History
Gathering Global Baptists for More Than 100 Years
Behold us, Lord, before Thee stand.”
The quinquennial global gatherings of the Alliance have continued for more than a century. World conflicts made it impossible to hold to a strict five-year plan, but BWA has held 21 Congresses since 1905.
1905 • London, England
1911 • Philadelphia, PA (USA)
1923 • Stockholm, Sweden
1928 • Toronto, Canada
1934 • Berlin, Germany
1939 • Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
1947 • Copenhagen, Denmark
1950 • Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
1955 • London, England
1960 • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1965 • Miami Beach, FL (USA)
1970 • Tokyo, Japan

1975 • Stockholm, Sweden
Billy Graham is pictured preaching at an open-air rally to a crowd of 30,000 – a powerful conclusion to the 1975 Baptist World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden.
1980 • Toronto, Canada
1985 • Los Angeles, California (USA)

1990 • Seoul, South Korea
In 1990, the BWA adopted the Seoul Covenant, which launched a decade of intentional evangelistic efforts with the goal for all people to hear about Christ in their own language
1995 • Buenos Aires, Argentina
2000 • Melbourne, Australia

2005 • Birmingham, England

2010 • Honolulu, Hawaii (USA)

2015 • Durban, South Africa
Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the 22nd Baptist World Congress originally scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2020 has been rescheduled to a virtual event on July 7-10, 2021.