Baptist Expansion in Colonial New Zealand

Abstract

Baptists in colonial New Zealand followed two distinct paths in developing new causes. Particularly in Auck land and Dunedin a cautious sponsorship of new fellowships by one or two large churches proved an effective if slow method of expansion. In Canterbury a rapid proliferation of small churches took place in the 1870s. This approach, unique in New Zealand, reflected the special economic and demographic conditions of that province. This article argues, in addition, that key Canterbury leaders followed Methodist models of church extension, creating a very different pattern of development, which was eventually superceded by the more mainstream Baptist approach.