Review of the year 2025
Highlighting the 30 most clicked pieces in The Baptist Times over the last 12 months
1
Fresh Streams calls Baptists Together to a day of prayer and fasting
Fresh Streams is inviting Baptist churches, ministers, and individuals across the UK to unite in a dedicated day of prayer and fasting on Thursday, 25 September 2025
2
The quiet revival - new study shows Gen Z leads rise in church attendance
Church attendance has risen by 50 per cent over the last six years, with 2 million more people attending church in England and Wales, according to a new survey commissioned by Bible Society
3
Graduation for Baptist local leaders course
The first cohort of students on a two year course designed to help Baptist church members deepen their understanding of faith and develop skills in ministry and mission has graduated.
Around 30 participants received certificates during a graduation ceremony for The Learning Collective (TLC) at Baptist House on Saturday (14 June).
4
The 2025 Sam Sharpe Lecture
This year's lecturer Dr Selina Stone brings a prophetic and deeply theological lens to the Sharpe legacy of "liberation from below”, writes Wale Hudson Roberts
5
Flowing faith from one generation to the next
The Baptist Union of Great Britain with BMS World Mission are launching a new church resource to help those considering an ongoing blessing to support God’s mission both in the UK and overseas
6
A quiet revival?
I welcome a recent study showing an increase in church attendance - but I don't like the word revival, writes Michael Shaw. I believe God is doing something new, not reviving the old; a re-formation, not a revival.
7
Migration - 'a call for a more compassionate narrative'
General Secretary Lynn Green has joined interfaith leaders in writing to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to rethink the Government's migration narrative
8
Baptist World Alliance leadership role for Lynn Green
General Secretary Lynn Green has been elected as the Baptist World Alliance’s (BWA) first ever Vice Chair – the first woman to have a leadership role at this level in the BWA
9
‘…if your church can put on a Nativity, you can stage ‘The Bible in 60 Minutes’…’
Lucy Marfleet explores how local churches can be intentionally inclusive in sharing the story of the Bible, and grow in biblical literacy in imaginative ways
10
AI, TikTok - how do we equip our children to make good choices?
TikTok, Snapchat, gaming, AI, deepfake porn – technology is advancing at such a speed that we sometimes struggle to navigate each new turn, writes Katharine Hill
So how do we equip our children to deal with the dangers, as well as to take hold of the opportunities?
11
Churches in transition
After his own church overhauled its Sundays, Baptist minister Mike Sherburn set about discovering others that have sensed the call to change. He spoke to several which have made the transition from a traditional model to something different
12
A response to recent Government decisions on assisted dying and abortion
Public Issues Enabler Revd Steve Tinning reflects on our national role
13
Practical, prayerful – how Baptists have responded to the war in Ukraine
An interview with Igor Bandura, Vice President of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptists
14
Baptist Union Presidency for Alex Afriyie
Baptists have discerned that the Revd Alex Afriyie will serve as our President in 2026-27
15
Chaplaincy at this year's Download festival
'I recognise that Download is one of those places where, as a Christian, I live my life like I should. It's one of my places. Where are yours?'
A reflection by Baptist minister Ken Franklin
16
Ten years stitching inspired by the Bible
A huge textile exhibition began a three year tour of UK cathedrals on 16 January, 2025. Creator and Baptist church member Jacqui Parkinson explains how she wanted to produce artwork everyone can enjoy - and bring them closer to experiencing God’s love
17
Baptist Union Council 2025
A report from Baptist Union Council in March
18
The health and life of a church planter
How to thrive in the pressures of ministry? Alex Harris shares collective wisdom from church planters and pioneers in our Baptist family and beyond
Hopefully it will encourage pioneers and planters; inspire and attract potential new ones, and speak to the pastors and leaders of our established churches too
19
New films share the story of our radical roots
Andy Goodliff introduces Radical Roots - a series of films from the Baptist Historical Society telling the stories of five people to help better understand where Baptists came from
20
'A wake-up call for courage and community'
Andy Glover reports from the Fresh Streams Vision Summit 2025
21
Pictorial record of Baptist churches and chapels hits three figures
There are now 100 images of Baptist churches and chapels on a special page of the Baptist Historical Society website - and the Society would like this to grow further, it explains
22
'A privilege to see the ripple effects of Project Violet impact the Baptist global family'
Participants have been reflecting on the Project Violet International Symposium, which saw more than 30 Baptist women from 10 countries deliver theological papers and engage in plenary discussion
23
‘We can choose to tell a new story – one of gracious growth’
General Secretary Lynn Green urged Baptists to embrace a story of hope and renewal rather than decline in her closing address at the Baptist Assembly
24
Jimmy Carter - a Baptist Christian 'to whom faith and practice mattered deeply'
David Coffey shares a tribute to the 39th President of the United States, who died on 29 December, 2024, aged 100
25
Messy Church to pilot new approaches for older children
A project that aims to engage families with children who have grown through Messy Churches is set to launch
26
Andy Caldwell appointed Webnet Regional Minister Team Leader
Andy, the minister of Welcome Baptist Church in Heathfield, Sussex, will succeed the Revd Nigel Coles, who is retiring in the summer
27
Every church starting a church: a possible dream?
Could every Baptist church start a new Christian community? That's the question at the heart of Alex Harris’ doctorate research, which argues that planting new churches isn’t just for large congregations—but an invitation and expectation for every church
28
Praying Together 2025
Here at the start of a new year I want to call our movement to a continued commitment to prayer in the year ahead, writes General Secretary Lynn Green
29
Mission Resolution introduced at Assembly
Members of the Baptists Together Mission Forum introduced a proposed Mission Resolution at the Baptist Assembly, designed to build a shared understanding of mission across the movement.
This marks the beginning of a two-year process of discernment, dialogue, and engagement, with the goal of the resolution being adopted at the 2027 Baptist Assembly.
30
Can we make the quiet revival louder?
Phil Knox of the Evangelical Alliance explores some of the latest ‘revival’ research and asks how we need to respond as the UK Church
Thumbnail image | Kelly Sikkema | Unsplash
Baptist Times, 17/12/2025