The Order for Baptist Ministry was established earlier this year and its website went live this week.Open to Baptist ministers, it's a way of helping those involved acknowledge their belonging to the universal Church and yet express it in a way which is distinctively Baptist, through a daily rhythm of prayer, spiritual accompaniment and retreat.

Religious Orders are common in Catholic and Anglican traditions, but unusual in a Baptist setting.
The Baptist Deaconess Order, established in 1890 by FB Meyer, equipped and trained women to give leadership churches to engage with social problems. In Australia there is a large Baptist monastery, The Community of the Transfiguration.
While not specifically Baptist, the Northumbria Community is overseen by Baptist minister Roy Searle and has become the new monastic community of choice for some Baptists.

The Order for Baptist Ministry emerged out of the friendship of four Baptist Ministers who had met together regularly for over fifteen years (Colin Norris, Geoff Colmer, Paul Goodliff, and more recently Martin Taylor). In parallel, Baptist theologian John Colwell had written a paper concerning a Baptist Order of Preachers.
In 2009, together, they began to explore the possibility of some kind of Order which was distinctively Baptist. A number of gatherings have taken place since then, and on January 2012 a small group made their first vows.

 

The newly-launched website gives more of a background and explanation. The home page states,'We dream of an Order, a community of equals,
Where we are gathered and dispersed
journeying together even when alone
rooted within the Baptist story.
'Where we hold a view of Baptist ministry
as a way of being that mediates the presence of Christ, particularly expressed in word, sacrament, pastoral care and mission.

Its two main expressions of values, enshrined in poetic language called The Dream, are a commitment to prayer and attentiveness, and a commitment to gather.

The website contains downloads of the Daily Office - the daily prayers that those involved use each day.
'Its value, I believe, lies in its helping ministers to remain faithful to their calling and ordination vows, and enriching and deepening their spiritual life,' explained Dr Goodliff.
'We are still finding our way, and have lots of questions we need to ask ourselves,' added Mr Colmer.  'We recognise there will be some people who are drawn to it, and that many won't.

'In ministry you can feel as though you are going alone. Here there is a sense that we are journeying together.'

The first Baptist Order convocation took place in October last year. The second will take place on November 7-8 this year.

For more information visit http://orderforbaptistministry.co.uk/