You may have been a Baptist all your life, or perhaps your membership of a Baptist church is quite recent. Here are some key things to know about what it means to be Baptist, which might be helpful to you in your role as Church Secretary:
 

	Belonging to Baptists Together What does it mean to belong to Baptists Together? This booklet is a short introduction to Baptists Together, exploring our distinctive identity as Baptists and what it means to belong in our movement.
	Vision and values As a movement, our vision is to be: 'Growing healthy churches in relationship for God's mission'.  Find out more about our priorities and key areas of work which have been identified by Council.
	Baptists Together Our Union is made up of around 2000 churches supported by staff in thirteen regional associations and three specialist teams based in Didcot, Oxfordshire.   Our five Baptist Colleges prepare men and women for ministry and offer ongoing development and training. People in the specialist teams and your local association will be able to help you on a variety of aspects of church life.
	Regional Associations Each regional association has a team of regional ministers and administration staff that support the local church pastorally, advise on mission and practical matters and organise beneficial training events. Regional ministers also support churches seeking a minister, and ministers seeking a new ministry opportunity, through the Baptists Together Settlement Process. Click here to find out about who you can contact in your local association team.
	Specialist Teams Based at Baptist House in Didcot, Oxfordshire, the Specialist Teams provide help and support for churches and ministers in the following areas: Faith and Society - Covers a diverse range of work including theological reflection, contemporary issues, mission opportunities, justice, prayer and worship, representation in public life and with other denominations Ministries - Covers all forms of Baptist ministry, whether practised by accredited ministers who serve as church pastors, chaplains, evangelists, pioneers, or children's, youth and families workers, or by nationally recognised pastors, preacher and pioneers. Safeguarding - Providing resources to help you and your church as you work to create a safe environment that is welcoming to all Support Services - Covers three main areas of work – finance, pensions, and Legal and Operations (including BUC)
	General Secretary Our current General Secretary is Lynn Green. She serves the Union by offering spiritual leadership within the context of the Word and prayer. Lynn has overall responsibility to communicate the vision, values, priorities and policies of the Union’s Council within the Baptist family and, with others, to represent them externally with Baptist and ecumenical bodies, government media and other agencies.
	Governance In November 2012 BU Council agreed major reforms to the denominational structures of our Union to strengthen the support it gives to local churches. These aim to ensure the highest practical level of involvement among members and the greatest possible level of accountability to members. Find out more about our Council (including the names of your local representatives), Core Leadership Team and Trustees. The Assembly is the place where churches are directly represented through their delegates, alongside ministers and members of Council. The Assembly is usually convened once a year in the form of the Baptist Assembly event, to which all our churches are invited to attend. The Baptist Assembly in 2023 will be held in Telford from 16-18 June.
	Home Mission Home Mission is all about helping Baptist churches and individuals to reach their mission potential and bring the love of God to their communities. It is the Baptist family purse, and each year our Union has an appeal to raise money for Home Mission. Grants for local churches are available from the regional associations. Information about how Home Mission funds are being used, and ideas of ways to encourage giving to Home Mission are available from the Home Mission area of our website.
	Presidency The President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain is elected annually and usually takes office at the annual Baptist Assembly held in May. During the Autumn each year we seek nominations for our next President, and then invite all Baptist churches to discern and vote for the candidate they believe should serve our Union in this role. Information about each candidate will be sent in January for you to share with your Church Meeting, along with a link to vote for your church's preferred candidate.  Click here for more information about the current President and look out for the emails about the next election.