Baptists in the British Isles, 2025 Update

A few years ago I posted a list of Baptist groups in the British Isles. I am updating it here. It mostly contains links to the groups’ web sites, but also includes a listing of regional associations that are affiliated with the Baptist Union of Great Britain. There is one new group added, and another noted as now dissolved. The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches is made up of mostly baptistic churches, but is not included in the list since it also allows membership of pedobaptist churches.

Alphabetical listing of Baptists in the British Isles.

  I. Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland (formed in 1895, severing links with the Baptist Union of Great Britain)
 II. Association of Confessional Baptist Churches UK (an association of independent churches united by full subscription to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith)
III. Baptists Together/Baptist Union of Great Britain (founded in 1813 in London; re-branded as “Baptists Together” in 2013, though its official and legal name is still the Baptist Union of Great Britain)
         1. Central Baptist Association
         2. East Midland Baptist Association
         3. Eastern Baptist Association
         4. Heart of England Baptist Association
         5. London Baptist Association
         6. North Western Baptist Association
         7. Northern Baptist Association
         8. South Eastern Baptist Association
         9. South West Baptist Association
       10. Southern Counties Baptist Association
       11. South Wales Baptist Association
       12. West of England Baptist Association
       13. Yorkshire Baptist Association
  IV. Baptist Union of Scotland (founded in Glasgow in 1869)
   V. Baptist Union of Wales/Undeb Bedyddwyr Cymru (established at Llanwenarth in 1866, the Baptist Union of Wales also cooperates with the Baptist Union of Great Britain)
   VI. Grace Baptist Assembly (established in 1980 through a merger of the Strict Baptist Assembly and the Assembly of Baptised Churches Holding the Doctrines of Grace)
  VII. Gospel Standard Strict Baptists (Gospel Standard magazine began in 1835, and the first Gospel Standard society was formed in 1872)
 VIII. Jesus Fellowship Church (began as a unique group upon disaffiliation by the Baptist Union of Great Britain circa 1986)
   IX. Old Baptist Union (founded in 1880 by Henry Augustus Squire and others)

Note: The Jesus Fellowship Church, aka Jesus’ Army, grew out of the Bugbrooke Baptist Church in Northamptonshire after division from the Baptist Union of Great Britain over differences in policy and in practice. It appears that this church has ceased to exist, possibly around 2023. See Jesus Fellowship Redress Scheme report.

Some of the Baptists in the United Kingdom participate in the Baptist World Alliance and the European Baptist Federation.