That was the message from the Revd Jonathan Edwards and the Revd David Kerrigan as they opened this year's gathering.

Entitled Beyond 400 in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the first English Baptist church, Mr Kerrigan, general director of BMS World Mission, described it as an 'historic Assembly'.

But, said Mr Edwards, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, 'It's right that we look back, but we are here because we want to capture God's vision of where we are going next.'