Assembly reflects on the mission resolution 

Delegates at the 2026 Baptist Assembly paused to review and shape the evolving mission resolution, marking the second year of a three-year collaborative journey towards a shared understanding of mission

 
The proposed resolution was originally introduced by Baptists Together Mission Forum at the 2025 Assembly, and aims to build a shared understanding of mission across the movement.

This year’s session offered space for churches to reflect on 12 months of grassroots feedback before the final text is brought to a formal vote in 2027. 
 
Sandra Crawford, chair of Mission Forum, Pioneer Minister in Jaywick and the Embracing Adventure Representative for Baptists Together, opened the session. She set the context of a shifting and increasingly polarised culture, and noted the danger of churches mirroring society's fractures by focusing on division.
 
‘But this resolution was not born out of division,’ Sandra said. ‘It was born out of hope. Out of a deep conviction that God is calling us to something better, something deeper, something shared.’
 
She emphasised that signs of God’s Kingdom breaking through are visible all across the movement, declaring that the initiative's purpose is to celebrate where ‘communities are being transformed’ and ‘lives are being changed.’
 
‘As pioneers, chaplains, and local churches, we are joining in with what God is already doing and the stories we are hearing are extraordinary,’ Sandra said. 
 
‘We celebrate churches where people are coming to faith, where baptisms are taking place, where there is growth and renewed life.
 
‘We are inspired by those who, day by day, with quiet faithfulness, steady perseverance, and acts of compassion, bring the flavour of the Kingdom of heaven into their neighbourhoods.
 
‘And we are challenged, sometimes uncomfortably, by prophetic voices that call us to make God’s justice visible in a broken world.
 
‘This is who we are. Mission is not an add-on for Baptists - it is at our very heart.
 
‘And so, as we gather across these Assemblies, last year, this year, and into the next, we are choosing to lean into that calling. To listen. To discern. To respond.’
 
Simon Goddard, a member of the Mission Forum Core Team, then walked delegates through the substantial feedback gathered over the past year. He acknowledged that while there was widespread enthusiasm for a shared vision, local churches also raised vital questions during the consultation phase.
 
‘Over the last 12 months we’ve engaged in a wide consultation across our Union, and we’re grateful for the feedback we’ve received,’ Simon said. He noted some responses asked for greater clarity on the language used, some questioned the ultimate purpose of the text, and others highlighted a tension regarding ‘how we balance our emphasis on both local and global mission.’
 
In total seven themes had emerged:
 

• Clearer and more explicit expression of personal repentance and faith within the existing language
• More explicit use of the language of evangelism and disciple-making within the resolution’s current emphasis on proclamation
• Appropriate reflection of Baptist distinctives, particularly believer’s baptism
• Explicit reference to the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and empowering mission
• Clarity in how the resolution is rooted in Scripture and the Christian story
• Greater clarity about the purpose and intended use of the resolution
• Shorter, clearer, and more accessible language 

 
Delegates were subsequently invited to discuss these suggestions in small groups. They were then invited to share thoughts on the importance of each theme 
 
A highlight of the session was the celebration of real-world, contextual ministry. Attendees had been invited to share their own stories of local impact via postcards distributed in the most recent edition of Baptists Together magazine.
 
A selection of these postcards was read aloud during the session by Penny Marsh and Steve Tinning, giving a snapshot of the diverse, creative ways grassroots communities are living out the Gospel. 
 
Delegates then formed small groups to read the remaining cards, pray for the situation highlighted on them, and then pray for one another's local context.
 
The feedback collected during this Assembly session will be used by the Mission Forum to refine and craft the definitive version of the text, which will be brought to the 2027 Baptist Assembly for a formal vote.
 
More on the Mission Resolution here 

Contact Mission Forum here