'Significant highlights' including people finding faith, evangelism and church planting, ministering beyond the walls of the church and our commitment to discerning together were shared by General Secretary Lynn Green during the Baptist Union Meeting of the Assembly on Saturday afternoon
The session also featured the induction of new President Steve Finamore and an introduction to his theme; a section where people spoke of their sense of call to ministry to reflect his theme of encouraging young people to ministry (below); a message from outgoing President Tim Presswood; resolutions to affirm the appointments of Andrew Cowley as moderator of Baptist Union Trustees and Mohan Pandian as treasurer for a further year; and a short financial report from Mohan (below).
Reflections from the General Secretary
As she travels around, Lynn told delegates she hears that new people are coming to our churches and that people are finding faith and being baptised.
'This reflects the fantastic. loving, vibrant and varied church communities that belong to our movement,' Lynn said, 'and all the faithful and creative ways that you are being a blessing in the places where God has put you.'
She then highlighted the launch of the Everyone Everywhere initiative and the way it has come together.
'My heart has always been to see Baptists Together working even more collaboratively and strategically in mission and evangelism so that we can fan into flame the full potential of our movement.
'Many months of prayer, planning and action that began in our Mission Forum have resulted in the Everyone Everywhere initiative
'We are all aware that the vast majority of those in our communities are not yet followers of Jesus.
'If we want to really make a difference, I believe that we really need to lean into the beauty and strength of being a grassroots movement, whilst also being radically inter-dependent and collaborative. Everyone Everywhere is a great example of this.
'If we truly care about sharing the Gospel above all else, then this will be reflected in the sharing and focusing of our resources towards that goal.'
The Lord is also ‘stirring up a calling in people towards chaplaincy’, she continued.
'There is a growing desire to minister beyond the walls of our churches and to connect with people in the midst of their everyday life and work. Creating opportunities to see Jesus’ presence and point people to Him through Spirit led encounters.
'And this is not just those called to full-time chaplaincy in healthcare, prisons, military and the workplace. There are also many volunteer chaplains across our movement too, in schools, offices, public services and community projects.
'What strikes me here is that the Lord is raising up a new cohort of missional leaders who are looking for roles where they can be released and blessed into their calling.
'While I pray that many more will pursue a vocation in chaplaincy, I am also praying that others will find their role in churches that share their heart for mission.'
Finally, Lynn highlighted the way people responded to the Ministerial Rules Consultation.
‘This was not an easy process and demanded much of us all in different ways,’ she said.
‘But corporate discernment is a key part of our Baptist identity, and our Consultation process was designed so that we could listen together right across our whole movement.
‘What has encouraged me is that this was demonstrated extremely clearly in the participation rates we achieved.
‘From churches we achieved a 52 per cent response rate and from active accredited ministers a superb 93 per cent response.
‘I appreciate that Council’s decision this year has come as a relief to some and has been extremely painful for others.
‘My prayer is that next year I shall be able to stand here and share that we have continued to hold each other in love and grace and have trusted the Lord to do a deeper work in us as individuals and as a movement.’
She continued, ‘These highlights really show what’s important to us as Baptists – people finding faith, evangelism and church planting, ministering beyond the walls of the church and our commitment to discerning together.
‘These are things to cherish and to celebrate. We are a movement that is following, seeking and sharing Jesus and in the midst of everything God is at work in us and through us. Hallelujah!’
Encouraging younger leaders
Picking up on new President Steve Finamore's focus on encouraging younger ministers, there was a short section where two people outlined how they had first sensed a call to ministry.
One was Jess Marchant who is 19 and an intern at Eastleigh Baptist Church. She had been thinking about a career as a geneticist two years ago.
‘But then I was asked by my youth minister to film something for a school assembly – that’s when I first sensed my call and it has never stopped,' she said.
‘I’m now about to train at Bristol Baptist College, and I’m excited to be able to serve our children and young people.’
Carl Smethurst, regional minister with the South West Baptist Association, revealed he felt God speak to him very clearly when he was just eight years old, after hearing a talk by a missionary.
‘While others wanted to be footballers or astronauts, I knew then that this was what I wanted to do,’ he said.
Resolutions and treasurer’s report
The formal part of the meeting was chaired by Seidel Abel Boanerges, moderator of Baptist Union Council (pictured).
Delegates passed two resolutions, which saw Mohan Pandian affirmed as treasurer of the Baptist Union (passed unanimously), and Andrew Cowley as moderator of the Baptist Union Trustee board (one abstention).
Prior to these resolutions, Mohan presented his first treasurer’s report to the Assembly.
Our total income increased in 2023, which was largely due to increased interest rates impacting our investments, he said. This meant Associations received slightly more than last year.
The Home Mission Appeal was once again lower than the previous year (£3.35m in 2023 as opposed to £3.4m) though higher than had been anticipated.
While our expenditure increased, the deficit for the year reduced from £0.27m to £0.1m due to the rise in income.
Mohan used part of his address to speak about the Baptist Union Corporation (BUC), which he said does not often get highlighted. 'So what does it do?' he asked. The BUC acts as a holding trustee for many churches, but also allows churches to both loan and deposit money, he explained, adding, 'Our rates are much better than the commercial sector.' The BUC deposits currently held for Baptist organisations are £79.1m (£68.7m in 2022), while loans to Baptist organisations total £39.4m (£40.5m in 2022).
Mohan also shared an update about the Retired Baptist Ministers Housing Organisation (RBMHO), which he described as a 'remarkable organisation'.
RBMHO currently has 263 properties, most of which are fully occupied, and provided housing to 12 new retirees in 2023. The value of the properties is more than £40m, and this accounts for a significant proportion of the reserves on our balance sheet.
Nevertheless, Mohan continued, the repairs to maintain properties was high in 2023, and will grow in the coming years.
To conclude his address Mohan spoke about the Financial Model Review (FMR) and gave a pensions update. The FMR revolves around where funds are raised and spent. There has been 'progress made, but more to do,' he said. (An extra Baptist Union Council meeting takes place on 4 June focused on completing the FMR).
Regarding pensions, the buy out of the Defined Benefit scheme is being completed, and the process to wind up the scheme will then begin in September or October. The winding up process takes three years.
Baptist Times, 23/05/2024
