Baptist History and Polity

CH 3XB3/5XB5/6XB6

Baptists are one of the world’s largest Protestant denominations, numbering close to 100,000,000 adherents. This course is an introduction to the history, doctrine, organization, and style of Baptist congregational life and mission. It begins with the birth of the movement in the early 1600s in England, and continues to the present-day development of a global multi-ethnic movement. Special attention will be given to the development of Canadian Baptist churches, and cultural engagement in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

Knowing

  • To survey the major ideas, personalities, and developments in Baptist life.
  • To provide an understanding of how the Baptists have grown and developed in a variety of countries and continents.
  • To place the contemporary issues Baptists face within a broader historical context.
  • To know how Baptists are similar to, and different from, other expressions of Christianity.

Being

  • To gain practical insight into the work of being a leader within a local Baptist church.
  • To understand the role of Baptist distinctives and practices in the development of effective ministry within the CBOQ.

Doing

  • To develop skills in maintaining and nurturing a healthy, effective, and personally satisfying vocation.