Our Ministry Profile
Markham Baptist Church is a part of the Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) which is a part of a federation of Baptists from coast to coast in Canada.
The Canadian Baptist family includes Baptists in western Canadan (Baptist Union of Western Canada), central Canada Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, Francophone Canada (l'Union des Eglises Baptistes Francaises au Canada), and Atlantic Canada (United Baptist Convention of the Atlantic Provinces). More than 130 000 believers in approximately 1100 churches are part of the Canadian Baptist family. We worship in churches from Port Alberni, B.C. to St. John's, Nfld, and from Yellowknife, NWT to Windsor, ON. On any given Sunday, services may be conducted in over 30 languages!
CBM enables baptists across the country to share in ministry. As a family we support missionaries in 15 countries, overseas relief and development projects (The Sharing Way, short-term service opportunities (Canadian Baptist Volunteers), publishing work, and public affairs initiatives. Baptists have exciting stories to tell of our work at home and around the world!
Regionally, CBM Baptists support four seminaries, one liberal arts university, two lay leadership development programs, and dozens of camps and specialized ministries. We also support one another through cooperative mission projects within Canada.
Canadian Baptists are part of a larger international family, the Baptist World Alliance. Through the BWA, more than 42 million Baptists around the world share their faith, vision, and ministries.
Our Baptist History
"Baptists" emerged during the Protestant Reformation as believers began re-emphasizing Biblical principles such as believers' baptism by immersion (rather than infant baptism by sprinkling or pouring).
In Canada, the first Baptist churches were establised in the Atlantic region and Ontario in the 1700s, and in Quebec and western Canada in the 1800s. New Baptist churches continue to be established as Canada grows and changes.
Throughout Canadian history, Baptists have been active in sharing the gospel, planting churches, and providing practical social justice ministries. Canadian Baptists have actively supported overseas missions for almost 200 years!
Other Baptists in Canada
There are other Baptist denominations in Canada. These groups share many of the Baptist commitments and values listed above. These include:
- The Baptist General Conference of Canada,
- The North American Baptist Conference,
- The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches, and
- The Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists.
Other Baptist churches are independent of any group.