Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec
| Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Evangelicalism |
| Theology | Baptism |
| Associations | Canadian Baptist Ministries, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Canadian Council of Churches |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Origin | 1880 (as the "Baptist Union of Canada") |
| Congregations | 380 |
| Members | 45,000 |
| Official website |
baptist |
Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) is the oldest union of Baptist churches in central Canada. Headquarters is in Toronto, Ontario. The union is one of four components of Canadian Baptist Ministries.
History
In 1880 a "Baptist Union of Canada" was formed. Since the churches were located chiefly in the central provinces, the name was changed in 1888 to "Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec" (BCOQ). [1] In 1927 the "Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy" resulted in 77 churches splitting off to form the Union of Regular Baptist Churches - out of which the current Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada merged in 1953. Even today, in the affected geographic regions, this split results in baptists to be known as either "fellowship" baptists or "convention" baptists. In 1944, the CBOQ joined with the United Baptist Convention of the Maritimes and the Baptist Union of Western Canada to form the Canadian Baptist Federation. It was renamed in 2008 to "Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec" (CBOQ) to better align with other Baptist groups in Canada: i.e. Canadian Baptists of Western Canada.
The Convention Assembly meets annually, electing officers, addressing issues, and offering workshops. According to its mission statement, "[t]he Convention exists to assist our churches to carry out their individual mission for Christ and to do that which we believe God calls us to do together." The Canadian Baptist is a quarterly newsletter and monthly eNews that is published by the CBOQ. McMaster Divinity College is affiliated with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Convention offices are located in Etobicoke, Ontario. CBOQ is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Canadian Council of Churches, and Canadian Baptist Ministries.
Around the turn of the 20th century, the Convention was composed of over 450 churches with about 44,000 members. Due to internal controversies, such as fundamentalism vs. modernism, and the strength of the United Church of Canada in Ontario and the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec, the CBOQ has condensed to about 355 churches in 2014.[2]
CBOQ provides practical and spiritual support to its family of churches and leaders through resources, workshops, prayer and regular gatherings. Through a grant program, CBOQ also supports a variety of ministries geared toward helping the most marginalized in society.
References
Sources
- Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
- The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness, by H. Leon McBeth