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[German Version] (Aug 17, 1761, Paulerspury, England – Jun 9, 1834, Serampore, India) is often regarded as the father of modern Protestant missions. As the principal founder of the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) he pioneered a movement which led to the formation of similar evangelical missionary societies in Great Britain, Europe, and North America. His own missionary vision was much indebted to the earlier achievements of the Moravians (Bohemian and Moravian Brethren…

[German Version] I. Denomination – II. Church History – III. Missions I. Denomination Because the Baptists came into existence in a situation of persecution, they have consistently held to the doctrine of freedom of conscience as one of their most fundamental convictions. This is the basis for the Baptists' historically conditioned refusal to publish a dogmatic declaration that claims to speak for all Baptists or could be seen as binding on i…

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[German Version] (LMS) was founded in London in September 1795 under the simple title “The Missionary Society.” Though inspired by the example of the Baptist Missionary Society (1792), the Missionary Society was to unite all Evangelical Christians in the missionary cause. The Society's early supporters and missionaries included Presbyterians, Anglicans (Anglican Church), as well as Congregationalists (Congregationalism). The Society's “Fundamental Principle” (1796) defined its purpose as the propa…

[German Version] I. Dogmatics – II. Ethics – III. Philisophy – V. History – VI. Mission I. Dogmatics Freedom of religion, as generally understood, combines freedom of belief, of conscience, and creed, as well as freedom to practice one's religion (cf. German Basic Law, art. 4, §§1, 2), in one fundamental right. Dogmatics needs to clarify the relationship between religious certainty and freedom…

[German Version] The Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) was founded in 1792 by a group of Particular (Calvinistic) Baptists, including A. Fuller and W. Carey. Its original name was “The Particular-Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Heathen.” The BMS sent its first missionaries to North India (1793), and later began work in Sri Lanka (1812), the Caribbean (1814), Cameroon (1841), China (1859), and the Congo (1879). During the 1820s, BMS was afflicted by controversy, but the Victorian period saw considerable expansion, notably in the Congo and China. Missionary numbers reached their peak in 1921/1922. As a result of BMS work there are numerous Baptist churches today in North-East India (Orissa and Mizoram), Jamaica, the Congo, Democratic Republic, and Angola. The BMS also assists Baptist communities founded by other missions, as in Brazil, which it entered 1953. It remains active today as a voluntary s…