Mission is…. The Baptist Assembly 2023
The Baptist Assembly returns to the Telford International Centre in 2023. Held at the same venue in 2019, this year's event takes place from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 June
As we gather again to worship God and to seek his will for our life and witness together, we hope and pray that Baptists can:
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connect with each other; offering encouragement, support and inspiration
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give thanks to God, express the unity and affirm the identity of the Baptist community, and discern the mind of Christ together
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commission and pray for God’s blessing on those who undertake recognised roles and ministries
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express our ongoing commitment to God's mission across the world.
The theme this year is "Mission is..." and is a response to what was heard at the 2022 Baptist Assembly in Bournemouth. Then delegates expressed a real urgency to talk about mission in the life of our churches.
We understand that mission means different things in different places. We therefore want to create spaces that focus on the breadth of mission to support and encourage each other as we seek to follow and share Jesus in our communities. This will be done in a number of ways.
Friday evening has become an integral part of our time together at Baptist Assembly and in the evening of 16 June we are expanding our offering of events. We expect many people to be arriving in Telford ready to meet with old friends and new, and we are encouraging delegates to join us and pray as we commit the weekend to God. There will be an onsite prayer gathering, and a dedicated online prayer broadcast, streamed live from Telford.
The In Memoriam, where we remember ministers and mission personnel who have died in the last 12 months, takes place here. Following this time, we also have use of the Reynolds Suite in the nearby Holiday Inn to enable informal connection and conversation.
On Saturday 17 June the morning programme includes a Bible study, where contextual mission is the focus and different voices will be heard. There will be opportunities to interact with fellow delegates and discuss and discern together.
Two seminar streams follow, one immediately before and one immediately after lunch. Baptists from a range of contexts have been invited to lead interactive sessions to explore various aspects of mission.
Presentations from BMS World Mission and then Baptists Together take place later in the afternoon. The latter includes the induction of Tim Presswood as Baptists Together President 2023-24. Tim will begin to unpack his theme of ensuring that everyone can share fully in Christ’s Great Banquet, enabling us to reflect on what a bigger tabled church might look like. Building a Bigger Table has been the theme of current President Hayley Young, who will be formally thanked and prayed for as her Presidential year ends.
The commissioning of our Newly Accredited Ministers, lay preachers and Mission Personnel – always an Assembly highlight – takes place in the Saturday evening session. Our guest preacher is Bishop Mike Royal, the General Secretary of Churches Together in England, which brings together 52 church streams to work together in unity.
A Sunday morning service takes place on 18 June and will include communion and a final address from Bishop Mike.
Due to feedback, limited take up at last year's event and the cost involved at a large conference centre, livestreaming will not be happening at this time (aside from the online prayer broadcast on Friday night). Instead we are working with Fuelcast, the filmmaking organisation led by Baptist minister Andy Thomas, to capture footage to bless your church. For instance, last year people were very appreciative of being able to access Alan Donaldson’s sermon on Sunday morning. This time both addresses by Mike Royal will be available in the week following the Assembly, and could be slotted into your service. There will be footage of the commissioning, and the general aim is to produce and share high quality resources that will be useful in a local context – whether for services, small groups or personal reflection.
Alongside the official programme, there will also be a Networking Zone, which brings together formal and informal networks across Baptists Together. Delegates will be able to gather ideas and resources for themselves and their churches, and hear more about missional and justice initiatives running across our Union. (Could your organisation or group benefit from being part of the Networking Zone? Find out more here.)
There is a full programme for children and young people up to Year 13.
There will also be space at the Assembly for people to interact with the consultation we are undertaking about Ministry and Marriage.
As part of the event’s After Hours programme, we will be joined by stand up comedian Paul Kerensa on Saturday night. Paul’s one-man show has played to packed-out churches and other venues over the last few years, including festivals from Spring Harvest, Greenbelt and New Wine, to the Edinburgh Fringe and Montreal Comedy Festival.
General Secretary Lynn Green said, 'Our Assembly here four years ago was a fantastic opportunity to simply be together, along with sharing worship, teaching and inspiration and I am confident that this year’s event will be similarly worthwhile.
‘The mission theme of this year’s Assembly has emerged directly as a result of the feedback and the conversations we had when we gathered in Bournemouth last year.
‘We pray that our being together will shape, encourage and inform our mission and discipleship as we seek to follow Jesus in the places He has called us.
‘So please consider joining us in Telford – it’s important we hear your stories, perspectives and reflections. Above all, we simply value your presence! It’s so good to meet up, whether in the official programme or the informal spaces that make the Baptist Assembly what it is. You never know what impact you will have or how God will speak to you as we gather together.’
The Baptist Assembly has taken place in May for many years, but was moved to enable churches to make the most of the mission opportunity of King Charles’ coronation on 6 May. Read more about Baptist church activities over the Coronation weekend here.
Baptist Times, 22/02/2023