Association of Baptist Churches in Israel
Template:Short description Template:Infobox Christian denomination
The Association of Baptist Churches in Israel (ABCI) is a Baptist Christian denomination in Israel. It is a member of the European Baptist Federation, the Baptist World Alliance and the Evangelical Alliance of Israel.
History
The Association has its origins in the founding of the first Baptist Church in Nazareth in 1911 by the Syrian Shukri Mosa.<ref>William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2021, p. 319</ref><ref>David Smith, Baptists in the Holy Land, jpost.com, Israel, March 8, 2007</ref> An American mission of the International Mission Board also established other churches in 1923.<ref>John H. Y. Briggs, A Dictionary of European Baptist Life and Thought, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2009, p. 271</ref> The Association was founded in 1965 by various Israeli Arab churches.<ref>Azar Ajaj, Duane Alexander Miller, Philip Sumpter, Arab Evangelicals in Israel, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2016, p. 56</ref>
According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 17 churches and 900 members.<ref>Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023</ref>
Beliefs
The Association has a Baptist confession of faith. It is a member of the Baptist World Alliance and the Convention of Evangelical Churches in Israel.<ref>Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved December 5, 2020</ref>
Schools
The association is a partner of the Nazareth Baptist School founded in 1936, a K–12 school.<ref>Kul al-Arab, احتفال مميز في الناصرة بمرور 100 عام على بدء الوجود المعمداني في الأرض المقدسة, alarab.com, Israel, May 11, 2011</ref>
In 2007, it founded the Nazareth Centre for Christian Studies.<ref>Azar Ajaj, Duane Alexander Miller, Philip Sumpter, Arab Evangelicals in Israel, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2016, p. 69</ref> In 2014, the Centre merged with the Galilee Bible college to establish the Nazareth Evangelical College.<ref>Azar Ajaj, Duane Alexander Miller, Philip Sumpter, Arab Evangelicals in Israel, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2016, p. 73</ref>