View source for Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches

{{Short description|Christian denomination in the Philippines}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| name = Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches
| native_name         = ''Kasapulanan sang Bautista nga Pilipinhon''
| image               = Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches seal white.png
| abbreviation        = CPBC
| main_classification = [[Protestant]]
| orientation         = [[Baptist]]
| theology            = [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] and [[Mainline Protestant|Mainline]]
| scripture           = [[Protestant Bible]] 
| polity              = [[Congregational polity|Congregational]]
| founded_date        = {{start date and age|1900|02}}
| founded_place       = [[Jaro, Iloilo City]]
| associations        = {{ublist|[[Baptist World Alliance]]|[[World Council of Churches]]|[[National Council of Churches in the Philippines]]|[[Christian Conference of Asia]]|[[Asia Pacific Baptist Federation]]}}
| area                = Philippines
| leader_title        = General Secretary
| leader_name         = Rev. Danilo Borlado B.Th., M.Th.
| headquarters        = [[Jaro, Iloilo City|Jaro]], [[Iloilo City]], [[Philippines]]
| congregations       = 1,079
| members             = 600,000
| hospitals           = 
| primary_schools     = 
| secondary_schools   = 
| tertiary            = {{ublist|[[Central Philippine University]]|[[Filamer Christian University]]}}
| seminaries          = [[Central Philippine University - College of Theology|Central Philippine University College of Theology]]
| website             = {{URL|https://www.cpbcph.org/}}
| footnotes           = 
}}

The '''Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches''' ('''CPBC''') ([[Hiligaynon language|Hiligaynon]]: ''Kasapulanan sang Bautista nga Pilipinhon'') is a [[mainline Protestant]] [[Religious denomination|denomination]] in the [[Philippines]]. It is affiliated with the [[Baptist World Alliance]] and is headquartered in [[Jaro, Iloilo City]]. CPBC was founded in 1900 as the oldest and first organized union of Baptist churches in the Philippines. This occurred after the country opened to Protestant American missions in 1898, following Spain's transfer of the Philippine islands administration to the United States.

CPBC is associated with the [[American Baptist Foreign Mission Society]] (now [[International Ministries]]) and played a key role in establishing the [[Jaro Evangelical Church]], the first Baptist church in the Philippines outside Manila. CPBC has affiliations with various institutions, including [[Central Philippine University]], the first Baptist and second Protestant university in the country. Additionally, CPBC is affiliated with the [[Central Philippine University - College of Theology|CPU College of Theology]], the first Baptist theological seminary in the Philippines; [[Filamer Christian University]], the first Baptist school in the country; and Capiz Emmanuel Hospital, the first Baptist hospital in the Philippines.

In the 1930s, CPBC also became affiliated with the [[Iloilo Mission Hospital]], initially founded by Protestant Presbyterians and later transferred to the Baptists (CPBC). The [[Iloilo Mission Hospital]] is the first American and Protestant hospital in the Philippines.

At present, besides being affiliated with the [[American Baptist Churches USA]], the organization is a member of the [[National Council of Churches in the Philippines]]. It has over 1,000 affiliated Baptist churches and more than 600,000 members across the Philippines.

==History==

[[File:Jaro_Evangelical_Church.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jaro Evangelical Church]] in [[Jaro, Iloilo City|Jaro]], the ''First Baptist Church in the Philippines'']]

The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches has its origins in a foreign mission of the [[American Baptist Missionary Union]] on the island of [[Panay Island|Panay]] in February 1900,<ref>William H. Brackney, ''Historical Dictionary of the Baptists'', Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 442</ref><ref>J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 788</ref> when the Philippines islands was opened to the Evangelical missions after it was ceded to the [[United States]] administration.

Eric Lund, a Swedish Baptist minister working under the auspices of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society and one of the founding fathers of the [[Jaro Evangelical Church]], translated the entire [[Bible]] into [[Hiligaynon language|Hiligaynon]], and the [[New Testament]] into two other dialects. In 1905, the [[Central Philippine University - College of Theology|Bible School]] and Jaro Industrial School were established through a grant given by the American Baptist, business magnate and philanthropist, [[John D. Rockefeller]]. The two schools later merged and became [[Central Philippine University]], the first Baptist and second American university in the Philippines and Asia.

[[File:BEC_GREET_(2).JPG|280px|thumb|right| [[Worship service (evangelicalism)|Worship service]] at Bacolod Evangelical Church in [[Bacolod]], affiliated to the Convention.]]

In 1935 the formal formation of ''Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches'' was established.<ref>J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 788</ref> In 1980, Angelina Buensuceso became the first [[Ordination of women in Christianity | woman ordained pastor]] in the Convention.<ref> Erich Geldbach, ''Baptists Worldwide: Origins, Expansions, Emerging Realities'', Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2022, p. 112</ref>

According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 1,079 churches and 600,000 members.<ref>Baptist World Alliance, [https://www.baptistworld.org/member-unions/ Members], baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023</ref>

==Core Mission Principles==
*Being grounded in the Biblical tradition
*Engagement in prophetic and priestly functions
*Building a community that heals and restores broken ties
*Developing of strong and responsible leaders
*Achieving stability through full support of member churches and organizations
*Building of a deeper and stronger relationship with other mission partners
*Deep and genuine concern for the lost, the poor, the weak and the needy
*Faithfulness to the Baptist legacy of missionary service
*A dynamic, relevant and responsive servant organization
*Deep commitment to the implementation of a holistic and comprehensive ministry
*Full use of appropriate technology to enhance programs and ministries

== Beliefs ==

The Convention has a [[Baptist]] [[confession of faith]] in [[Protestant]] theology.<ref>Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, [https://www.cpbcph.org/#/page/panel/the-convention STATEMENT OF FAITH] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107024137/https://www.cpbcph.org/#/page/panel/the-convention |date=2021-11-07 }}, cpbcph.org, Philippines, retrieved December 5, 2020</ref> It is a member of the [[Baptist World Alliance]] and maintains ties with the [[American Baptist Churches USA]], classifying itself as a [[mainline Protestant]].<ref>Baptist World Alliance, [https://www.baptistworld.org/member-unions/ Members], baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved December 5, 2020</ref> 

The Convention, being a Baptist denomination, believes in the [[Five solas]] as a theological principle of [[Protestantism]].

==Schools==
[[File:CPU Church.jpg|280px|thumb|right|[[Central Philippine University]] in [[Iloilo City]] was founded in 1905 by the [[American Baptist Foreign Mission Society]], through a benevolent grant of the American philanthropist and devout Baptist, [[John D. Rockefeller]].]]

Baptist missionaries founded many schools and universities in the Philippines. Most notable of these is [[Central Philippine University]] (CPU),<ref name="first Baptist University in the Philippine and in Asia">[[Iloilo City#Education]]</ref> the first [[Baptist]] and second [[United States|American]] university in the Philippines and in Asia (after [[Silliman University]] in [[Dumaguete]]), while [[Filamer Christian University]] is the first [[Baptist]] school in the Philippines.

CPU's earliest forerunner, the [[Central Philippine University - College of Theology|Central Philippine University College of Theology]] which was established four months earlier than the university's second precursor, the Jaro Industrial School, is the first Baptist theological seminary in the Philippines.

The [[Central Philippine University - College of Nursing|CPU College of Nursing]], an academic institution for nurses founded in 1906 as [[Central Philippine University - College of Nursing|Union Mission Hospital Training School for Nurses]] by the [[Presbyterian]] [[Protestant]] American missionaries through the present day [[Iloilo Mission Hospital]], is the first [[Nursing in the Philippines|Nursing School in the Philippines]].<ref name="first">{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/15885553/Pioneer-Nursing-Schools-and-Colleges-in-the-Philippines|title = Pioneer Nursing Schools and Colleges in the Philippines &#124; PDF &#124; Nursing &#124; Health Care}}</ref> The Central Philippine University College of Nursing is also one of the leading nursing schools in the Philippines.

[[Central Philippine University]]'s official student governing body, the CPU Republic ([[Central Philippine University Republic]]), is the oldest student government in the [[South East Asia]]. It was organized in 1905, one year after the founding of the school.<ref>Peter C. Phan, ''Christianities in Asia'', John Wiley & Sons, USA, 2011, p. 109-110</ref> The University's official publication, the '''Central Echo''' (''CE'') is the official student publication of CPU. It was founded in 1910, five years after Jaro Industrial School opened. It is one of the oldest student publications in the Philippines.

==See also==
* [[Evangelicalism in the Philippines]]
* [[Bible]]
* [[Born again]]
* [[Baptist beliefs]]
* [[Worship service (evangelicalism)]]
* [[Jesus Christ]]
* [[Believers' Church]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*''Baptists Around the World'', by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
*''The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness'', by H. Leon McBeth

==External links==
* [https://www.cpbcph.org/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107024137/https://www.cpbcph.org/ |date=2021-11-07 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160207102037/http://www.bwa-baptist-heritage.org/phil-hst.htm Philippine Baptist Centennial History]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20040210222710/http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_244.html#1230 Adherents.com]}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928221227/http://bacolodchristiancenter.com/ Bacolod Christian Center] - official Web Site

{{coord missing|Philippines}}

{{Christianity in the Philippines}}
{{World Council of Churches}}
{{Philippines in topic|Religions in}}

[[Category:Jaro, Iloilo City]]
[[Category:Baptist Christianity in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Members of the World Council of Churches]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1935]]
[[Category:Baptist denominations in Asia]]
[[Category:Baptist denominations established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in the Philippines]]