Malaysia Baptist Convention
Encyclopedia
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 .
The other significant body of Baptist churches in Malaysia belong to the Reformed Baptist
tradition .
, China
. A key person during those early days was Mrs. Oh Hock Teck who helped establish the first Baptist church in Alor Setar, Kedah
in 1938. Although Baptist work in Malaysia was initiated by Asians, missionaries from the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
played an important role in helping the new churches establish Baptist distinctives in teaching, polity and ministry .
in 1957 and continued growing steadily. With the establishment of the larger federation of Malaysia, the convention changed its name to the Malaysia Baptist Convention in 1964. The first edition of the bi-monthly MBC Newsletter was first published in 1966 and that year also saw the convention being formally registered as a society in Malaysia.
In May 1967, a Baptist from Hong Kong
, Wong Chung, was appointed the first Secretary General of the MBC and later in the same year, in view of the changing political landscape due to Singapore
leaving the Malaysian federation in 1965, the convention changed its name again to the Malaysia-Singapore Baptist Convention.
. Following a formal separation of the Singapore Baptist Convention in 1975, the Malaysia-Singapore Baptist Convention reverted to its former name, the Malaysia Baptist Convention .
adopted in its 1979 Annual Messengers' Conference with articles similar to those adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention
in the latter's 1963 revision of the Baptist Faith and Message
.
churches, the MBC accepts the Lord's Supper
and Baptism
as its ordinances. The primary difference is in its understanding of the ordinances where they are viewed not as sacraments with the means of conveying God's saving grace but as symbols acting as outward testimonies to the recipient's faith and commemorations signifying deeper spiritual truths .
, Mandarin
or other Chinese dialects
. Other languages are increasingly being used in recent years including the national language, Malay
, as well as non indigenous languages like , Burmese
, Chin, Korean
, Nepali
, and Tagalog
.
and evangelism
to double Baptist work in Malaysia. A progress report was published on the MBC website showing significant growth by the year 2007 :
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...
churches in Malaysia. According to statistics provided by 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:...
, 164 local congregations comprising 19,143 members are associated with the MBC .
The other significant body of Baptist churches in Malaysia belong to the Reformed Baptist
Reformed Baptist
Reformed Baptists are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology. They can trace their history through the early modern Particular Baptists of England. The first Reformed Baptist church was formed in the 1630s...
tradition .
History
The first Baptist churches in Malaysia were the result of the initiative of Baptist immigrants from SwatowShantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. A key person during those early days was Mrs. Oh Hock Teck who helped establish the first Baptist church in Alor Setar, Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
in 1938. Although Baptist work in Malaysia was initiated by Asians, missionaries from the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
played an important role in helping the new churches establish Baptist distinctives in teaching, polity and ministry .
Malaya Baptist Convention
On August 16, 1953, the Malaya Baptist Convention was organised comprising the following five churches as charter members :- Oversea Chinese (Swatow) Baptist Church, Alor Setar, KedahKedahKedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
(now Alor Setar Baptist Church) - Penang Baptist Church, PenangPenangPenang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
- Kuala Lumpur Baptist Church, Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
- Oversea Chinese (Cantonese) Baptist Church, SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , 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...
(now Kay Poh Road Baptist Church) - Oversea Chinese (Swatow) Baptist Church, Singapore (now Thomson Road Baptist Church)
Formation of Malaysia
The Malaya Baptist Convention became a member of the Baptist World AllianceBaptist 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:...
in 1957 and continued growing steadily. With the establishment of the larger federation of Malaysia, the convention changed its name to the Malaysia Baptist Convention in 1964. The first edition of the bi-monthly MBC Newsletter was first published in 1966 and that year also saw the convention being formally registered as a society in Malaysia.
In May 1967, a Baptist from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Wong Chung, was appointed the first Secretary General of the MBC and later in the same year, in view of the changing political landscape due to 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...
leaving the Malaysian federation in 1965, the convention changed its name again to the Malaysia-Singapore Baptist Convention.
Autonomy of Singapore Baptists
On March 8, 1971 the Singapore Baptist Churches Fellowship was set up, becoming on December 28, 1974 the Singapore Baptist ConventionSingapore 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...
. Following a formal separation of the Singapore Baptist Convention in 1975, the Malaysia-Singapore Baptist Convention reverted to its former name, the Malaysia Baptist Convention .
A national church established
From the time of its formation, membership in the MBC was limited primarily to churches in what was then Malaya (later West Malaysia) and Singapore. In 2005, the Sarawak Baptist Church joined the MBC and this was later followed by the 2006 affiliation of the Sabah Baptist Association making the MBC representative of Baptists throughout Malaysia for the first time .Beliefs and practices
The theological positions of the MBC is contained in a Statement of faithStatement of faith
A statement of faith is a statement of the core beliefs of a religious group.A typical statement of faith is said to be a non-comprehensive summary of the core beliefs of a particular faith within a tradition . Even religious organizations without affiliation will use a statement of faith for...
adopted in its 1979 Annual Messengers' Conference with articles similar to those adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
in the latter's 1963 revision of the Baptist Faith and Message
Baptist Faith and Message
The Baptist Faith and Message is the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention . It summarizes key Southern Baptist thought in the areas of the Bible and its authority, the nature of God as expressed by the Trinity, the spiritual condition of man, God's plan of grace and salvation,...
.
Ordinances
Similar to most Baptist and ProtestantProtestantism
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...
churches, the MBC accepts the Lord's Supper
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
and Baptism
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...
as its ordinances. The primary difference is in its understanding of the ordinances where they are viewed not as sacraments with the means of conveying God's saving grace but as symbols acting as outward testimonies to the recipient's faith and commemorations signifying deeper spiritual truths .
Gender roles
The MBC Statement of Faith does not specify the gender of those called to serve as pastors and deacons in the church . There are women who serve as pastors and associate pastors in churches affiliated with the MBC but to date no women have been officially ordained in the MBC. Whether this is incidental or a matter of policy remain unclear.Languages in use
Most MBC affiliated churches have historically conducted services in either EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
or other Chinese dialects
Spoken Chinese
Chinese comprises many regional language varieties sometimes grouped together as the Chinese dialects, the primary ones being Mandarin, Wu, Cantonese, and Min. These are not mutually intelligible, and even many of the regional varieties are themselves composed of a number of...
. Other languages are increasingly being used in recent years including the national language, Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, as well as non indigenous languages like , Burmese
Burmese language
The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
, Chin, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, and Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
.
Vision X208
In 2004, the MBC adopted a 5 year plan dubbed Vision X208 that sought to challenge affiliated churches and Baptist Christians to embark aggressively in church plantingChurch planting
Church planting is a process that results in a new Christian church being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, new worship centre or fresh expression is created that is integrated into an already established congregation...
and evangelism
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....
to double Baptist work in Malaysia. A progress report was published on the MBC website showing significant growth by the year 2007 :
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Churches, Chapels and Outreach points | 123 | — | 162 | 164 |
| Baptist Believers | 13,000 | — | 16,800 | 19,143 |
| Baptisms | — | — | — | 1,220 |
| MBC Members | 45 | 76 | 102 * | — |
| Baptist Seminary Campus | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Book Store | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Convention Staff | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| * Both Sarawak Baptist Church and Sabah Baptist Association and their respective members are included |
Intra-church institutions
The following institutions are affiliated with the MBC:- Malaysia Baptist Theological SeminaryMalaysia Baptist Theological SeminaryMalaysia Baptist Theological Seminary is a denominational seminary affiliated with the Malaysia Baptist Convention. It is located in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia...
- The Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary was established in 1953 for the training of national workers. Accredited by the Asia Theological AssociationAsia Theological AssociationAsia Theological Association is a private nongovernmental association formed by evangelical Christians in Asia to confer accreditation to theological institutions in Asia.-History:...
, it awards qualifications up to the postgraduate level.
- Baptist Book Store
- The Baptist Book Store is located in PenangPenangPenang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
and was established by missionaries of Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (now known as the International Mission BoardInternational Mission BoardThe International Mission Board is a missionary sending agency affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention which operates in virtually every nation except the United States and Canada...
). Operations of the Baptist Book Store was turned over to the MBC in 1977.
- Golden Sands Baptist Assembly
- A retreat centre located in Port DicksonPort DicksonPort Dickson or PD to locals is a beach and holiday destination situated about 32 km from Seremban and 90 km from Kuala Lumpur. It is located in the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia...
, Negeri SembilanNegeri SembilanNegeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....
.
Ecumenical and interfaith institutions
The MBC participates actively in ecumenical relationships through:- National Evangelical Christian FellowshipNational Evangelical Christian FellowshipThe National Evangelical Christian Fellowship is an ecumenical body in Malaysia comprising evangelical Protestant denominations and churches. It was formed in 1983 when divisions, dissipation of meagre resources and the lack of a credible, united evangelical voice became acutely noticed when...
- Christian Federation of MalaysiaChristian Federation of MalaysiaThe Christian Federation of Malaysia is an ecumenical umbrella body in Malaysia that comprises the Council of Churches of Malaysia , National Evangelical Christian Fellowship and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia...
- Evangelical Fellowship of Asia
- World Evangelical AllianceWorld Evangelical Alliance- Introduction :' is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the "Good News of Jesus" in their communities...
- Baptist World AllianceBaptist World AllianceThe 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:...
- Asia Pacific Baptist FederationAsia Pacific Baptist FederationThe Asia Pacific Baptist Federation is a regional organization of the Baptist World Alliance, 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...
- Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and TaoismMalaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and TaoismThe Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism is a non-profit interfaith organization in Malaysia...
See also
- Malaysia Baptist Theological SeminaryMalaysia Baptist Theological SeminaryMalaysia Baptist Theological Seminary is a denominational seminary affiliated with the Malaysia Baptist Convention. It is located in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia...
- Christianity in MalaysiaChristianity in MalaysiaChristianity in Malaysia is a minority religion practised by 9.1% of the population , most living in East Malaysia. The major Christian denominations in Malaysia include the Anglicans, Baptists, Brethrens, non-denominational churches, independent Charismatic churches, Lutherans, Methodists,...
- Christianity in SingaporeChristianity in SingaporeChristians in Singapore constitute approximately 17.5% of the population. In the 2000 Census, 4.8% of residents aged 15 years and older, identified as Catholic and 9.8% as 'Other Christians'.-History:...