The European Baptist Federation (EBF) is a federation of 51 Baptist

Baptist

Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

 associations and is one of six regional fellowships in 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:...

. The EBF was founded in Ruschlikon, Switzerland, in 1949. It lays a great deal of emphasis on human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

, religious liberty

Freedom of religion

Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...

 and aid programs. The Federation represents about 12,000 congregations of Baptists with over 800,000 members. The current general secretary is Rev. Anthony Peck.

Members

In October 2003, the bodies from the following countries were members of the European Baptist Federation:

• Albania
  Albania
  Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
  
  
  • Albanian Baptist Union
• Armenia
  Armenia
  Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches of Armenia
• Austria
  Austria
  Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Austria
• Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
  
  
  • The Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Azerbaijan
• Belarus
  Belarus
  Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
  
  
  • The Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches in the Republic of Belarus
• Belgium
  Belgium
  Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
  
  
  • Union of Baptists in Belgium
    Union of Baptists in Belgium
    The Union of Baptists in Belgium is a fellowship of Baptist churches in Belgium.Baptist work entered Belgium from northern France in the late 19th century. In 1892 a congregation was constituted near Liège. The Baptist Union was founded in 1922....
    
    
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
  Bosnia and Herzegovina
  Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
  
  
  • Baptist Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
  Bulgaria
  Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Bulgaria
• Croatia
  Croatia
  Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Croatia
    Baptist Union of Croatia
    The Baptist Union of Croatia is a national organization of Baptists in Croatia for promoting fellowship and ministry. The Baptist Union of Croatia is officially recognized by the state....
    
    
• Czech Republic
  Czech Republic
  The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
  
  
  • Baptist Union in the Czech Republic
    Baptist Union in the Czech Republic
    Widely known as the Baptist Union in the Czech Republic among English-speakers, the Bratrská Jednota Baptistů v České republice is an association serving Baptist Christians in the Czech Republic. They are also known in English as the Unity of Brethren Baptists1.-Background:Baptist work in the...
    
    
• Denmark
  Denmark
  Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Denmark
    Baptist Union of Denmark
    The Baptist Union of Denmark is a national organization of Baptists in Denmark for promoting cooperation in missions, benevolence, and education....
    
    
• Egypt
  Egypt
  Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
  
  
  • Egyptian Baptist Convention
• Estonia
  Estonia
  Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Christian and Baptist Churches of Estonia
• Europe
  Europe
  Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
  
   and Middle East
  Middle East
  The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
  
  
  • European Baptist Convention
    European Baptist Convention
    European Baptist Convention was an association of English-speaking churches and missions in Europe and Middle East. The European Baptist Convention , not to be confused with the European Baptist Federation, has its roots in the Association of Baptists in Continental Europe and mission work by the...
    
    
• Finland
  Finland
  Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
  
  
  • Finnish Baptist Union
  • Swedish-Speaking Baptist Union of Finland
• France
  France
  The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
  
  
  • Federation of Evangelical Baptist Churches of France
• Georgia
  Georgia (country)
  Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
  
  
  • Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia
• Germany
  Germany
  Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany
    Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany
    The Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany is a fellowship of congregations in Germany....
    
    
• Great Britain
  Great Britain
  Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Great Britain
    Baptist Union of Great Britain
    The Baptist Union of Great Britain, despite its name, is the association of Baptist churches in England and Wales. -History:...
    
    
• Hungary
  Hungary
  Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Hungary
    Baptist Union of Hungary
    The Baptist Union of Hungary is an organization of Baptists in Hungary for promoting cooperation in ministry....
    
    
• Israel
  Israel
  The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
  
  
  • Association of Baptist Churches in Israel
    Association of Baptist Churches in Israel
    The Association of Baptist Churches in Israel is a Baptist association of churches in Israel.Shukri Musa, the maternal grandfather of Edward Said, who was baptized by George Truett at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, was the first known modern Baptist to enter Israel...
    
    
• Italy
  Italy
  Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Italy
    Baptist Union of Italy
    The Baptist Union of Italy is a fellowship of Baptist churches in Italy, founded in 1956.The Baptist Union is a member of the European Baptist Federation and the Baptist World Alliance....
    
    
• Jordan
  Jordan
  Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
  
  
  • Jordan Baptist Convention
• Kazakhstan
  Kazakhstan
  Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Kazakhstan
    Baptist Union of Kazakhstan
    The Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists of Kazakhstan is a fellowship of Baptist churches, also known as the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. The Union is composed of almost 200 churches with over 11,000 members, and is a member of the European Baptist Federation and the Baptist World...
    
    
• Kyrgyzstan
  Kyrgyzstan
  Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
  Latvia
  Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
  
  
  • Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia
• Lebanon
  Lebanon
  Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
  
  
  • Lebanese Baptist Convention
    Lebanese Baptist Convention
    The Lebanese Baptist Convention is an association of Baptist Christians in Lebanon.The first known Baptist church in Lebanon was constituted at Beirut in 1895 by Said Jureidini . While on a trip from Lebanon to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, Jureidini converted to the Christian faith and was...
    
    
• Lithuania
  Lithuania
  Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
  
  
  • The Baptist Union of Lithuania
• Republic of Macedonia
  Republic of Macedonia
  Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
  
  
  • Union of the Baptist Christians in the Republic of Macedonia
    Union of the Baptist Christians in the Republic of Macedonia
    The Union of the Baptist Christians in the Republic of Macedonia is a small fellowship of Baptist churches in the Republic of Macedonia.Baptist work existed in Macedonia as early as 1928. The Union of Baptist Christians was organized in 1991. It is a member of the European Baptist Federation and...
    
    
• Moldova
  Moldova
  Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
  
  
  • Union of Christian Evangelical Baptist Churches of Moldova
    Union of Christian Evangelical Baptist Churches of Moldova
    The Union of Christian Evangelical Baptist Churches of Moldova is a national fellowships of Baptist Christians in Moldova.The first known Baptists in the region were nine people baptized by German Baptists in Turtinon in 1876. The first Russian congregation began in Kishinev in 1908. German...
    
    
• Netherlands
  Netherlands
  The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
  
  
  • Union of Baptist Churches in the Netherlands
    Union of Baptist Churches in the Netherlands
    The Union of Baptist Churches in the Netherlands is a union of Baptist churches formed by seven congregations in 1881. The first Baptist church in the Netherlands was formed by Englishman John Smyth. The present work is not historically connected to Smyth's congregation...
    
    
• Norway
  Norway
  Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Norway
    Norwegian Baptist Union
    The Norwegian Baptist Union is a national organization of Baptists in Norway for promoting cooperation in missions, benevolence, and education; also called the Baptist Union of Norway....
    
    
• Poland
  Poland
  Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Poland
    Baptist Union of Poland
    The Baptist Union of Poland is an association of Baptist churches in the country of Poland.Modern Baptist work began in Poland in 1844. The first Polish congregation was formed in the village of Zelow in 1872...
    
    
• Portugal
  Portugal
  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...
  
  
  • Convention of Baptists in Portugal
• Romania
  Romania
  Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Romania
    Baptist Union of Romania
    The Baptist Union of Romania is an alliance of Baptist churches for cooperative ministry in Romania. Since independent churches have no legal standing in Romania, the Baptist Union also provides a mediatorial relationship between churches and government.The first modern-era Baptists in Romania...
    
    
  • Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania
    Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania
    The Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania is an organization of ethnic Hungarian Baptists in Romania, united for promoting cooperative ministry....
    
    
• Russia
  Russia
  Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Russia
    Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Russia
    The Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Russia is part of the large family of Evangelical Christian Baptists, a Protestant evangelical movement which began in the Russian Empire, in the midst of the Orthodox establishment. It originally attracted peasants, urban artisans, the lower...
    
    
• Scotland
  Scotland
  Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Scotland
    Baptist Union of Scotland
    The Baptist Union of Scotland is the main denomination of Baptist churches in Scotland.-From the 1650s to 1869:Baptists first arrived in Scotland with the armies of English republican Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, who established small churches in Leith, Perth, Cupar, Ayr and Aberdeen, but they did...
    
    
• Serbia
  Serbia
  Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
  
  
  • Union of Baptist Churches in Serbia
    Union of Baptist Churches in Serbia
    The Union of Baptist Churches in Serbia is a fellowship of Baptist churches, one of two Baptist groups in Serbia.First known Baptist work in the area began in 1875 with Heinrich Meyer baptizing four Germans in Novi Sad. Work began among the Hungarians in 1899, Slovaks in 1900, Romanians in 1922,...
    
    
• Serbia
  Serbia
  Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
  
   and Montenegro
  Montenegro
  Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Serbia and Montenegro
• Slovakia
  Slovakia
  The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
  
  
  • Brotherly Union of Baptists in Slovakia
• Slovenia
  Slovenia
  Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
  
  
  • Union of Baptist Churches in the Republic of Slovenia
• Spain
  Spain
  Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Baptists of Spain
    Union of Evangelical Baptists of Spain
    The Union of Evangelical Baptists of Spain is a fellowship of Baptist churches in Spain.American William J. Knapp went to Spain in 1868 as a missionary. In 1870 a Baptist church was established in Madrid...
    
    
• Sweden
  Sweden
  Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Sweden
    Baptist Union of Sweden
    The Baptist Union of Sweden is the oldest of several Baptist bodies in Sweden.The first known Baptist church in Sweden was organized on September 21, 1848 in Vallersvik, where a group of people committed the first known baptism in Sweden. At the time this was a crime, and the new movement's leader...
    
    
• Switzerland
  Switzerland
  Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
  
  
  • Swiss Baptist Union
• Syria
  Syria
  Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
  
  
  • Syrian Baptist Convention
• Tajikistan
  Tajikistan
  Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
  
  
  • Union of Evangelical Christians - Baptists
• Ukraine
  Ukraine
  Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
  
  
  • The All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christians-Baptists
  • Brotherhood of Independent Baptist Churches and Ministries of Ukraine
    Brotherhood of Independent Baptist Churches and Ministries of Ukraine
    The Brotherhood of Independent Baptist Churches and Ministries of Ukraine was officially founded and registered in Ukraine in 1993.-Structure:...
    
    
• Wales
  Wales
  Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
  
  
  • Baptist Union of Wales
    Baptist Union of Wales
    The Baptist Union of Wales is a fellowship of Baptist churches in Wales.-History:The General Baptist minister Hugh Evans was one of the first Baptists to preach in Wales around 1646, in the parishes of Llan-hir, Cefnllys, Nantmel and Llanddewi Ystradenny, as well as in districts across the upper...