'So many young leaders... and their passion for Jesus was incredible' 

Young Baptist leaders have been reflecting on the impact of participating in a global mission summit organised by the European Baptist Federation

 
Around 750 Baptists from Europe and beyond attended SENT23 in Stavanger, Norway in July.
 
A cohort of 31 young British Baptist leaders (aged 18-35) were part of that number, alongside several accompaniers, thanks to funding from the Mission Forum Grants Committee, Baptist Insurance, South West Baptist Association and London Baptists. Following SENT, members of the cohort are to be a part of a three-year mission-focussed learning community.
 
The SENT summit consisted of seminars, discussions, prayer and worship led by a multi-cultural, multi-generational, multi-lingual team of contributors, and explored the shape of God’s mission today.
 
Big questions of missional living for the next generation, the place of the arts, engaging with other religions and digital culture were explored. Themes of hospitality, creation care, justice and unconditional love featured prominently in the emerging picture of what it means to be a disciple, a learner, one who is sent on the mission of God.
 
Stories of numerous church planting projects were shared, inspiring others to consider how God can use them to transform the communities where they live.
 
A significant highlight of the week came on the third evening when more than 100 young leaders aged under 35 years old stood to be recognised in their calling to God’s mission, committing themselves to support their peers while others around them prayed for them to be released to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Baptist brothers and sisters living daily with uncertainty and conflict in Ukraine and Syria spoke at the conference, testifying to the Holy Spirit’s power to replace fear with hope that God’s home-making mission will not be thwarted. 

Click here for a more in-depth recap from the European Baptist Federation.
 
Several of the British Baptists present have shared testimonies in this short video, which was made by SENT cohort members Gabriel and Jenny Esposito. 

 
'I've come back with a real fire in my belly about doing ministry and being excited about it all again,' said Savannah, who is training to be a pioneer minister in Wokingham.
 
'I've come back with such excitement and passion back in my heart for sharing God's Kingdom wider than our church walls. That’s one of the biggest encouragements I've been able to bring back.’
 
'It was such a blessing such to be at this conference,' said Jonathan, a Baptist minister in Scotland. 'One of the things that was really encouraging was hearing stories of God at work despite challenges, real difficulty and brokenness.'
 
Matt from Willesborough Baptist Church in Kent said disciple-making was a key theme that resonated with him. 'I felt inspired by some of the teaching at the summit to come away and reignite the discipleship group that I helped run in my church,' he explained, 'just to see people coming from those early stages of seeking God and believing in God, to then take that next step and become a full disciple of Jesus, and then even become a disciple maker for Jesus.'
 
Sua, from York Place Baptist Church in Swansea, said, 'SENT was amazing. I enjoyed it so much. It was such an encouragement because I met and saw so many young leaders and their passion for Jesus was incredible. They helped me realise how big our God works.'
 
Andrew Ginn, the minister at Cemetery Road Baptist Church in Sheffield, helps lead the Young Adults Round Table and was one of the accompaniers. He said, 'It was incredible to see that team coming together, and to get a sense of all that God is saying and doing through this next generation of leaders.
 
'It was a privilege to see the hunger for mission, the desire for cooperation, that we would be together as one team, whether that's in the UK or with our sisters and brothers overseas as well.
 
'And it was amazing to sense how God was calling this next generation, that this wasn't just a fun team building exercise: God was calling these women and men into partnership with himself. It was a joy and a privilege to be there and to see it.'
 
Isabella Senior, Baptists Together Young Leaders’ Development Coordinator, was also part of the group. She said, ‘What a significant time it was for us to be at SENT in Norway with our Baptist young leaders! They are gifted individuals who are being sent by Jesus to their communities, churches, workplaces, and universities.
 
‘It was wonderful to be encouraged by each other, the quality input shared during the conference and our global Baptist family.
 
‘A moment I’ll forever cherish was when we asked one of the speakers to meet with our group because we want to learn more about how to start a disciple-making movement and the speaker shared some wisdom and prayed for us all. This is what our Baptist young leaders want to do!
 
‘I’m so looking forward to journeying with this cohort for the next three years and seeing where God will take us and who He will add to our number.'
 
Simon Goddard, director of River Tree Ltd, helped organise the British group to participate in the conference.
 
He said, 'It was a privilege to partner with the Young Adults Round Table as together we organised a cohort of more than 30 young leaders to attend SENT23 in Stavanger, Norway. As well as being inspired by speakers encouraging us to participate in the mission of God, it was wonderful to see these young leaders feeling valued by, and connected to, the European, and indeed global, Baptist family.
 
‘The trip marks the start of a three-year learning journey for the young leaders, and we want to thank the Baptist Insurance Company and the Baptists Together Mission Grants Committee for the financial support that is making this all possible.'
 
 
 

• The cohort is formed of 31 young leaders from different associations. 12 of the 13 associations are represented.
• More than 70 per cent of the group are serving Jesus in the creative arts and through digital mission.
• More than 60 per cent are investing in the next generation by doing youth work in their churches and communities.
• More than half of the SENT participants are engaged in evangelism, pioneering or church planting initiatives.
• More than 40 per cent of participants are intentionally speaking truth in issues of justice.
• Nine of the 31 participants were also former interns in Baptist churches.
• The group is diverse in calling, context, age, stage of life and ethnicity which reflects the different spheres of society that they reach.

 

 

 

 

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