National Baptist Convention of Mexico
The
Convención Nacional Bautista de México (
National Baptist Convention of Mexico) is the oldest and largest Baptist group in
Mexico. The first evangelical church in Mexico was a
Baptist church organized on
January 30,
1864 in
Monterrey,
Nuevo León. James Hickey, a Baptist and a member of the American Bible Society, constituted this church with himself and four other members - Thomas Westrup, José Maria Uranga, Arcadio Uranga, and Mrs. Hickey. By
1869, Westrup and the Uranga brothers had organized six more churches. The
American Baptist Home Mission Society and the
Southern Baptist Convention sent about fifty missionaries to Mexico before the beginning of the
20th century. In
1884, the Coahuila Baptist Association was organized in
Saltillo, and in
1885 the Nuevo Leon Baptist Association was organized in Monterrey. After the turn of the century, Alejandro Treviño, John Cheavens and James Chastain proposed the idea of organizing a national convention. Forty-three church messengers met at the
Iglesia Bautista Primera (First Baptist Church) in
Mexico City in September of
1903. From this gathering came a provisional constitution for the National Convention, and the groundwork for missionary, theological and publications ministries. This began a transition of the work from leadership by foreign missionaries to leadership by national pastors. In
1904, the National Convention selected Alejandro Treviño to represent them at the first Baptist World Congress, from which was formed the
Baptist World Alliance.
The National Convention currently is engaged in missionary, theological, publication, and benevolent work, as well as carrying on work among the students in 3 large universities. It operates the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary in Mexico City and the Dr. G. H. Lacy Seminary in Oaxaca, and owns 6 bookstores. La Luz Bautista (The Baptist Light) is the official periodical of the Convention. In 1991, there were 35 associations with 888 churches and 66,398 members in cooperation with the National Baptist Convention of Mexico. In 1993, the Convention was able to gain official recognition through registration with the Office of Religious Affairs.
External links
Source
- Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.