Baptistic Theologies, 2009

nt which Baptists used to extend their influence and to bring about changes in the lives of people outside the Baptist community. For Roman Catholics and for the Orthodox Church, the scriptures were surrounded by a special aura. The Bible was the book of the faith of the Church, read only by a priest or people chosen to do so. In the new era, in which there was talk of a more educated society, there was a fresh interest in reading the Bible. For those coming into contact with Baptists, the Bible became a book that offered life; it became their daily bread. People often called the Baptists ‘people of the Bible’. 15 The Word of God which they discovered changed their lives and through them it affected others. 16 Baptists also emphasised the importance of fellowship. The churches practised what they termed ‘the priesthood of all believers’. This priesthood applied equally to those who led the church and those who participated. All the members were responsible to serve the Ford and one another. Everyone was encouraged to pray aloud during the services. It was not only a minister who conducted the services; it was not a priest who could read the Bible, but all of them could read and interpret it. Nor were special buildings needed. In the village of Swiecice, for example, a report of 1927 describes how a barn was set aside for spiritual meetings. In the barn some Baptist brothers preached God’s Word. There was also a choir, some of the members of which were not members of the Baptist community. In the report it is claimed that there were more people gathered in this barn than 17 usually went to the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches. The 14 Krzysztof Bednarczyk, paper on Baptists in Poland, Archive of Warsaw Baptist Seminary, 1961. 15 Krzysztof Bendarczyk, Historia Zborow Baptystow w Polsce do 1939 roku (Warszawa: Misjodruk, 1997), p. 147. 16 Ibid. 17 Report, Blessed those who are persecuted, September, 1927, No. 9, p. 5. 90 Baptistic Theologies fellowship was a powerful attraction. The Baptist churches at that time can best be termed as a ‘movement’, emphasising the role of the members 1 8 rather than the idea of an institution. Mission Partnership During World War I the organised mission work of Baptist churches suffered badly. It was not easy to see how mission could be put on a more organised footing, given the poverty of the people in the Baptists churches, the problem of the various language groups, and the minority status of Baptists. 19 What proved crucial was the help of Baptists from the United States, many of whom showed an interest in mission in Europe, including Poland. Baptist Conventions from the United States were keen to help Polish Baptists by sending personnel and financial support, both of which were lacking in Poland at that time. The people they sent were carefully chosen. There were at least three requirements for a candidate to be appointed as a missionary of a B