Evangelical Baptist Church in Georgia

The Baptist Church in Georgia was established on August 20, 1867 and is associated with the migration of Molokans from Russia. Later, Ossetian and Armenian Baptist communities were also formed. Initially, the number of Georgians Baptists was so small that preaching was conducted only in Russian. Later, the situation changed and in 1919 a Georgian-language church was also founded. In 1944, the “Evangelical Christians” joined the Tbilisi Baptist community and today it is called the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia. The church is built on democratic principles. Its highest governing body is the Church Council, which meets every four years and elects the Archbishop, as well as the Bishop-President, who is the chairman of the Synod. The Synod manages the life of the Church. According to the regional principle, the church is divided into four regions (Tbilisi, Kakheti, Kartli, Western Georgia). Each region is headed by a bishop. The creation of the center in Tbilisi is associated with the Chechen refugees. It has provided great assistance to the refugees with medical services, clothing, etc. In general, Evangelical-Baptist Church of Georgia is actively engaged in charity, pays special attention to the social programs, helps neglected and disabled children, homeless elderly people, etc. The Order of St. Nino operates under the auspices of Evangelical-Baptist Church of Georgia, which cares for several hundred helpless people. The number of the members of the church exceeds 5,000 (2008). They live in all regions of Georgia.

 

Literature: რელიგიები საქართველოში, თბ., 2008.