New role for BMS World Mission's Peter Dunn

The Director of Mission at BMS World Mission, the Revd Peter Dunn, is leaving to become European Director of the missionary organisation Biglife Ministries. Peter’s new role will be shared between Biglife and the Yorkshire Baptist Association (YBA)

 
Biglife, a BMS partner, seeks to empower believers worldwide to reach and disciple their own, and Peter will have a Europe-wide role with its leadership team. 

Peter will also be rooted as a practitioner in the local context of Yorkshire. He will be an integral part of the YBA core team, seeking to support, encourage and facilitate his calling and passion for Disciple Making Movements (DMM) within the YBA.

Peter said, ‘It has been a real privilege to serve with BMS over the past nine and a half years, meeting with partners and personnel across the world, seeing the Lord at work amongst people who have never heard the Gospel and those who live in extreme hardship. 
 
‘In the early days of my time with BMS I met with John Heerema and Benjamin Francis of Biglife Ministries and was inspired by the stories of transformed lives and approaches to mission that were new to me. 
 
‘During my time with BMS, Biglife has been a key partner and the growth of disciples has been both amazing and also inspiring in terms of how we in the West can learn from the world church. I am excited at the possibilities of being part of the Biglife leadership team and seeing the Disciple Making Movement's principles being applied in a European context. 
 
‘I am excited that the partnership between Biglife and YBA provides a rootedness in a local context for us to grow together, that will be a blessing across the UK.’
 
In his new post Peter will relocate to Sheffield and will be looking to connect with those who want to engage with the DMM model in the YBA.

Graham Ensor, YBA regional minister team leader, said, ‘We believe this is an exciting partnership with a major missionary organisation that has discipleship at its heart.
 
‘In practice, Peter will be employed by Biglife, however, his European and Yorkshire roles are not to be seen as separate from one another but as mutually beneficial, with training, learning and new opportunities flowing between one and the other.’
 
Peter leaves BMS on 30 June, and begins the new role on 1 September. BMS General Director Kang-San Tan said, ‘We are excited at the new opportunities opening up for Peter.
 
‘Everyone involved is confident that a strong relationship will continue between Peter and BMS in his new role.
 
‘We also trust that the Lord will direct BMS and provide for us as we together seek to serve him.’
 
Kang-San said that BMS is already planning how best to manage this time of transition, and a suitable recruitment process for the role of Director of Mission will be part of that. Steve Sanderson will assume the role of Acting Director from 1 July, and will work closely with Peter in the period until then.