Baptists from 60 countries assembled for the Baptist World Alliance’s annual gathering under the banner: “The Table of Christ: One Gospel, Many People” in Toronto, Canada from July 6-10. In partnership with Canadian Baptist Ministries, the North American Baptist Fellowship and Tyndale University, the yearly meeting emphasized unity, fellowship, and intercultural learning.
Rev. Dr. Elijah Brown, BWA General Secretary and CEO, welcomed delegates, writing, “As we meet in Toronto, Canada, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, we are reminded that at Christ’s table, we are held together, formed together, and sent together at a time marked by isolation, polarization, violence, and displacement. As we engage as many people in one gospel around the table of Christ, there is mutual transformation, shared leadership, genuine community, unity in diversity, and kingdom-oriented mission.”
Attendees were also welcomed by the BWA Chair of the Global Council, Karl B. Johnson. Johnson began his five-year term at the Baptist World Congress last July.
Jennifer Lau offered greetings as executive director of Canadian Baptist Ministries. She was flanked by Rev. Renée MacVicar, Rev. Leanne Friesen, and Rev. Clint Mix, who shared updates on the work and witness of the Church in Canada.
Cultural representation and acknowledgement of historical harms were central messages. Rev. Dr. H. Daniel Zacharias, Professor of New Testament Studies at Acadia Divinity School, welcomed participants before offering a land acknowledgement and sharing Canada’s national journey to heal the harms of colonial policies.
After a worship experience led by members of Mississauga City Baptist Church, Brown reflected on the gathering’s theme and said in his opening message: “We are a covenantal people, who are defined by a covenant to shared discipleship, shared relationship and shared participation in the mission of God. … We belong together because we belong to Jesus Christ.”
His message was followed by that of Rev. Leanne Friesan, Executive Minister of Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. Inspired by Jesus’ last supper as recorded in Matthew 26, she cautioned hearers regarding how quickly hands can change from preparing a meal to finger-pointing. Alluding to Judas’ betrayal, she asked the audience to move from “not us” to “yes, us.”
During his sermon, Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller, the senior pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reminded the delegated that despite what Christians might disagree on, they all agree on the gospel of Jesus. “We might disagree on some other things, but we all agree that they hung him up on an old rugged cross and he stayed there until he hung his head and he died,” he said.
This sense of shared story, collective responsibility and mutuality at Christ’s table, where shared space breaks down walls of division and reciprocal learning takes place, was echoed during breakout sessions. Zacharias, who received the 2026 Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award, talked about the harm of assimilation and his cultural reformation as a practice of discipleship. Anyra Cano, the Director of Programs and Outreach for FaithWorks, emphasized the importance of border trips and face-to-face encounters with immigrants to work against alienation and othering.
Panelists Rev. Filipe Ahrens Espindola, president of the National Baptist Convention of Brazil and Dr. Karen E. Stewart, Director of Programs and Engagement at The Hub for Re)imagining Ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary, discussed the work of discipleship and evangelism. Though distinct, they argued against their separateness; instead, they viewed sharing and teaching the gospel as part of the same calling, evidenced by the Great Commission.
The meeting was marked by a strong sense of fellowship that continued over lunch breaks. Empty classrooms became impromptu meetings spaces for conversations that continued long after plenary and breakout sessions. The consensus seemed to be that of learning from one another and Jesus’ teachings.
Throughout the week, the Global Council members met as commissions, networks, and regions to address a wide range of issues impacting the church and the future of the faith tradition. Four resolutions, Empowering and Caring for People with Disabilities and Special Needs, Serving Vulnerable Children, Integral and Polycentric Mission as Guiding Missional Principles, and Just Peace and Accountability Among Nations, were also proposed, voted on and passed. Mongolian Baptist Church, which represents 14 churches and 500 members, also became a member of this global network of Baptists.
On Friday, the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance, which celebrates its 121st year on July 11, will conclude with a service of communion and commissioning. Dr. Raphael Anzenberger, the Executive Minister of the French Baptist Union will serve as the featured speaker and Dana Podriabinkina-Kalytiene, the Operations Manager at the European Baptist Federation, is slated to lead the worship experience.
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Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.