Baptist Union Council: June 2024 

Baptist Union Council has agreed a series of proposals that seek to make Baptists Together financially sustainable in the future - for the benefit of local mission and ministry. 
 
The specially convened Council gathering took place on Tuesday 4 June at the Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre in Staffordshire, and focused solely on the latest phase of our Financial Model Review (FMR)

 
Members were presented with a ‘stepped approach’ aiming to move Baptists Together to a ‘financially sustainable way of working across the Baptist family’ by 2028. To ensure our structure is serving our churches as best we can, Council - which discerns the strategic direction of our Union - explored the need to change how we share resources with each other, how we increase our income, and further develop our communication.
 
The stepped approach involves an initial stability phase, including the creation of a one-year support fund to enable our most financially stressed Associations to function throughout 2025.
 
A Financial Sustainability Working Group (FSWG) will be created to develop detailed proposals for sustainability.
 
The group’s remit includes the development of an Income Generation Enabling Team to work with Associations to generate new income streams which aren’t reliant on congregational giving; and to explore how we develop strategic grant making approaches across Baptists Together.
 
Alongside income generation, the proposals seek to change our current byelaws - deemed too restrictive – in favour of a new financial agreement that will free up all parts of Baptists Together to raise income. From 2026 this will change the way how money flows within Baptists Together. As part of this, members of our Union will be asked to contribute to our family costs and the professional support and advice of the Specialist Teams. The FSWG will draft this agreement, which will replace the byelaws.
 
Associations will also be asked to contribute a percentage of their income to a two-year transition fund to facilitate sustainable change with Associations. The FSWG will develop a proposal for managing the distribution of the transition fund.
 
Included in the proposals was a recognition of the growing importance of the digital space, with the newly formed Digital Round Table to propose actions to accelerate our digital engagement. These actions include a funding element. 
 
Council members were encouraged to be mindful how the local church must remain the priority; that all proposals should ‘primarily be considered against the interests of local mission and ministry.’
 
Members were told there is not yet a broad consensus for the financial agreement, which will be the new framework for how we work together. Much more discussion is needed to create a draft to be brought back to Council. This means the approach was described by Support Services Team Leader Chris Jones as a ‘direction of travel’, rather than a completed solution.
 
Chris co-authored the Council paper with David Smith, the FMR Project Analyst, and presented it to members alongside treasurer Mohan Pandian. There was space for plenary discussion and feedback, with members encouraged to share ideas and concerns.
 
Members were also invited to discuss a series of questions in small groups around tables. Their feedback will inform the how the FMR moves forward.


 
The end of the session saw members invited to vote on four resolutions.
 
 
1
That Council approves in principle the proposals set out in the Council Report dated June 2024 (the “Council Report”), recognising that such proposals require further detailed discussions and agreement between BUGB and all Associations.
 
2
That Council approves the continuation of the current financial arrangements between BUGB and all Associations for the year ending 31 December 2025 on the basis set out in the Council Report, including provision for a one year Support Fund as set out in the Council Report.
 
3
That Council agrees to the establishment of a Financial Sustainability Working Group (“FSWG”), the composition and terms of reference of which will be approved by the BUGB Trustees, the terms of reference to include the matters summarised in the Council Report.
 
4
That Council agrees to instruct FSWG to seek to agree changes to the flow of funds between BUGB and the Associations as summarised in the Council Report, together with any related agreements or other arrangements between BUGB and Associations and between Associations, by February 2025, subject to an update being provided to Council in October 2024.
 
All were approved overwhelmingly.
 
 

Background

The Financial Model Review was initiated by Council due to the unsustainability of our current funding model along with continued tensions as to whether the current system is fair.
 
Independent consultants Tricordant were commissioned to undertake the review following a competitive tendering process. They presented the first phase of their findings to Council in March 2022, and the next phase in March 2023. 

Work on the FMR slowed following the departure of previous Support Services Team Leader Richard Wilson in early 2023. Chris began his role in late August 2023, at roughly the same time Mohan Pandian became our new treasurer. David Smith, recruited as temporary Project Analyst to focus on the FMR, also joined in September.
 
Council usually convenes twice a year, in autumn and spring. At Chris’s first Council in October 2023 he received approval from members for this extra June gathering to focus on the FMR.


 

Worship

Around 70 people gathered at the Yarnfield Conference Centre. Moderator Seidel Abel Boanerges opened the gathering, and outlined all the ways members could share their feedback.
 
General Secretary Lynn Green then led worship.
 
Using liturgy from Covenant 21 - Covenant for a Gospel People she explained how the ensuing discussions needed to be grounded in God.
 
'Our purpose is to love, worship and share Jesus,' she said, 'and our practical sharing and support IS an act of worship.
 
'God is a generous provider – everything we have comes from him. Our call is to steward his resources widely.
 
'We need to ask as we discuss, how do these things reflect God? What would Jesus do or say if he was here?
 
'Be attentive to the spirit. I hope the whole day will happen in a prayerful spirit. We seek God’s kingdom here.'
 
The scripture she highlighted was 1 Cor 12: 12-27 (One body with many parts), and invited five Council members to read or sign it.
 
 

Introduction

Treasurer Mohan Pandian introduced the day’s business. He reminded Council members how the structural changes being explored were all about serving our churches, and that in our structure ‘we need to discern the voice of God’. 
 
Several key areas were under discussion, he continued.
 
He spoke of the importance of communication with each other, and of learning to better share resources and learn from each other.
 
‘We need to be willing to share ideas and learn together. When we do that we become far more effective,’ he said.
 
Another key area is our decreasing flow of income, and the FMR is seeking to address this in new ways that do not involve congregational giving. At a national level – as BUGB trustees – we have already started looking at how we do things differently in this respect, Mohan said.
 
He concluded by encouraging Council members to be open in sharing ideas and concerns. Their feedback will help ‘shape how we manage the next few years,’ he said.
 
 

Financial Model Review

Chris gave a presentation outlining key features of the Financial Model Review report he and David had written for Council.
 
He outlined the five steps.
 
1
Stabilise 2025 by building a one year support fund through contributions from financially strong Associations and BUGB, to support financially imperilled Associations; avoid clawback if possible, by budgeting zero for legacies and working even more closely regarding budgets and projections.
 
2
Create a Financial Sustainability Working Group (FSWG), which will take a lead and facilitate collaboration.
 
There FSWG has a four-pronged remit:

• Plan the development of an Income Generation Enabling Team. ‘Through visits to Associations, I have become convinced that for us to survive, thrive, and bring some revive in the future, we are going to need new income sources that aren’t reliant on congregational giving,’ said Chris.
• Establish how a 2 year Transition Fund should work;
• Draft, and redraft an Agreement which will replace the byelaws.
• Establish what financial sustainability from 2028 and beyond will look like.

  
3
Change the money flow and simultaneously replace byelaws with some form of agreement. ‘Basically, we want to free Associations and BUGB up to raise new money, but we don’t want to create a mess in the process,’ explained Chris.
 
A percentage of income would flow to BUGB, and for two years, a percentage would flow to a transition fund to enable the whole family to function while transitioning to a sustainable model.
 
4
BUGB to develop a brief which invites the Digital Round Table to propose actions to accelerate our Digital Engagement.
 
‘This has been included because the digital world presents us with a terrific missional opportunity,’ said Chris, ‘and also a terrific financial opportunity - a wonderful way to communicate who we are and what we do.
 
‘This is about us communicating and joining with Jesus in this world, and serving this generation… and yes, believing that they will appropriately give, and if appropriate, spend, and find community, give of themselves, serve, and pick up that baton.’
 
5
Transition to a financially sustainable way of working across the Baptist family, with implementation alongside a transition fund beginning January 2026, and concluding December 2027, so that new ways of working are in place from the start of 2028.
 
This will need the agreement of both the Associations and Council, the report stated. ‘The model that we’re working with is not sustainable in the long term. This may be a difficult process and will need us to apply the learning from previous changes.’
 
Chris shared this simplified timeline to illustrate the steps.
 

 
He emphasised the steps need to be implemented incrementally, because of the complexity of our structure.
 
But if approached in a ‘prudent and manageable way’, he stressed that 'with God’s help, we can do this.'
 
The Council report featured five modelled scenarios, after which Chris took questions in plenary for clarification.
 
Several of the points raised and their answers related to the Financial Sustainability Working Group. Members spoke of the need for it to feature a representative of the poorest Associations and someone who can reflect theologically; and of the need, given its responsibility, both for accountability and how to best set it up to succeed.
 
There was a point about a potential disconnect with our overall mission of “Growing healthy church in relationship for God’s mission” – the FMR is predicated on falling numbers – shouldn’t there be an element of growing our churches? In response, the new Everyone Everywhere initiative was highlighted – not as a panacea to fix the issue of declining numbers, but as an example of one way in which we are supporting churches to grow.
 
Several points focused on how we relate to each other and organisational trust; whether our current size is unsustainable even with the proposed changes; and of the need to make sure any changes do not widen the inequality between Associations.
 
 
Council members were invited into small groups in the afternoon to discuss the following questions.
 

1. What are the relational impact and consequences of these proposals? How would they strengthen our relationships and how might they hinder our relationships?
2. How does this fit with our Baptist identity and what creative ideas do you have for making these proposals the best that they can be?
3. What are the key risks and consequences and how might we mitigate them?
4. What can we do across our family to enable as many people as possible to understand and get on board with these changes?
5. What are the really big, key things that we need to focus on that you hope these changes will facilitate?

Each table briefly shared key points from their discussions. The feedback will inform the explore the approach moving forward.