A journey from church ministry to MAF  

Baptist minister Darren Smith shares what happened after sensing a call to leave the local pastorate

 
It all began in 2023 when I got the increasing sense that God was calling me to step out of church based ministry and move to a house we had in Devon. Finally, after 19 years in two Baptist churches, I left Worcester Baptist Church at the end of March 2025 without any idea as to what comes next. I just knew God was calling me to make the move, despite me being very happy where I was, and asking me to fully put my trust in Him.

I needn’t have worried about what came next because God had a plan. Of course He did! He always does.
 
Following a meeting that summer, I found myself beginning a new role with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in September 2025. I was to become the ‘MAF in the Community Relationship Coordinator’ with a remit to open doors into networks and denominations where perhaps MAF hadn’t previously had a great presence. This very much fed into an area of ministry I particularly enjoyed, that of meeting people and developing relationships. As a minister I had always enjoyed doing that with folk inside the church but also outside, with local resident associations, councillors, and other ministers.
 
I was already well aware of the work of MAF due to Worcester Baptist Church being a partner church and I had always been impressed with what they do. Now looking from the inside, I’m even more impressed.

One thing that has stood out above everything else is just how many organisations MAF works with. They work with over 1500, including BMS World Mission, flying their people and equipment into remote and isolated communities so they can carry out their ministry, whatever that may be. MAF really is an important cog in the mechanism of mission worldwide, flying into over 1000 airstrips. Some of these, such as those on mountain ridges, are enough to make many a stomach churn!
 

MAF really is an important cog in the mechanism of mission worldwide, flying into over 1000 airstrips

I set to work by beginning with developing relationships within the Baptist world of which I was very familiar and within which I had many friends and contacts. Very quickly I had booked to attend a number of regional associations ministers' conferences, taking with me with a flight simulator which proved a roaring success and showed just how competitive Baptist ministers can be as they tried to land on some of MAF’s airstrips.

Of course, I was also looking for ministers to sign up to have a MAF speaker visit their church, and a good number did, but it has also been wonderful to simply catch up with old friends and build new friendships.
 
There is much I miss about being a church minister, but now serving with the world’s largest humanitarian air operator has given me an even wider understanding of God’s worldwide mission and it is wonderful to be part of an organisation that everyday is changing lives through the love of Jesus.
 
From medical evacuations in the Ecuadorian rainforest to delivering Bibles with YWAM to islands on Lake Victoria in Uganda to transporting hazmat suits to assist those dealing with the Ebola crisis in the DRC. Every 5.5 minutes a MAF plane either lands or takes off somewhere in the world to bring help, hope and healing to those that need it.

There are so many inspiring stories from MAF’s over 80 years of serving God in this way.
 

You can read further details about MAF’s work at maf-uk.org.

If you’d like to find out more about having a speaker come and share at your church about the work of MAF or discuss the possibility of having a church partnership with MAF, please do contact me at darren.smith@maf-uk.org and we can discuss this further.

Darren Smith is MAF in the Community Relationship Coordinator

Images | 
Darren with colleague Cat at the 2026 Baptist Assembly in Harrogate

Flying hazmat suits and a crisis team from Entebbe in Uganda to Bunia in the DRC to assist those dealing with the Ebola outbreak | Dominic Villeneuva


'Darren came and spoke to the church here in Croyde about the work of MAF, but not just that, he rooted everything he said about mission generally and MAF in particular within a clear exposition of scripture which was so helpful.'
Andrew McCausland, minister, Croyde Baptist Church


'We decided as a church to financially support MAF in 2025 and a MAF speaker came to church to lead a service in April this year.  He was very knowledgeable having been a pilot himself and was able to paint a really good picture of all the good work that MAF do in the world and was able to share some pictures of their recent work. 

'It is amazing that they support over 1500 NGOs such as Tearfund and the WHO.  It was good to know more about the way they supported people who were hit by a cyclone that hit Toamasina in Madagascar in February 2026 by being one of the first on the scene giving aid and support. 

'We are very pleased to be partnering with MAF in God's work around the world.'
Bernice Lingard, minister, Bromsgrove Baptist Church