Baptist Union of Sweden facts for kids

The Baptist Union of Sweden (called Svenska Baptistsamfundet in Swedish) was a group of Baptist churches in Sweden. In 2011 and 2012, this union joined with other churches to form a new group. This new group is now known as the Uniting Church in Sweden.

The first known Baptist church in Sweden started on September 21, 1848. It was formed in a place called Vallersvik. This happened after some believers left the Swedish Evangelical Mission. At that time, a law called the Conventicle Act was in place. This law made it illegal to have religious meetings that were not part of the official Lutheran Church of Sweden. Because of this law, the leader of the new Baptist group, F.O. Nilsson, had to leave the country. Other people were fined or even put in jail. The law was removed a few years later, in 1858. After that, other religious groups, known as free churches, were allowed to practice their faith.

History of the Union

How the Union Started

In 1857, a general conference was created. This was thanks to the work of pastor Anders Wiberg and others. By 1866, this conference had opened a school called Betelseminariet. Later, in 1889, the conference officially formed the Swedish Baptist Union.

Membership and Growth

The Swedish Baptist Union had its largest number of members in 1934, with 68,000 people. By 2006, the union reported about 17,000 members in 223 local churches.

Splits and New Groups

The Baptist Union had two main splits over the years. The first split led to the creation of the Free Baptist Union (Fribaptistsamfundet) in 1872. The second split involved the Örebro Mission (Örebromissionen). This group started in 1892 but officially separated from the Baptist Union in 1936.

Connections and Leadership

The Baptist Union of Sweden was part of several larger organizations. These included the Swedish Free Church Council, the European Baptist Federation, and the Baptist World Alliance. It was also the first church in Sweden to choose a woman to lead its main assembly. Karin Wiborn was the leader in 2007.

Joining Other Churches

As of 2008^[update], there were 220 churches connected to the Baptist Union of Sweden. These churches had more than 17,000 members. Many of these churches were also linked to other church groups. For many years, there were talks about the Baptist Union joining with the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden (Svenska Missionskyrkan) and the United Methodist Church in Sweden (Metodistkyrkan i Sverige).

In the summer of 2008, these three church groups held a joint annual meeting. Finally, in 2011 and 2012, they officially merged. They formed a new church group called Joint Future Church, which is now known as the Uniting Church in Sweden.

External links

• Svenska baptistsamfundet, official website