Among other business, the Baptist World Alliance approved four resolutions during its annual gathering.
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Resolution 2026.1, Empowering and Caring for People with Disabilities and Special Needs, calls on Baptist churches and organizations to strengthen inclusion, advocacy and support for people with disabilities and special needs.
Resolution 2026.2, Serving Vulnerable Children, urges Baptists to protect, care for, and advocate on behalf of vulnerable children through ministry, partnerships and practical action.
Resolution 2026.3, Integral and Polycentric Mission as Guiding Missional Principles, affirms a holistic approach to missions that values collaboration and leadership from diverse regions of the global church rather than a single cultural or geographic center.
Resolution 2026.4, Just Peace and Accountability Among Nations, calls for the pursuit of just peace, accountability for acts of aggression and injustice, respect for international law, and continued efforts toward reconciliation among nations.
Each resolution was approved unanimously.
Human Rights Award
BWA presented its 2026 Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award to Daniel Zacharias during the annual gathering, recognizing his longstanding commitment to advancing human rights, truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Established in 2006 and marking its 20th anniversary this year, the award honors individuals whose courageous leadership has secured, protected, restored, or preserved the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
Named for former BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz and his wife, Janice, the award reflects the BWA’s conviction of defending human dignity and religious freedom is an essential expression of the gospel.
Zacharias serves as associate dean of theology at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
A Christian leader of Cree, Anishinaabe, and Red River Métis heritage, he has become a leading voice in helping Canadian Baptists address the legacy of colonialism, residential schools, racism and reconciliation with Indigenous communities.
Mongolian Baptists added to BWA
BWA formally welcomed the Mongolian Baptist Convention into membership.
Accepting the recognition on behalf of the convention, Kangustin, board member and youth ministry coordinator, reflected on the denomination’s rapid development.
The gospel came to Mongolia about 40 years ago. The Mongolian Baptist Convention began in 2023 and now has 16 churches with 500 members.
All Africa Baptist Fellowship
The All Africa Baptist Fellowship announced the creation of a security response initiative to address issues across Africa, where communities are facing a range of complex challenges, including conflict, displacement, insecurity, poverty, terrorism, insurgency, civil unrest and humanitarian crises.
AABF highlighted these realities during the annual gathering and called for prayer, cooperation, stronger governance efforts, expanded educational initiatives, and effective missionary strategies to address the needs of people throughout Africa.
Baptist communities and others across the continent continue to serve amid difficult circumstances, including violence in parts of Nigeria, instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, conflict in Sudan, insecurity linked to extremist groups, and ongoing struggles faced by vulnerable families and communities.
Worldwide impact
The Unión Bautista Latino Americana implemented the Acts 2 Movement during its 2025 gathering in Panama, organizing ministry leaders around the movement’s five pathways — witnessing, Bible reading, human care, neighborhood chaplaincy and religious freedom advocacy.
UBLA also appointed regional and national leadership teams and launched a continental prayer emphasis.
As part of implementing the Acts 2 Movement, a Brazilian church contributed $30,000 to support Bible distribution in Uruguay. Another ministry partnership associated with the initiative reported more than 230,000 individual counseling sessions for people facing mental health challenges in Latin America.
In Denmark, Baptist leaders embraced the movement as a unifying vision across theological differences.
Danish Baptists translated Acts 2 Movement materials into Danish and adapted the five pathways to their national context. Choosing to begin with the Bible Path, they developed a custom Bible reading application that guides participants through the New Testament and key portions of the Old Testament over a two-year period and connects readers in small accountability groups.
In addition, Danish Baptist churches planned a coordinated launch featuring seven weeks of sermons introducing the Acts 2 Movement and emphasizing Scripture as the foundation for mission.
In Honduras, the national Baptist convention incorporated the Acts 2 Movement into its five-year strategic plan. Every board member assumed responsibility for one of the movement’s pathways, and leaders trained representatives from all 15 regional associations.
Within three months, 175 churches in Honduras committed to praying for revival, 320 churches adopted the Witness Path, 245 churches embraced the Bible Path, and churches collectively served more than 70,000 people through ministries addressing food, water, health care, shelter, relationships, justice and gospel outreach.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Kendall Lyons and originally published by Baptist Standard.
