The Baptist Steering Group - June 2015 

General Secretary Lynn Green shares key messages from the June gathering of the Baptist Steering Group

 

• The most significant thing to share from BSG this time is that we discerned together a call from God to pray that we would be open to the new things that he wants to do among us (Isaiah 43:18 & 19).  As we reflect on this word to us we are continuing to work out what it means for us as BSG to be and work in a way that is completely dependent upon the Lord.

 

• We are also continuing to work out our vision of deeper collaboration and connectedness and so we spent some time wrestling with what can be achieved and how through the database project, aka "Collaborate". We were grateful to Tim Presswood and Debbie Gamble who presented the initial work of project team and confident that they will be able to enable us to find great solutions to the challenges we face so that our vision can be realised. 

 

• We were deeply grateful to Rachel Stone, our HR Manager, Amy Slennett, our Safeguarding Officer, and safeguarding contacts from across Baptists Together for a huge piece of work that has resulted in a detailed analysis of our safeguarding work. We remain convinced that we need to be the best that we can be when it comes to safeguarding as this forms the foundation for just and fruitful mission and ministry. We will now be implementing the report's action plan.

 

• Through hearing an update of the latest developments with Ignite and meeting with ministers from the North Western Baptist Association, we were struck again by the diverse expressions of mission and ministry that we have and want to affirm within Baptists Together. As we listened to six ministers we were encouraged by the ways that each of them were open and responsive to God and their communities; here were leaders who were certainly living out our intention to be adventurous in our discipleship and mission! We gathered round to pray for these ministers before they left us, seeking God's blessing and anointing for each of them.   

 

• The Fit4Mission survey has been sent to churches and we urge all churches to respond so that we can gain a good picture of the health of our churches in mission across Baptists Together. This information will help us to prayerfully discern what God might be saying to us at this time and the resources and equipping that local churches need in order to be fruitful in mission. 

 

• We listened to each other's feedback with regard to our recent Assembly and shared thoughts about how we might shape future events.

 

• Geoff Andrews led our prayer and worship this time and we prayed for him and for David Locke as they both take up new appointments in the near future.

 

The Revd Lynn Green is General Secretary of our Baptist Union