Baptists in Lebanon

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The vast majority of the Baptists in Lebanon belong to the Lebanese Baptist Union , the Lebanese Baptist Convention .

history

During a trip to the United States , the Lebanese Muslim Said Jureidini (1866–1952) converted to Christianity . He was baptized in 1893 in the Third Baptist Church St. Louis , Missouri . The community decided to send Jureidini back to Lebanon as their missionary and provided him with the necessary resources.

After his homecoming, Said Jureidini began intensive missionary work among his compatriots. As early as 1895 - two years after his baptism - the first Lebanese Baptist congregation was able to be constituted in Beirut .

The burgeoning church ministry received further support from the United States Baptist General Association , the forerunner of what would later become the American Baptist Association .

Through the effectiveness of the American Baptist pastor Joseph K. David , another Lebanese Baptist church was established in Rasheiya in 1904 . Their emergence led to the formation of a missionary society in Illinois , David's country of origin, the Baptist Gospel Missionary Convention . The Southern Baptist Convention , the Baptist Union of the American Southern States, also supported David's work. In 1948 they sent a missionary couple to the Rasheiya region.

In the period that followed, other communities emerged. In 1955 they joined forces to form the Lebanese Baptist Union.

Organization and statistics

The structure of the Lebanese Baptist congregations is congregational . The local communities are therefore autonomous.

28 congregations are united in the Lebanese Baptist Union. It has around 2000 members (excluding children and friends).

Each parish sends delegates to the national parish congress according to its number of members. This elects an executive body that implements the decisions of the Congress and is also responsible to it.

The Lebanese Baptist Union is a member of the European Baptist Federation and the World Baptist Federation .

Theological training

The theological training of the pastors takes place at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut. This academic training center was founded in 1960 with American help and is aimed at theology students from all over the Arab world . In addition to Lebanese members, the university's administrative body also includes representatives from the Baptist unions of Jordan and Egypt .

See also

literature

  • Albert W. Wardin, Jr .: Baptists Around the World. A comprehensive handbook . Broadman & Holman, Nashville TN 1995, ISBN 0-8054-1076-7 .
  • Jane Carroll McRae: Photographer in Lebanon. The Story of Said Jureidini . Broadman Press, Nashville TN 1969, ISBN 0-8054-4313-4 .

Web links