Dwayne & Kimberly Baldwin

​Serbia, a country in Eastern Europe (former Yugoslavia) has a population of 7.5 million, but self-identifying Evangelicals number only about 5000 (<0.1%). Of these, 1500 are Baptists in about 70 churches averaging 15-25 people in attendance. In 2013 Dwayne and Kimberly Baldwin were appointed with Training Leaders Intl and sent by Heritage Baptist Church of Owensboro, KY to Serbia with the purpose of re-establishing the Baptist Theological School (BTS) in Novi Sad, a Bible college started years ago by Baptist Missionaries but that had disintegrated structurally and theologically over time. By God’s grace, BTS re-opened in 2015 with a Bachelors’ program. The school now has 35 students enrolled (a very large number for E. Europe) and has graduated 26 students. BTS has several new students yearly coming from Macedonia and other parts of the Balkans where the Lord is giving many a desire to understand His Word and know Him through it.

BTS has also established a publishing ministry and works with one of the few legal publishers in Serbia. Through this partnership, many books have been translated from English which serve both school and community and include titles such as Introduction to the New Testament by Carson and Moo, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Dever, Introduction to Ethics by Jones, and Our Triune God by Ryken.

BTS is also launching a master’s program in partnership with Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. Akademija Teoloskih Nauka (ATN) will serve graduates of BTS and will help equip the pastors, teachers, writers, and church planters which is the goal of both schools. This program will begin Fall 2023. To this end, many supporters along with HeartCry Missionary Society have enabled the purchase of a new building which will be used for teaching and dorms.

The Baldwins are praying that the light of the gospel would go throughout the Balkans as a result of BTS and ATN, and that the borders of Christ’s kingdom will be expanded.

You may contact Dwayne and Kimberly at thebaldwinbunch7@gmail.com. For information or support of the work in Serbia, you can also visit btsns.org or hbcowensboro.org.