Autumn 2026 edition:
Here am I, send me!
God is on the move across our churches, but joining in with what He is doing requires workers who are ready for the harvest. As General Secretary Lynn Green highlights on p6, and Lee Johnson, Team Leader of the Ministries Team on p9, our Baptist movement is facing a crucial moment. Increased spiritual openness leading to more baptisms, growing opportunities for renewed discipleship, and a wave of upcoming ministerial retirements mean we need more women and men to respond to God’s call to lead.
This edition of Together magazine highlights that reality. We explore what it means not only to step into accredited Baptist ministry, but to sustain a healthy, flourishing calling over the long haul: from navigating the practical pathways towards accreditation, to understanding the holistic nature of ministerial formation.
A recurring theme is how raising up leaders is a shared responsibility. Several pieces remind us that discerning calling is not an isolated task; it belongs to us all. What might happen if we each took personal responsibility to actively spot, name, and nurture the nascent gifts we see in those sitting in our pews and serving in our local communities?
Recognising potential is only the first step. It’s important to back this up by creating intentional opportunities for people to serve – giving emerging leaders space to practise, hone their skills, and receive gracious coaching along the way. For the full potential of God’s church to be realised, every single member needs to play their part.
So whether you are quietly sensing a call to accredited ministry, reflecting on your own ongoing spiritual growth, or being challenged to encourage the gifts in someone else, may this edition enrich your discernment.
In response to God asking, “Whom shall I send?”, the prophet Isaiah declared, “Here am I, send me!” What path lies before you today? How and where are you sensing God’s call – and are you ready to follow it?
As Lynn reminds us, stepping out in faith and saying ‘yes’ to God is the adventure of a lifetime.
The key articles in the magazine are featured below:
 | | We See In You | | Our movement needs more women and men who are ready to respond to God’s call to be ministers and leaders - and this needs all of us to see and develop the gifts in others, writes General Secretary Lynn Green
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 | | The Ministers God Calls Us to Form | | We are approaching a significant shift in our ministerial landscape due to impending retirements and increased demands, writes Lee Johnson. In response, here is an introduction to a renewed vision for ministerial formation and leadership development.
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 | | A Call For All and For Some | | As Baptists we believe in the theology of ‘the priesthood of all believers’. But what exactly does that phrase mean - and where should the minister sit? By Ed Kaneen and Craig Gardiner
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 | | What If God is Call Me to Ministry? | | It often starts with a question. Not writing in the sky or an angelic visitation. Well, probably not, as for most it is just a question that will not quite leave them alone: ‘Could God be calling me to ministry?’
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 | | What is Ministerial Formation? | | Nike Adebajo shares how our colleges create an environment for student formation, how ministerial formation is mutual - and how for all of us, our Christian faith is continually being shaped
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 | | Journeys into Baptist Ministry | | How did our ministers first discern God’s call? What happened next? What excites them about their ministry now? The Ministries Team is collecting stories from those called into Baptist leadership - and here are just a few...
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 | | Young, Bright and Bold | | Wale Hudson Roberts introduces Young Bright and Bold (YBB), a residential initiative designed to nurture and develop young Black and Brown leaders within our Baptist family.
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 | | Update from Project Violet | | Project Violet undertook research on women’s experience of Baptist ministry. Samantha Bowring reports on some of the developments relating to ministry and leadership development.
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