- 1905-06 – Our History begins when three streams of Atlantic Baptists came together to form the United Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces, which became the United Baptist Convention of the Atlantic Provinces in 1963, and the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches in 2001. The three streams were the Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces, The Free Christian Baptist Conference of New Brunswick, and the Free Baptist Conference of Nova Scotia.
The driving motivation for these bodies to unite was the desire to be Stronger. Together. Baptists knew that if they banded together they could be more effective in higher education, overseas mission and in many other ways. They also knew that their unified witness to their communities would be strong.
Over the years, through their Convention, this group of believers has been aggressive in establishing ministry organizations and structures to help the churches and people of Atlantic Canada. For instance:
- 1949 – We established United Bible Baptist Training School (aka Atlantic Baptist College, Atlantic Baptist University and now known as Crandall University) to provide undergraduate education in the context of a Christian worldview. Crandall is now one of Canada’s largest Christian universities.
- 1961 – We established the Baptist Foundation to provide loans to local churches that want to expand their facility to have a stronger impact on their community. The Foundation has grown to manage assets of more than $80 million.
- 1968 – We reconstituted the department of theology at Acadia University as Acadia Divinity College. ADC has since grown to become the largest evangelical seminary east of Ontario.
- 1970 – we established Atlantic Baptist Senior Citizen’s Homes Inc. to provide quality apartment and nursing home accommodations for the seniors of Atlantic Canada. This ministry now runs more than a dozen facilities, more than any other Protestant organization in Atlantic Canada.
- 2001 – we established a youth and family ministries department to build upon our years of successful work in youth ministry region-wide. This department is now Canada’s largest denominationally-based ministry to youth and families.
- 2010 – The CABC became incorporated and adopted a new general operating bylaw.
- 2012 – Intercultural Ministries Department was established with Paul Carline as Director. More and more churches are seeking ways to minister to new Canadians and already established multicultural communities in Atlantic Canada.
- 2016 – The CABC was renamed to become the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada (CBAC).
Click here for a bibliography of writings if you’d like to read more about Our History.