‘Look up...’: a reflection from the Baptist Assembly 
 

Minister Ali Taylor sensed a gentle prompting to seek God first - and it resulted in a poem simply called Up

As Baptist Assembly 2026 began in Harrogate, delegates were invited to reflect on the state of mission, attendance and finance within our Baptist family, and to consider the question: “What are you saying, God, to my Baptist family through me?” 

This led me to reflect on the simple word ‘up'. 

It has to be said that church life can often be measured by whether things are ‘up'. Membership numbers, money coming in, engagement, attendance. Such signs of momentum are to be celebrated, because there is encouragement to be found in seeing churches flourishing and people responding to the good news of Jesus. And yet, as I reflected on this word ‘up’, I sensed a gentle prompting from God: before we focus on what is happening around us, we must first look up to Him. That reflection led me to write a poem simply called Up. 


The word is 'up' 
Numbers up 
Money up 
People up 

Things are looking up
And it's exciting and encouraging  

But my call to you is to look up  

Look up to Me 
Lay down the busyness 
Set aside the rush 

Don't get caught up in the numbers game 
Still your hearts and minds 

And look up 

Look up and see Me 
See My hope rise 
My joy rise
My peace rise 
Like light shards breaking the horizon 
As the sun comes up 

Look up  

Before you show up 
Before you stand up 
Before you speak up 

Before you take up 
Before you stir up  
Before you rise up 

Look up 
And let what you see in Me 
Be seen through you 
In all you do 

Look up 
Keep looking up 
Because things are looking up! 


I hadn’t planned to share these words publicly, but as the weekend unfolded, I sensed they were not simply for me. So to share these words, I wrote them out and attached them to the prayer board hosted by the North West Baptist Association. Several people who then reflected on the poem spoke about how deeply the call to “look up” resonated with them amid the pressures of ministry and leadership. 

Church leaders and congregations are currently carrying a lot of responsibility, navigating cultural changes, financial pressures and the very real temptation to measure faithfulness through productivity. In this pressured environment the call to ‘look up’ might feel simplistic, but Scripture repeatedly calls the people of God to lift their eyes before they move their feet. 

Psalm 121 asks, “I lift my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?” Isaiah reminds the weary that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” Paul urges the church in Colossians to “set your minds on things above,” while Hebrews encourages us to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” All of these are invitations to reorient ourselves towards God in a world that is too often fixated with self. 

The words I composed are not intended as a critique of growth, strategy or ambition. We absolutely should pursue mission boldly, serving one another and our communities with passion and wholeheartedness. We should also absolutely celebrate the good. But activity without attentiveness can exhaust us spiritually. It is all too easy to become so occupied with building for God that we forget simply to be with God. 

So, before we preach, organise, plan, debate, plant, fundraise or lead, we must be intentional about focusing on God first. Many stories were shared at Assembly, both in the gathered times, but also in the many one-to-one conversations that took place over the weekend. Some of these conversations would have been encouraging, whilst others will have had echoes of struggle or pain.  

Beneath all these stories of present realities and future hopes for individuals, churches and our Baptist movement, there is a deeper longing: not merely for better outcomes, but for deeper communion with God. 

Perhaps the prophetic challenge for this moment in our Baptist life together is not simply to become bigger, louder or busier, but to look up — to recover a deeper sense of wonder as we seek God first. Because when the church truly looks up, God’s hope, joy and peace rise within us and through us, giving us strength to reflect His presence rather than merely amplifying our own effort. 
 

The Revd Ali Taylor, minister of Yardley Baptist Church, Birmingham

A recording of this reflection has been created in conjunction with HEBA and is available for download: Up - a reflection from the Baptist Assembly 2026 - Rev'd Ali Taylor