By Editor Bob Terry
Some might wonder what makes the Baptist World Congress worth traveling to different parts of the globe to participate in this once-every-five-years meeting. The answer is simple: The people. The delegates, as participants in the Congress are called, transform an ordinary meeting into something unparalleled in Baptist life.
A Baptist World Congress is unequalled for its color. Participants are encouraged to wear native dress for part of the time. In the same hallway, one will encounter the brilliant colors of Korea, the delicacies of traditional Japanese wear, the robes of Africa, the large prints of Polynesia, the western business suits and more.
Languages are as diverse as dress. English was the official language of the Congress, but many presentations had to be translated for participants. Each of the five evening worship services featured an electronic system which furnished the proceedings in five or six other languages. In some cases, presenters who did not speak English worked through translators. Frequently, information translations occurred when small groups gathered around a bilingual person to hear a translation of what was being said in various small groups.
But dress and language are only outward examples of the people who make the Congress a special event. The heart of the contributions come when one experience the people firsthand. That is when the learning takes place.
For example, one of the issue groups this year dealt with human rights. In the United States, much of the discussion of human rights is academic and theoretical. Not at the World Congress. When Theo Angelov, president of Bulgarian Baptists, spoke, it was firsthand and personal. He told what it is like to live under the oppression of a state church, to be treated like a sect.
He reported on Baptists in the Balkans from firsthand information. It was not the report of a volunteer fresh from a two-week missions trip, as important as that is. Angelov and others from that part of the world spoke with understanding and insight born out of a lifetime of suffering for being a Baptist Christian.
One of the humbling experiences of a Baptist World Congress is to learn how fellow believers suffer for the faith. Indonesian Baptists told of church members being shot as they stood in front of their church buildings trying to defend the building from militant Muslims. Africans told of attempts by government entities to implement official religious law in place of civil laws. Nepalese Baptists told of being imprisoned because they dared share Jesus Christ with their countrymen. South American Baptists described the warped sense of Christianity created in that part of the world by imperialism and capitalism.
These stories remind Baptists from the United States of important lessons from our past: the importance of the Bible as our sole authority for faith and practice, of the priesthood of believers and separation of church and state.
The life experiences of Baptists from other parts of the world provide insight into the Bible that many in western society do not have. The west is rich in technology and resources and organization. We have much to learn from Baptists in other parts of the world about prayer, faithfulness and dependence on God.
That part of the meeting was illustrated this year during the morning Bible studies. Where else can one participate in a Bible study led one day by an Australian, the next by an African and the following day by an Asian?
Formal presentations were followed by small group discussions. One group in which we participated included people from 12 countries from four continents. As the discussion flowed, participants began to share how the Scripture impacted them. The insights and applications were eye opening for us. There was no escaping the role of persecution as teacher in the lives of many.
The Baptist World Congress provides opportunities to meet fellow Baptists from around the world, to form friendships with them, to listen to them, learn from them, share with them. The Congress provides opportunity to worship together and pray for one another. All of these change one’s perspective and one’s life. It moves one out of the comfortableness of life as experienced in Alabama and forces one to recognize the plight of many who share the name of Baptist.
In terms of size, the meetings are no larger than some events sponsored by Alabama Baptists. In terms of program components, the elements are similar to many Baptist meetings. But in terms of the people, there is no other place like a Baptist World Congress, and that makes it worthwhile.
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