Core Leadership Team and Trustee Board - June 2026 

The Core Leadership Team, together with BUGB Trustees, gathered at Yarnfield Park in Staffordshire to invest in strengthening relationships, vision and effective collaboration across Baptists Together. Our President, the Revd Alex Afriyie served as our accompanier.

Keeping Christ at the centre, our prayer and worship was led by Lynn Green, Tim Fergusson, Alex Afriyie and Jane Henderson focusing on Colossians 1:15-23 as we prayed for our world and for our movement.

We began by celebrating encouraging signs of God’s work among us. Chris Jones, our Support Services Specialist Team Leader, shared highlights from the 2025 Annual Returns, including 3,407 baptisms and the first increase in local church membership for 20 years! We also received an update on progress with the different aspects Financial Model Review and gave thanks for the many churches faithfully participating in God’s mission across our Union. 

Significant time was dedicated to advancing our vision of identifying and equipping new ministers and leaders. We explored how local churches can play a vital role in identifying and encouraging women and men to explore God’s call. We also reflected on how we communicate the significance, privilege and joy of participating in God’s mission through a wide variety of ministries and leadership roles.  

Additionally, we considered the request from Project Violet (R16) asking for an appendix to the Marks of Ministry outlining the additional responsibilities of trans-local ministry and gained helpful feedback on the draft document.

Turing our attention to the future of Baptists Together, we reached consensus on the work undertaken to refresh and sharpen our vision, values and mission and the preparations needed for this to be shared with Council in October. We also gave time to articulating the value of belonging to Baptists Together and how this might be more effectively communicated across our movement.

With our world in focus and echoing the vision of Revelation 7:9, Sharon Shek and Londy Chan presented the work and impact of the Hong Kong Response Project as their roles draw to a close this month. We celebrated all that had been achieved and gave thanks for the commitment of Sharon and Londy, together with the Working Group who supported them. We also gave thanks for all the ways that local churches have been blessed and enriched through the presence and participation of our brothers and sisters from Hong Kong.  

We are grateful that Candy Choy, Hong Kong Ministers, WebNet will hold the national co-ordination for this going forward in a voluntary capacity. We took the opportunity to reflect more widely on lessons learned about projects and working groups in general and highlighted the positive role they play in enabling focused, collaborative working across a dynamic, grassroots movement. 

Steve Tinning, our Public Issues Enabler, led a session in response to our deep concern about the ongoing situation in Israel and Palestine. We reflected on the oversubscribed session at Assembly and continued to discern how we can best amplify the voices of Baptists to speak prophetically concerning this ongoing conflict together with our shared desire for a just peace.

We celebrated all the positive feedback received for our United in Mission Conference and Baptist Assembly this year.  The Holy Spirit was present and active and we also broke even, which was testament to the tremendously hard work of the Assembly team, and everyone involved.  We are building on the success of this event and already looking forward to 2027! 

There are many ways that the wider Baptist family resources each other. At this gathering Rachel Stone, our HR & Safeguarding Specialist Team Leader, gave an update on recent changes in Employment Law. Steve Tinning, our Public Issues Enabler, showed the new promotional video equipping local churches to build stronger relationships with their MP by becoming part of the Constituency Action Network. The goal is to establish a network of at least one church in every Westminster constituency in England, Scotland and Wales.

As we concluded our time together, we were reminded once again of God’s faithfulness to our Movement and encouraged by the opportunities before us.  We continue to pray that God would equip and empower our churches, ministers and leaders as together we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ in every community.

God is good!
 

Lynn Green