Baptist Churches of New Zealand

The Baptist Churches of New Zealand (Māori: Te Hāhi Iriiri o

Baptist Churches of New
Aotearoa) is a Baptist Christian denomination in New Zealand. It
is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Zealand
Auckland. Te Hāhi Iriiri o Aotearoa
Classification Evangelical
History Christianity
Theology Baptist
Several Baptists settled in New Zealand in the 1840s, but the first
Associations Baptist World
Baptist minister, Decimus Dolamore from Yorkshire, England, did
Alliance
not arrive until May 1851.[1] Dolamore settled in Nelson and was
involved in the formation of the first Baptist Church in New Headquarters Auckland, New
Zealand - Nelson Baptist Church - that same year. He was Zealand
instrumental in obtaining a change in the law to allow Baptist Origin 1882
ministers to perform marriage ceremonies; until 1854, only
Catholic and Anglican priests were allowed to do so. Dolamore Congregations 240
later went to Christchurch and was the first minister for that Members 20,627
congregation.[2] Seminaries Carey Baptist
The Canterbury Baptist Association was formed in 1874. This College
association started the New Zealand Baptist magazine, which has Official website baptist.org.nz (htt
been published monthly since January 1881. The Baptist Union of p://baptist.org.nz)
New Zealand was formed at Wellington in October 1882.[3] At
that time, there were 22 Baptist churches, with 1,890 members. The
New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society was formed at the 1885
conference of the Baptist Union. At the 1891 conference, the
Union established a plan to divide the country into four districts -
"Otago/Southland" (org. 1892), "Auckland" (org. 1892),
"Canterbury & Westland" (org. 1892), and "Central" (org. 1896).
Central District was later divided into the Central District
Association and the "Wellington" Association, and "South
Auckland" was formed in 1939. South Auckland was later divided
into the "Waikato" Association and the "Bay of Plenty" Association
(now Bay of Plenty & Eastland). The "Top of the South"
Association was formed in 1990. Some groups were called
"auxiliary" and some "association", but in 1957, the term Nelson Baptist Church
"auxiliary" was dropped in favor of the term "association". There
are currently 9 associations.

According to a census published by the association in

2023, it claimed 240 churches and 20,627 members.[4]

Beliefs
Papanui Baptist Church in Christchurch.
Theologically, the Baptist Union member churches are deeply influenced by the charismatic renewal
movement, though there is no official position regarding the movement. A study in 1989 indicated that 69%
of churches belonging to the Baptist Union identified with the charismatic movement.[5] A smaller portion
of member churches are Reformed in doctrine.

Schools
The Union supports education through Carey Baptist College in Penrose, Auckland, and Te Whare
Amorangi, designed for Māori men and women, in Papatoetoe, Auckland.[6] The Baptist National Centre is
the registered office of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society
and Baptist Care Limited, and is located in Penrose.

Prominent New Zealand Baptists

Decimus Dolamore - first Baptist minister in New Zealand
Thomas Spurgeon - successful evangelist and son of famous English Baptist preacher,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Charles Dallaston - "the Father of the Baptist Union"
John James North - the first principal of the New Zealand Baptist Theological College
Hopestill Pillow - Baptist Missionary in the Zenana Missions to India.
Charles Henry Carter (29 October 1828 – 6 July 1914) - a Baptist missionary to Ceylon.
Literary Works - Translations. Carter translated directly from the Greek and Hebrew texts,
rather than the English. The Sinhalese work was done in vernacular language, that it could
embody the message in a dialect that was understood by the people everywhere. His works
include:
Sinhalese New Testament 1855
Sinhalese Book of Psalms 1863
Sinhalese Old Testament 1869
English – Sinhalese Dictionary 1881
Sinhalese – English Dictionary 1889

Towards the end of his life, Carter became Pastor of the Ponsonby Baptist Church in New Zealand. He
was the first president of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. Bishop Coppelstone, Anglican Primate of
India is said to have described Carter as the "foremost Sinhalese scholar of this age".[7][8][9][10]

See also
Bible
Born again
Baptist beliefs
Worship service (evangelicalism)
Jesus Christ
 Believers' Church

References
1. J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia
of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 294
2. "About us" (http://www.otbc.org.nz/about/). Oxford Terrace Baptist Church. Retrieved
19 March 2011.
3. William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p.
412
4. Baptist World Alliance, Members (https://www.baptistworld.org/member-unions/),
baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023
5. Tucker, John (October 2007). "Heads in the Sand: New Zealand Baptists and the Tour
Debate" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120113010329/http://baptistlife.org.nz/documents/0
000/0000/0013/PJBR_3-2_Oct_07_Tucker_on_Tour.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the original
(http://baptistlife.org.nz/documents/0000/0000/0013/PJBR_3-2_Oct_07_Tucker_on_Tour.pd
f) (PDF) on 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
6. William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p.
412
7. Charles Carter. A Sinhalese-English dictionary. Colombo: The "Ceylon Observer" Printing
Works; London: Probsthain & Co., 1924
8. Carter C, A Sinhalese-English Bible ISBN 81-206-1174-8.
9. New Zealand Baptist 1914, pages 152/3
10. Lapham, H.A. Public Speech to Bible Translation Society (NZ) 27 April 1903.

Further reading
A Handful of Grain: The Centenary History of the Baptist Union of New Zealand (Volumes 1-
4), by Paul Tonson, J. Ayson Clifford, G. T. Beilby, & S. L. Edgar
Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin Jr.
The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness, by H. Leon McBeth

External links
Official Website (https://www.baptist.org.nz/)
Evangelical
Christianity portal
New Zealand
portal

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