'Dig deep and rediscover all that God has had for you as a movement'
Baptists have an ‘incredible legacy’ and particular distinctives that will serve the denomination moving forward, said Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together in England
In a Saturday night address called Mission is Faith in Action, Mike said he wanted to encourage Baptists ‘to dig deep and rediscover all that God has had for you as a movement.’ Mike spoke following the commissioning of ministers, pastors, preachers and mission personnel.
Taking James 2:14-20 as his text, Mike said the five marks of mission formed the backdrop to what he was about to share.
These are:
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To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
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To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
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To respond to human need by loving service
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To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
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To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
‘That is the mission of God, He has called us to that in its entirety,’ said Mike, adding that James chapter 2 deals with the themes of equality; oppression; social justice; social action and neighbour.
Mike shared he had spent some time reading up on Baptist history, and told delegates ‘you have an incredible legacy to live to’.
He highlighted how Baptists have been a movement developed from grassroots believing communities from its inception; have an incredible history of activism; a tradition of being a dissenting voice and speaking up and speaking out against injustice; had a key role in the Sunday School Movement and an interest in the moral and spiritual formation of children and young people; were one of the first denominations who recognised complicity on the transatlantic slavery trade; and have been involved in many ‘mercy ministries’, particularly over the last 20 years to respond to the plight of the most marginalised in society, ministries such as Linking Lives UK and Renew Wellbeing.
As a way of encouraging Baptists today, Mike proceeded to highlight ‘four Baptist distinctives’.
The first was Grassroots Believing Communities.
Mike said, ‘As one commentator put it: “Baptists have cherished the autonomy of local covenanted communities under God, while seeing the value of working with fellow church in interdependence”.
‘Baptist congregations are often long established and are churches who understand the heartbeat of their local communities, and are therefore well placed to respond to all the demographic changes taking place.’
He emphasised the importance of ecumenical engagement locally, so churches can speak with one voice when engaging with civic society. It was also important to keep looking again at our missional activity ‘so it is relevant for the communities you serve.’
‘And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel there are some great models of mission you can partner with,’ Mike continued, ‘such as CAP, TLG, Trussell Trust foodbanks etc… There are so many others who will take your hand.’
The second distinctive Mike shared was Amplified Dissenting Voices. ‘Deep in the Baptist tradition is a suspicion of the establishment,’ said Mike, referencing a letter from one of the founders of the Baptist movement, Thomas Helwys, to King James in 1612, ‘hailed as the first manifesto for human liberty to be written in English.’
‘The refusal of the monarchy to permit religious toleration led to persecution for Baptists and many fought with Cromwell, taking up the rallying cry, ‘We have no King but Jesus!’ Mike continued.
‘It is this disposition that set Baptists up to be the ones who speak truth to power.’
Today this is seen in a number of ways, including the ‘brilliant’ work of the Joint Public Issues Team that challenges systemic injustice and Baptists forming the backbone of a protest at Parliament Square in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
‘Friends, I’m only telling you your own history,’ said Mike. ‘But sometimes we need to be reminded of where we have come from so we know where we are going.’
Mike’s third distinctive was the Prioritisation of Children and Young People, for Baptists were heavily involved in the Sunday School Movement. He said this needs to be a continuing priority, for the statistics 'make grim reading'. Many youth groups who met pre pandemic have not opened again, while a recent Youthscape survey in the Anglican Diocese of St Albans has suggested that churches are twice as likely to be providing activities for young children (74 per cent) as they are for teenagers, with activity dropping off the older they get (only 31 per cent).
‘These statistics should be a wake-up call to where possible invest in a youth worker, supported by a group of volunteers,’ said Mike.
‘I am here because people cared for me as a young person and wanted the best for me.
‘If we invest our lives in children and young people today, it will stand them in good stead for the future.’
He encouraged churches to involve their young people in the peer leadership of children and youth work in the church.
‘They will be creative and are best placed to shape the agenda,’ said Mike.
‘Young People are not the emerging generation. They have emerged already, they are here, they need to be heard.’
The fourth and final distinctive was ‘Word and Deed in tandem’.
Baptists have had a theology that has been rooted in a high regard of scripture and the word of God, coupled with activism, said Mike, ‘and that is powerful.’
He shared his experience of working with Baptist churches while at Transforming Lives for Good. ‘Whether working in Bolton, Birmingham or Reading, there was something about the activism of Baptists that made it easy to work with them. My experience with Baptists was brilliant.’
He said Baptists have long sought to make a practical difference in their local communities, stepping out in faith to do so.
Mike went on to encourage delegates to ‘resist the dualism of “We do word, we don’t do deeds.”
This is neither biblical nor true to the gospel. ‘You only have to read James to see that God has called us to both,’ he said.
He recognised the danger of ‘just being good social workers if we don’t in an appropriate matter take the opportunity to tell people about Jesus when we are helping their practical needs.’
For, he continued, ‘We need to be confident in the gospel of Jesus.’
Mike said he was also aware that volunteer time was in short supply, particularly post-pandemic, so encouraged delegates ‘to focus on the things God is calling your congregation to do’, and to join with others.
In conclusion, these are four Baptist distinctives that will 'serve the movement well' moving forward, Mike said. He added:
‘May we work in the power of the Holy Spirit. May you know fruitfulness in all you put your hand to.
‘My experience in ministry is when I give it to God and step out of the way, God often does it by himself. We have a God who comes through for us.
‘May our Missional endeavour lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and enable human flourishing across our nation.’
Mike address was filmed and is available below, and there's an option to download it here:
Baptist Times, 19/06/2023