GENERAL DIRECTOR Appointment Details
CONTENTS WELCOME 3 INTRODUCTION 4 CONTEXT 5 DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE OF BMS GENERAL DIRECTOR 7 HOW TO APPLY 9 2
Welcome We are delighted that you want to know more about BMS World Mission and our role as a 21 st century mission organisation. We hope that this document will enthuse and inspire you. How could we describe BMS? We are people who love Jesus and long to share that love with those who have not yet experienced it. We long to see people come to faith. We work with integrity. We seek excellence in all we do. We are people who serve in our headquarters in Didcot, people who serve in our training centre in Birmingham, UK personnel serving in over 30 countries and partner workers in those countries. We are those who support God s work through BMS from a network of over 2,500 churches in the UK. We are people who believe God is calling us to see one million lives transformed by him by 2020. Our much-respected General Director David Kerrigan is retiring and so we are now looking for God s choice of General Director to lead us forward as we progress towards our highest goal to bring people to faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and an experience of the abundant life that only he can provide. If you sense that you may be the man or woman God is calling to this role, then we do welcome your interest and hope you will be encouraged as you read more about the work of BMS. Maureen Russell Chair, Board of Trustees BMS World Mission 3
INTRODUCTION As David Kerrigan steps down from being General Director, we seek a leader of mature faith and missional zeal. We hope to be led by a General Director with a rich worldview informed by the Baptist family and the influence of believers from many cultures. You will be able to think strategically and lead people through change. We welcome candidates who represent our diverse Baptist community. BMS is a global missional expression of the impassioned faith of UK Baptist churches. We are a mission agency. Though our mission is expressed in many ways, it is God s love for us, in us and through us that makes our work effective in bringing about real transformation. We operate in 32 countries on four continents. We dedicate ourselves to seeing the most marginalised people, the least evangelised communities, and those in the most fragile states experience life in all its fullness. We run a mission training centre that trains many people for work in mission, as well as students and leaders in global mission. We seek to inspire and mobilise the World Church in mission, creating avenues for mutual learning and blessing. We are willing to take risks and be creative and entrepreneurial. We invest over seven million pounds each year to support church, education, justice, development, health, leadership and disaster relief ministries. These are undertaken by 112 UK personnel working internationally, six international mission workers, 180 supported partner workers, and also 31 gap year volunteers. We have a work culture that is relational, valuing the God-given dignity of all people. We are a learning organisation led by missional convictions, unafraid of asking big questions and seeking many viewpoints as we strive to grow in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and the effectiveness of our witness and work. Our purpose is to share life in all its fullness with the world s peoples by: Enabling them to know Christ Alleviating suffering and injustice Improving the quality of life In recent months, we have been clarifying our areas of service and have captured this focus in a strategy document and also in our vision document The Highest Goal. Image from The Highest Goal 4
CONTEXT The Board and staff of BMS believe the context of this leadership transition is a dynamic one, inviting innovative change in an exciting global mission. The next General Director will succeed two recent leadership seasons of great purpose. BMS is blessed to be in a very strong position. Our work is effective and fruitful in 32 countries through the faithful ministries of our workers and partner organisations. We have a prayerfully engaged, incredibly loyal and generous funding community across the UK. We have a strong culture of valuing people. Our staff team of 64 in Didcot and Birmingham, along with our mission personnel, are dedicated to seeing over one million lives transformed by 2020. Our global mission field is changing The collective aspirations of BMS will take great faith and skill to deliver. We anticipate challenges that will need to be navigated through strong and discerning leadership. Global mission is changing and demands that we are always open to change: Fostering an organisational structure that reflects devolving responsibility and decision-making whilst maintaining high levels of accountability and strategic alignment. Mobilising Christians with relevant technical expertise to serve in locations of acute need in a way that builds local capacities. The trend is that fewer people in the UK seek to work in developing nations and typically serve for shorter periods. In responding to this shift, we are ready to review and potentially reframe our approach to training. Equipping and resourcing indigenous Christians to serve with authority in their incarnated contexts. We seek to support workers and partners who have opportunity and passion to transform the prospects of their own communities. Enabling global mission workers to serve the Church here in the UK and to bring the richness of their faith to bless the Church in mission in our traditional sending or funding communities. Fostering integral mission through church, education, justice, development, health, leadership and disaster relief ministries, alongside a continued passion for telling the message of Jesus. The Baptist community in the UK is changing By 2020 it is estimated that over 50 per cent of Baptists in the UK will be from ethnic minority backgrounds. Overall, local Baptist church attendance and giving are in slow decline, yet we are humbled by the faithfulness and generosity of our churches who have continued to partner with BMS at a sustained level of funding through recent years. Denominational boundaries are now harder to clarify. Millennials have different expectations of church involvement, commitment and giving, so we are encountering and wanting to be responsive to generational shifts. 5
BMS is changing As a mission agency we steward our commission by remaining open to ongoing improvement and innovation. Some of the contexts of change will include: Continuing to discern the changing nature of mission. BMS has created a space where cutting edge discourse, thought-leadership, training and debate on global mission can be facilitated and fostered. See our back catalogue of Mission Catalyst magazines for examples: bmsworldmission.org/catalyst Developing our thinking and our exercise of excellence as a value. We seek to measure fruitfulness through monitoring and evaluation. Stirring Christians in the UK and beyond to join with brothers and sisters rich in faith around the world to be the powerful body of Christ. Accelerating our learning culture as an organisation, so we can be quick to adapt in our rapidly changing world and wisely responsive to the instincts and invitations of our partners who are working with the world s most marginalised people, in the least evangelised communities and in the most fragile states. Implementing strategic change so that we can be a vanguard of contemporary mission work that is thoughtfully, relationally and fruitfully serving those in need through our workers and through a diverse and empowered range of effective partners. Image from The Highest Goal 6
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE OF BMS GENERAL DIRECTOR We are seeking a General Director who is able to bring courageous and inspiring leadership to our work. The General Director will think and act innovatively, strategically and boldly. She or he will have a servant-hearted authenticity, and a management style that leads through team building and high relational integrity. They will be skilled at building enduring external partnerships, and will be an engaging and effective ambassador for BMS. The General Director will serve a committed and ambitious Board and staff team. Together we will see BMS strengthen our impact in the world. It will be the particular responsibility of the General Director to lead us in four key areas: 1. Spiritual leadership Before the Board looks to more functional qualities, the prevailing need is for a leader after God s heart. In this way, godly character is actually the first and foremost qualification for this leadership role. The General Director will serve the Baptist community with love and the authority to inform others missiology. They will inspire greater unity of the global Church in mission, informed by their experience of different cultures. They will be wise, courageous, honest and open to continually learning. They will exercise a listening heart and will have contagious love for the World Church. 2. Strategic leadership The General Director will both respect the history of BMS and also be gifted to discern the times and identify trends and opportunities that will affect the strategic direction of BMS. They will see beyond current paradigms of mission work and be able and impassioned to plan strategically with others how to enable BMS to be sustainable and effective in the varied contexts of the global Church of the future. 3. Relational leadership The General Director must genuinely and deeply love people. Externally, they must build relationships of purpose and catalyse a movement of passionate missional commitment through BMS many and varied constituencies. They will communicate with clarity and impact in written and spoken word. They must be aware of their own limitations and invite others perspectives and gifts into sharing responsibility for the organisation BMS becomes and how we best serve. They must exemplify good listening and learning. They will seek to honour and build others up, finding joy as they see others thrive. 4. Change leadership The operational delivery is well-led by the team of directors, but the supporting of staff, Board and external partners through dynamic change demands a 7
General Director who is deeply comfortable in contexts of change. They must bring emotional intelligence to understand and orchestrate the appropriate pace for change. There is so much potential for developing further our excellence and fruitfulness as a mission, and the various dimensions of change will be seen as opportunities and not as threats to the new General Director. Person specification In addition to the qualities listed above, the Board believes that the General Director should develop and model a number of personal attributes. The right candidate will be: Passionate in following Jesus. Experienced working in overseas mission environments. Humble, quick to listen and hungry to learn, genuinely curious and interested in people. Deeply inclusive, building a workforce reflective of the world in which we serve and the beautiful diversity of the Baptist family. Wise and articulate to shape global mission. A confident facilitator of change and growth. Emotionally intelligent, self-aware and authentic. Aware they aren t perfect and embracing their weakness as the place where the Lord s strength and the value of working as a team can be demonstrated. Motivational, innovative, entrepreneurial and encouraging of creativity. Decisive and experienced at blending trust in God with human endeavour. Able to evidence a life of having received mercy and loving the extension of mercy to others. Committed to and passionate about doing justice. Image from The Highest Goal 8
HOW TO APPLY BMS is working with Macaulay Search to conduct this critical appointment. If you have any questions about this exciting role, please do write to bms@macaulaysearch.com to arrange a discussion. The role will be based in our head office in Didcot, Oxfordshire, and will involve significant international travel. Your application should comprise: A covering letter of not more than two pages, outlining your motivation and relevant experience for the role. Christian faith is an Occupational Requirement for this position. A full CV, including educational and professional qualifications and a full career history showing the more significant positions, responsibilities held and relevant achievements. Daytime, evening and/or mobile telephone numbers (to be used with discretion). Interested candidates should email their application to bms@macaulaysearch.com The closing deadline for applications is midday on Monday 23 January 2017. BMS World Mission will conduct first round Skype interviews on 22 and 23 February. Finalist candidates will be invited to two days of formal and informal meetings at our International Mission Centre in Birmingham on 6 and 7 March. Thank you for your interest in the work of BMS. 9
PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8XA Tel: 01235 517700 mail@bmsworldmission.org bmsworldmission.org Baptist Missionary Society: registered as a charity in England and Wales (number 233782) and in Scotland (number SC037767) 10