Baptistic Theologies, 2009

ek a magyarorszdgi baptista misszid tortenetebol [Pictures from the history of the Hungarian Baptist Mission] (Budapest: A Magyarorszagi Baptistak Konyvkereskedese, 1928), pp. 10-11. Revival among Hungarian Baptists in Transylvania 63 ‘peasant ecclesiolas’. Secondly, although he was deeply interested in visiting and supporting the peasant ecclesiolas, he was able to maintain a good relationship with the ministers of the historic churches. This gave some protection to the emerging groups. Thirdly, his ministry was a bridge between the local ministry of Janos Rottmayer and the wider ministry of Henrik Meyer, who was supported by German Baptists. He was able to link Meyer’s German-orientated mission, which was built primarily on middle- class values, with popular Protestant groups among the Hungarian people. Finally, he had a long-term strategy. He was not simply a travelling evangelist. His method of returning to the groups already visited set a pattern for pastoral care, which was to prove crucial to Baptist growth. 3. Evangelical ‘peasant prophets’ The important place that the Bible occupied in the spirituality of Hungarian Baptists can also be seen when we consider the lives of the first leaders of the Baptist movement. Peasant prophets, of whom the best known were Mihaly Kornya, Mihaly Toth and Janos Lajos, were diligent in reading and studying the Bible. Their devotion to preaching the gospel across Transylvania without considering the cost was seen as an example to follow by later generations. However, in their work it is possible to see that it was the way they used the Bible that was formative. They did not want to prove their great knowledge of the Bible but rather shared their own experiences and understanding of God’s Word. It is important to note here that until the baptism of the first candidates in Nagyszalonta, the ministry of Henrik Meyer was directed toward and affected only German-speaking people. Once Kornya, Toth and others were baptised, the first Hungarian-speaking Baptist community was formed and developed. The church in Nagyszalonta soon became the centre of Hungarian Baptist mission in Transylvania. From there the Baptist message was spread over the whole territory of Hungary and Transylvania, not only among Hungarian-speaking people but among Romanians as well. In a few years the church in Nagyszalonta became a large church where the commitment to renewal and mission was evident for many decades. The secret of their growth was their devotion to the Word of God, as was the case in the Baptist movement generally, but a specific element was the presence and activity of the peasant prophets. They were a particularly gifted group, and through their ministry spiritual revival spread in many towns and villages, and new Baptist churches and mission centres were formed all over the country. 64 Baptistic Theologies Janos Lajos - a committed church planter Janos Lajos was