History of the Baptist Church in Białystok begins in 1902.

In May 1902, the first Baptism of Faith took place in Białystok. Eight people were baptized. 120 years have passed since that event. This is a long period of history, a testimony of the faith of many people who formed this church over the years. Above all, however, it is proof of the grace and faithfulness of God, who initiated His work in Białystok and has continued it to this day.

The beginnings of the Baptist Church in Białystok

Białystok, currently a voivodship capital city with a population of around 300,000, had fewer than 60,000 inhabitants in the late 19th and early 20th century. At the turn of the 20th century, the Białystok region became an arena of missionary work and the influence of Protestant-evangelical movements. Alongside the Lutheran Church, the Baptist movement, which originated in Białystok in the early years of the 20th century, gained a significant position in this regard. At the beginning, missionary work took place among the people of German origin. The first missionary in Białystok to reach German-speaking people with the Gospel was a British Bible Society colporteur named Reut. By selling the Holy Bible, he shared his testimony of faith in Jesus Christ with those who bought it. Thus, a group of people interested in God’s Word was formed. Together with Otto Lenz, a preacher from the Kaunas Baptist Church, who was then in Białystok, Reut organized the first evangelization in an apartment near the train station. This resulted in the formation of a small missionary outpost, which began organizing home services in a rented apartment. The time of the first spiritual harvest arrived on May 23, 1902, when the first baptism took place in Białystok. Four people publicly confessed that Jesus Christ is their saviour and Lord. This event marks the beginning of the local church in Białystok. In 1903, five more people experienced a spiritual rebirth and were baptized. Among them was Robert Schlosser, whom the congregation, seeing his commitment and predispositions, later elected as its leader. A new community slowly began to form, soon growing to 49 members.
The mission among the Slavic people began in Białystok in 1904. The first missionary to work among the Polish- and Russian-speaking residents of Białystok was Brother Grabajn. His work was supported by the preacher Prawowienow, who came from time to time from Kyiv to Białystok for missionary work. Converts who had been baptized according to the New Testament model, despite their ethnic differences, formed one congregation.
In 1907, after few years in ministry, Robert Schlosser left the city to study at the Theological Seminary in Łódź. His position was taken over by Juliusz Rozler from the Baptist Church in Kaunas. In 1910, when Edward R. Wenske from the Seminary in Łódź started his preaching ministry, a group of Białystok Baptists became independent from the Kaunas church, receiving the rights of an independent local church and being registered as such by the Tsarist authorities. The church met in a hall at 109 Sienkiewicza Street. Among other things, the community housed a library run by the Baptist Youth Association in Białystok. From 1911 to 1914, the church was led by preacher Roman Chomiak. During this time, the Białystok congregation grew by 37 recently baptized people. Among them was a young teacher, Łukasz Dziekuć-Malej, who was doing his military service there and was baptized on New Year’s Eve in the Supraśl River. During the World War I the church was scattered throughout Europe. Only a small group of members remained in Białystok, and therefore the church ceased its activities between 1914 and 1918.

The church in the interwar period

After Poland regained independence in 1918, Robert Schlosser returned to Białystok. His ministry in church was supported by his son-in-law, Otto Leisten. The Białystok church began missionary work in villages around the Białystok region, including Plutycze, Strabla, Łyse, and Dorożki. This was led by a Youth Ministry, including Grzegorz Remżyk, Grzegorz Demitriuk, and Brother Kułakow, as reported in 1924 by the monthly magazine Free Christian – periodical of the Evangelical Christians and Baptists in Poland Union. In 1923, legal status of the congregation developed significantly: The Białystok Voivodeship Office legalized the congregation as a religious entity.
After preacher Robert Schlosser and his family left for Romania, on March 12, 1926, at the request of the Association of Slavic Baptists in Poland, pastor Gabriel Bołtniew began his work at the church. The year 1926 was an important one for the Białystok community. The work of the two national groups, Slavic and German, was separated. Gabriel Bołtniew served as the pastor for the Slavic group, while the German group was led by missionary Gottfried Boge. Gabriel Bołtniew’s nearly 14-year ministry, lasting until 1939, is a beautiful page in history and evidence of God’s blessing. A period of diverse development for the church followed. New missionary outposts were established in Supraśl, Solniki, Załuki, Gnieciuki, Wojszki, Starosielce, Wasilków, Zubry, Gonczary, and Łyski. The service hall became too small, so services were moved to a spacious hall at 8 Modlińska Street.

The functioning of the church during World War II

World War II arrived. During the difficult occupation period, Mikołaj Iwaniuk led the Białystok church from 1939 to 1945, while pastor Bołtniew departed in 1939. Despite the difficult wartime circumstances, five marriages were concluded in the community. According to the membership register of the Baptist church in Białystok, Brother Jan Mackiewicz performed 29 baptisms during the war. After the end of World War II, despite various limitations and difficulties, the congregation continued its ministry of proclaiming the Good News. Michał Popko served as preacher from 1945 to 1949.
The Białystok Baptists found their new place in the building at 11 Kraszewskiego Street. The service hall was located on the first floor and measured 70 square meters. Due to the lack of a baptistery, baptisms were usually held in the Supraśl River in Jurowce or in the ponds in Dojlidy.

The 1960s and 1970s

Long-held, pre-war hopes and plans for the construction of a new building were revived. Caused by the urgent need, the church resumed efforts in the 1960s. Białystok Baptists patiently applied for the right to build a new building for as long as ten years. The authorities repeatedly changed the location and architectural design of the proposed church building. Their fervent prayers were answered, and in 1971, a building permit was finally obtained, and a year later, on June 18, 1972, the cornerstone laying ceremony for the new church building took place. A construction committee was appointed, consisting of: Presbyter Piotr Dajludzionek, Arseniusz Krasnopolski, Mikołaj Prusak, Mikołaj Kuźma, and Luba Krasnopolska. September 1, 1974, was a momentous occasion for the church and the entire Baptist community in Poland – the day of the grand opening of the newly built chapel at 22 Kujawska Street in Białystok, attended by a large gathering of church members and guests. The ceremonial service began at the entrance to the building. After readings from the Word of God by members of the Church’s Central Council, Presbyter Jan Mackiewicz and Presbyter Michał Stankiewicz, Dr. Ronald Goulding, Executive Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance for Europe, officially opened the church building. The next service took place inside, focusing on the baptism of faith and the Lord’s Supper. Thirteen individuals made a covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ and were baptized by Presbyter Aleksander Kircun. Another important date in the history of the Białystok Baptist Church was October 1978. Back then, with the support of the Polish Ecumenical Council, Baptist preacher Dr. Billy Graham visited numerous churches and religious associations with the Gospel. His visit also included Białystok, where on October 8th, a service was held in front of the building, which attracted an audience of several thousand people.

From 1980s until today

In 1980, at the 24th National Gathering of the Baptist Church in Poland, Presbyter Piotr Dajludzionek, pastor of the Białystok church since 1951, was elected President of the Church’s Supreme Council. Thus he transitioned to church-wide work. (The photo below shows his ordination as presbyter on April 12, 1959.) The Białystok church began efforts to recruit a new pastor. Eventually, Andrzej Seweryn, a longtime activist in the national youth ministry, responded positively to the invitation and began his service as the church pastor on January 1, 1981. At that time, the community numbered 210 members. In August 1991 Pastor Andrzej Seweryn, guided by an internal spiritual calling, moved to pastoral work at the local church in Kętrzyn. In this circumstances, the church faced a need for a new pastor. On Sunday, September 13, 1991 pastor Ireneusz Dawidowicz was introduced into office of pastor of the church in Białystok. On December 11, 1995 At the request of the church, with the support of the Baptist Church Council, the ceremony of ordination of Pastor Ireneusz Dawidowicz to the office of Presbyter took place. The ceremony was presided over by presbyters: Piotr Dajludzionek, Konstanty Wiazowski and Andrzej Seweryn. In 2008, a group of about 30 members, together with presbyter Ireneusz Dawidowicz and pastor Marcin Owsiejczuk, after leaving this community, formed the new local church in the city “Towards Salvation”. Church at Kujawska 22 did not experience a lack of a pastor for long time , as Marcin Górnicki responded positively to the invitation for pastoral service. On January 18, 2009 By decision of the Baptist Church in Białystok, he was appointed to the office of the first pastor of the church. The official ordination, with the participation of representatives of the Baptist Church in Poland, took place on April 26, 2009. On May 10, 2015 He received the title of presbyter from the hands of Mateusz Wichary, President of the Baptist Church in Poland. Afterwards he was elected to the District Council (the Białystok district currently consists of 9 local churches) Since 2017 he is also a member of the Council of the Baptist Church in Poland and the Presidium of the Church Council. The church ministry was strengthened, which allowed the mission to continue and new evangelization projects to be created and implemented. On May 27, 2022 Piotr Piotrowski was ordained to the office of second pastor of the church. In the 120-year history of the Białystok Baptist church, he became the 27th pastor. We believe that faith without works is dead, so we express it in a practical way by serving God and people around us. Focused on over dozen ministries, we organize regular meetings not only on the church possesion. We go out to the city center and we go beyond the country’s borders with the Good News. If you would like to know more about the current activities of the church, please visit the “what we do“ tab. We would like everyone, regardless of age or social status, to be able to find a suitable place for themselves to grow spiritually and enjoy the fullness of Christian life. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20 3:20-21