Baptists and the national church planting ecosystem
 

What are the wider Kingdom contributions we make as Baptists around church planting? How are Baptists seen in the eyes of other networks and denominations when it comes to church planting?

Alex Harris offers three reflections

I have the privilege of helping to convene the National Church Planting Network, uniting denominations, networks, and streams in a collaborative desire to reach England together through planting new churches, revitalising existing churches and reimagining what church for the future will look like.
 
I want to offer three personal reflections to encourage us as a movement in terms of what we bring into that wider Kingdom world. It could do our collective confidence in Jesus good to reflect on the ways that Baptists are seen in the eyes of other networks and denominations when it comes to church planting.


Expertise

We are viewed as having expertise to offer and share. Other church networks want our advice and expect to learn from us. That is particularly around ‘fleet’ church planting and pioneering (verses flagship planting of traditional models). We do sometimes do the latter and certainly in the Victorian/Spurgeon era non-conformists, including Baptists, led the way in planting traditional looking churches. We still do that now, but other networks have become more experienced or greater champions of this, such as Newfrontiers, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Church of England, Vineyard, or Church of God of Prophecy.

Our deep ethos as Baptists is the ability to be agile, unhindered by cumbersome institution, unbounded by geographical limitations or the need for specific buildings or ‘officers’, empowering of people - especially empowering of volunteer, unaccredited, unusual, or unexpected leadership.

We excel at being locally reactive, naturally collaborative, able to appreciate vastly different expressions and shapes of church equally. ‘Fleet’ planting is just that – a flotilla of vastly different boats united with one mission and mutual appreciation. Others look to us to lead them here.
 

Hospitality

Second, we are viewed as easily hospitable, offering a vital space for community, conversation and collaboration that releases gospel effectiveness. Baptists can hold a space that is welcoming of both historic networks (such as Church of England or Methodist), and black majority networks (such as Redeemed Christian Church of God) and ‘newer’ networks (such as Newfrontiers or Vineyard).

We also offer hospitality across theological spaces with conservative, mainstream and more progressive movements able to feel ‘at home’ in Baptist hosted spaces.

For example, it can be difficult for Newfrontiers to be in an Anglican space; or Methodists to feel comfortable in a RCCG space. But generally, all feel comfortable in a Baptist hosted space. More noteworthy for effective gospel collaboration is they are comfortable to be together in a Baptist hosted space. This is a significant part Baptists have in the national Kingdom ecosystem.

 
Hosting

Thirdly, it is often reflected that Baptists tend to be the natural adjacent space migration mission/diaspora church planting is drawn to. Migrant mission church expressions disproportionally attach to Baptist identity as opposed to historical denominations or newer networks. This would be a third important space in the national church planting eco-system Baptists fill, not uniquely but distinctively.

It is often a gestation space perhaps of several decades until the migrant-mission matures into its own identity and structure, or comfortably finds expression in being ‘fully’ Baptist. It is also worth noting this migrant-mission/diaspora space is the largest growth curve of church increase in the UK at present and likely going forward. The Baptist ability to hold this group well is an important contribution to the wider planting/kingdom ecosystem.
 
It also allows the essential experiences and leadership of those diaspora spaces to be more widely welcomed and heard in the wider Kingdom work of our heritage movements and denominations. It is a vital voice we need and a crucial leadership to follow. Diaspora Christian communities are a place of spiritual energy and planting expertise for renewal that we want to welcome. Baptists create something of a gateway or platform not only to host those communities, but to access that voice. This is a national contribution Baptists make into the wider kingdom ecosystem.
 

Celebrate, guard and steward

All denominations and networks, in God’s Kingdom eco-system, have essential elements to bring. Baptists in that sense are not unique, but our contribution is bespoke to us. This trio of wider Kingdom contributions we make as Baptists around church planting is important to celebrate. It is also important we are good guardians and stewards of those contributions by investing in our planting aspirations not only for our good but for everyone’s.
 
The ultimate reason to revitalise existing churches, plant new ones, and reimagine what church will look like in the future is to reach and disciple new people for Jesus.
 
Second to that is the constant renewal of our own Baptist Family that planting brings.
 
But as Baptists we also have a responsibility and privilege to empower and enable other denominations and networks to effectively collaborate, plant, and flourish. The Apostle Paul quotes Jesus saying, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’, and here we have a wonderful and valued gift to give others (Acts 20:35).
 

Image | Ashley Blake | Creationswap

 

Alex is YBA Regional Minister for Pioneering and Church Planting, co-leader of the Firestarters Network of growing churches helping churches to grow, and Director of Baptist Planting at St Hild Centre for Church Planting.

As a family they are planting Lydia House in the centre of Leeds and his doctorate studies are in ‘Church Planting in post-Christendom Europe’.

In January 2023 he co-authored with Chrissy Remsberg On this Rock based on the Firestarter Network experiences and lessons.

 
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