptist pastor had formal training in theology or as pastors) for the conduct of evangelism, the denomination did not exceed 27 churches between 1970 and the end of 1980. This situation began to change in the mid-1980s with the return to Angola of American and Brazilian missionaries and with the consequent initiation of a Mobile Bible Institute (directed by missionary pastor Curtis Dixon). This Mobile Bible Institute played an important part in the awakening of vocational service among Angolans and the training of leaders that became evangelists and pastors in the years after 1990.
(Pastor Mário Vontade, Pastor João César and Pastor David Nkosi) returned to the Baptist Convention in 1988 after four years of study at the Baptist Seminary of Zimbabwe
. After this, other pastors received Bachelors and Masters in Theology in Brazil and Portugal helping to minimize the shortage of leaders as they returned to Angola.
The Baptist Convention of Angola today has 315 congregations and about 40,000 members spread throughout the country. It maintains two theological seminaries in the provinces of Luanda and Huambo
. With the opening of the country, following the peace in 2002, the Baptist Convention of Angola has worked to build its presence in Angola and to stimulate its evangelical impact. Toward this end the Convention launched a project in 2005 called “Movement for the Planting of churches”. This project intends the planting of 1340 new churches before 2017 – an ambitious project whose realization depends on the commitment of the current leadership, on the strengthening of Baptist national identity, and on the development of new leaders which would include the necessary success in terms of theological and pastoral training.
The current president is Pastor Mateus Chaves and the secretary general is Pastor Alexandre Melo Chilanda.
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and has its headquarters in Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
. It is smaller than the other group of Baptist congregations in the country, the Evangelical Baptist Church of Angola.
History
Founded in 1942 through the work of PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, the Baptist denomination spread rapidly throughout the country with the support of Angolan evangelists
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and encouragement from North American missionaries who arrived in the central region of Angola during the same decade. Separate from the Evangelical Baptist Church in Angola, whose association is historically identified with the northern provinces of Angola (particularly the province of Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
), the Baptist Convention of Angola has maintained a distinctive multi-ethnic
Multiethnic society
A multiethnic society is one with members belonging to more than one ethnic group, in contrast to societies which are ethnically homogenous. In practice, virtually all contemporary national societies are multiethnic...
character with an active ministry
Christian ministry
In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith. 2003's Encyclopedia of Christianity defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", indicating that it is "conferred on each Christian in baptism." It is performed by all Christians...
functioning in ten of the eighteen Angolan provinces since the time of Portuguese colonization
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
.
After the war for independence
Angolan War of Independence
The Angolan War of Independence began as an uprising against forced cotton cultivation, and became a multi-faction struggle for control of Portugal's Overseas Province of Angola with three nationalist movements and a separatist movement...
ended in 1975, the Convention had a period of natural stagnation owing to the civil war
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
that dominated the next three decades. In part this stagnation was due to the forced abandonment of the country by the missionary forces from America, Portugal, Denmark and Brazil who, up to that point had led the evangelistic spread of Christianity among the Baptist churches. As a result of the lack of trained nationals (no Angolan Baptist pastor had formal training in theology or as pastors) for the conduct of evangelism, the denomination did not exceed 27 churches between 1970 and the end of 1980. This situation began to change in the mid-1980s with the return to Angola of American and Brazilian missionaries and with the consequent initiation of a Mobile Bible Institute (directed by missionary pastor Curtis Dixon). This Mobile Bible Institute played an important part in the awakening of vocational service among Angolans and the training of leaders that became evangelists and pastors in the years after 1990.
Current situation
The first three Angolan pastors completing Bachelor’s degrees in TheologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
(Pastor Mário Vontade, Pastor João César and Pastor David Nkosi) returned to the Baptist Convention in 1988 after four years of study at the Baptist Seminary of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. After this, other pastors received Bachelors and Masters in Theology in Brazil and Portugal helping to minimize the shortage of leaders as they returned to Angola.
The Baptist Convention of Angola today has 315 congregations and about 40,000 members spread throughout the country. It maintains two theological seminaries in the provinces of Luanda and Huambo
Huambo
Huambo, formerly Nova Lisboa , is the capital of Huambo province in Angola. The city is located about 220 km E from Benguela and 600 km SE from Luanda. The city's last known population count was 225,268...
. With the opening of the country, following the peace in 2002, the Baptist Convention of Angola has worked to build its presence in Angola and to stimulate its evangelical impact. Toward this end the Convention launched a project in 2005 called “Movement for the Planting of churches”. This project intends the planting of 1340 new churches before 2017 – an ambitious project whose realization depends on the commitment of the current leadership, on the strengthening of Baptist national identity, and on the development of new leaders which would include the necessary success in terms of theological and pastoral training.
Infrastructure
One of the major deficiencies of the churches associated with the Baptist Convention is the lack of infrastructure. Contrary to what happened in other parts of the third world, where American and English missionaries built and left behind church buildings, schools, hospitals and orphanages only the First Baptist Church of Luanda possesses a building of historic architectural value. Other important churches, pastored by historic leaders, function in small buildings without space to expand. This problem is even worse in villages and smaller towns where the members are forced to meet under the shade of trees or grass roofs. Land for the construction of churches is extremely costly.The current president is Pastor Mateus Chaves and the secretary general is Pastor Alexandre Melo Chilanda.