The Old Baptist Union is a group of

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

churches in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

History

The ''Old Baptist Union'' was founded in 1880, owing largely to the labours of Henry Augustus Squire, an itinerant preacher. Currently, the ''Old Baptist Union'' has 16 member churches (in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

) with about 700 members. The churches of the ''Old Baptist Union'' are General Baptist, believing in general atonement (that in His death,

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

atoned generally ''for the sins of all''). They historically put more emphasis on the laying on of hands, divine healing, and personal holiness than some other Baptist affiliations. The Union is a member of both the Free Churches Council and the Evangelical Alliance, and most of its churches are members of local geographic associations of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. Its government structure is somewhat of a combination of

congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

and presbyteral, involving in each church the appointment of elders. The ''Old Baptist Union's'' executive body is called the "Council of Management," and is composed of all the ordained officers of churches holding membership in the Union. An annual general meeting is held.

Sources

*Articles of Faith of the Old Baptist Union *Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.

External links

Official Website
Baptist denominations in the United Kingdom Religious organizations established in 1880 1880 establishments in the United Kingdom {{UK-org-stub