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In today s frenetic world, it s vital from time to time to stand still, find time to pray, and ask key questions. Where have we come from? How far? What resources do we have? And where is God guiding us in the future? These are some of the questions we have been asking in recent months. Trustees, staff at home and overseas, and hundreds more who shared in our consultative process have helped shape the answers that are beginning to emerge. This document is the fruit of that work. In the first half we summarise the challenges we face. In the second half we outline the key themes that will shape our life and work over the coming years. We trust that these simple words will inspire you to share this adventure with us. Together, only together, can we continue that wonderful work of grace whereby people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and taste something of the abundant life that God intends for all. David Kerrigan General Director BMS World Mission 2 3
Looking ba... kc Back in1792 the creation of the Baptist Missionary Society, today BMS World Mission, was a pioneering step. For the first time, the efforts of thousands of churches were pooled in order to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus. In the years that followed, other mission agencies were formed, firstly in the UK, then in the new world. Men and women around the world came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Lives were healed. Communities were transformed. Nations were changed. Now, those nations who once were recipients of that good news are themselves the source of a vigorous missionary outreach of their own. Today, we reaffirm that Christ, and Christ alone, offers freedom from sin, brokenness, injustice and despair. Christ, and Christ alone, gives the freedom to enjoy forgiveness, wholeness, justice and hope. Today we reaffirm the essential missionary nature of the Church, and the belief that, though our world has changed, there is an unfinished task for us to share together. Today we reaffirm that British Baptists, working together, have a vital role in God s plan for the nations. These were our in1792 convictions These are our today convictions 4 5
Looking to God... We will walk by faith we will not settle for that which is easy to achieve, but will consciously position ourselves in a place of dependence upon God. We will love those we serve for in all cultures, love destroys barriers and builds bridges. We will endeavour to break new ground in finding effective ways of making Jesus known. We will value highly those who serve with us, those from the UK and our national colleagues because it s people who tell other people about the God who makes change possible. We will deeply respect those who believe differently acknowledging their faith, striving to understand their world-view, always gracious, never rude, never dismissive, never hostile. We will walk humbly and speak humbly. We will seek to be people of integrity, personally and organisationally, people with clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24: 4 NIV). 6 7
Looking around... Can men women & still be encouraged towards faith in Jesus? France is an aggressively secular society. In Lyons, BMS worker John Wilson is pastor of the Baptist church. There, you ll find G, an engineer who was abandoned early in life by his father. Despite being a confirmed atheist, G has been coming to church for nearly two years. His journey from atheist to believer has been a slow but thoughtful process. Having asked many questions, he has begun to have confidence in the love and faith of the community as they witness to Christ and he is now looking to be baptised. Can communities be totally transformed? Trapiá in north-east Brazil is a rural community in one of the poorest parts of the whole of the Americas. When BMS workers Mike and Daveen Wilson arrived there, a large proportion of all the babies born in the community were dying before they were a year old. The deaths were usually caused by diarrhoea because mothers were mixing formula milk with unclean water. Often during their first year, Mike and Daveen saw little coffins carried past their house. Daveen began a programme of encouraging mothers to breastfeed their babies instead and some years later memorably commented that babies don t die here anymore. Over the years, people came to faith in Christ and now a flourishing Christian community exists. Can nations be radically changed? When BMS missionaries, Rev James Herbert Lorrain and Rev Frederick William Savidge, arrived in Mizoram in north-east India in the early 20 th century, the Mizos were a completely unreached people. Over the years, revivals occurred and millions turned to faith in Christ. Today, almost all the Mizo people are Christian, with hundreds of their missionaries serving all over Asia and beyond. 8 9
Are Looking in... we as Baptists prepared missionary to make a strong renewal of our commitment? At a recent Baptist Assembly, pastors were challenged to come forward if they were prepared to pray that, in the coming year, their church would be in a position to send someone into mission. Between 100 and 200 pastors responded, a moment of great encouragement, one that was described as potentially pivotal for the denomination. People serving in mission make a difference, for God chooses to work through his people to bring about deep transformation. Can we help bring about this transformation? Haiti has been devastated by a series of hurricanes that left the already desperate country in far greater need. Recent events have left over 500 dead, one million homeless and 60 per cent of the national harvest destroyed. Haiti Hospital Appeal, established partly by Coney Hill Baptist Church in Kent, is working to provide educational scholarships to children of the poorest families in Haiti. People from Coney Hill went to serve longer-term in Haiti and BMS was able to give a relief grant of US$10,000 to assist 200 Haitian families through this project. Do we have the faith to believe? We prayed for a sign from heaven that we should return to work in China. In an extraordinary way, a medical college from China, founded by BMS over 120 years ago, made contact with us. We ve grown quite large now, they said. We have 16,000 students! A visit to China confirmed the sense that God was opening a door for us. We were welcomed warmly and invited to send English language teachers to work on the campus. And so we announced our intention to take up the invitation. Our prayers for guidance have been answered. Now we pray for the faith to see women and men from our churches coming forward to serve in this exciting new area. 10 11
Every generation presents new challenges for the Church. Looking ahead... Today s world is no different. History will detail how the Church in the global south, or majority world, has grown explosively, with a confident faith in the God who answers prayer and equips his people. History will recount how migration brought millions from one country to another, including the UK. Many came with a vibrant Christian faith. Others come from the background of other faiths. And out of this mix, the legacy of racism emerged as a reality for many. History will record how in the late 20 th century, the people of the UK, once known for their Christian faith and heritage, largely lost that faith. History will outline the reasons why poverty was not yet eradicated, why too many children still die from preventable diseases, why unfair trade condemned millions to miss out on those things we in the West took for granted. History will speak of 9/11 as a defining event of our age. From the evil of that day, hundreds of thousands more lives have been lost as wars raged. Lives were reshaped to anticipate terror. History will judge whether the challenge of climate change was tackled with urgency, not least because the poorest nations of this world face the greatest threat to their lives. History will tell of the amazing speed with which globalisation has made the world a more complex, interdependent place. But it will also speak of those who were left out as the rich and the strong grabbed more than their share. And history will describe how today s Christians responded to these challenges. 12 13
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Drawing from deep wells To be effective in mission requires above all a close relationship with God, and an ever-deepening understanding of God. We have intentionally strengthened our commitment to prayer within the life of the BMS family. Our recent Days of Prayer have been just one expression of this. We are committed to centring the life of BMS on a living relationship with God and will seek creative ways to express this. We have also devoted significant time to exploring the scriptures, and the underlying mission theology (missiology) that shapes our life and work. This task is never finished but it yields new riches time and time again as we delve deeper into the nature of the triune God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our commitment to missiological reflection should encourage us to take risks. Inspired by the God whose Spirit yearns for every nation, tribe, people and language, we will seek out new and bold opportunities to tell the story of creation and fall, incarnation and crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, Christ s return and the reconciliation of all things under him. u We are committed to becoming a Christ-centred community characterised by concerted prayer, courageous proclamation and bold action. u We are committed to deepening our missiological reflection and learning over the coming years. 18 19
Witnessing to world faiths If anyone thought that religions would disappear with the emergence of a global technological culture, they have cause to think again. The reality of world faiths bears witness to the essential nature of men and women as those who were created for a living relationship with God. We should look for, and expect to find, goodness the whole world over, for all men and women are created in the image of God. But the Bible speaks of Christ as the way, the truth and the life, the only one through whom we find forgiveness and a restoration of relationship with God, with each other and with the whole of creation. This belief brings us not to a place of spiritual arrogance, as some would accuse, but a position of spiritual humility. Our privilege is to share in the task of making Jesus known. The Islamic community especially stands in the eye of many of today s storms. Many Muslims, especially in countries where they are a minority, feel isolated and fearful. The publication of A Common Word 1 from a wide group of Islamic scholars offers hope for a peaceful engagement with the Islamic community, based on friendship and respect. A Christ-like response from the Christian community is demanded, and from the global Baptist family has been given. 2 u The highest goal of all we do is to bring people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, and an experience of the abundant life that Jesus described. This will characterise our training and selection, our choice of partner organisations, and our day to day work. u Many from other faiths, notably Islam, but also Buddhists and Hindus, have quietly become followers of Jesus, expressing their faith in new Jesus-believer communities. We will do all we can to encourage these significant movements. u We will join with others in engaging with Islam, building on the foundation A Common Word offers us. 1 20 www.acommonword.com 2 www.bwanet.org 21
BMS is working in over 35 Responding with creative insight countries, with nearly 200mission workers from the UK engaged in mission in any year. A further 200 non-british national workers are a vital part of our team. And over 200 each year go from the UK on shortterm mission teams. But there is so much more to do so inspiring people to serve as mission workers in countries other than our own remains a core mission commitment of BMS. Our primary focus will remain on parts of the world where there are the fewest Christians in many cases no Christians and places where chronic poverty blights the lives of millions. In many countries where we work, these two factors coincide. Our work in strategically important countries often requires creative access strategies. Our recent experience in establishing a thriving business in one such country encourages us to think how we can develop this line of work. But gospel integrity demands that we do not have people serving in countries under false pretences. Our people will always do that task for which permission has been granted to live in the country. In many countries we see increasing numbers of relatively small-scale mission enterprises led by Spirit-filled women and men. These indigenous missionary movements are making a major contribution to the mission work of the world Church and we will seek opportunities to support these exciting but often under-resourced movements. Mission is never without risk, yet we live in an increasingly riskaverse world. We believe we must continue to send people into parts of the world where personal safety cannot be taken for granted. u We will continue to challenge UK Christians to serve in mission wherever our presence is still needed. u We will develop further creative access strategies wherever necessary. u We will continue our support of national workers, but add to this a fresh impetus towards partnership with dynamic indigenous missionary movements. u We will continue to place our people in countries where the risks are high, equipping them for the task and supporting them in prayer, that God might use them for his glory. 22 23
Listening to global voices It is now commonplace to speak of the shift in the centre of gravity of the world Church from the northern hemisphere to the global south, or majority world. All mission organisations today need to ensure that the voice of the global south contributes to shaping their thinking and practice. The insights of the world Church can only strengthen our mission work as we seek to make Jesus known in cultures that are often closer to the Church of the global south than our home culture. It is important that these voices are heard at all places within the organisation. Such voices need to be heard in setting strategy and making operational decisions. They will help shape our prayer life and our missiological reflection. They can guide us towards new insights into scripture and greater faith in the outworking of the missionary task. u We will actively strengthen our trustee body by seeking to appoint those whose voices represent the Church of the global south. u We will look for opportunities to internationalise our leadership, including where possible those who serve at regional level. 3 3 Our work currently covers five regions of the world Africa, Asia, 24 Europe, Latin America and the Middle East/North Africa 25
Engaging with local realities Many Baptist churches have established their own links with churches or projects abroad, in addition to their support for BMS. This is one of the great missionary possibilities of our day and we delight in working with many such churches to offer advice and encouragement. And it s not unusual for us to be inspired by such projects! In recent times, a few larger churches have taken ownership of agreed parts of BMS work. They support such work financially, visit the location and are involved in discussions with us about the development of that work over time. But many of our churches have people from all over the world in their neighbourhood and have asked for help in understanding other cultures, and how to engage with them. In recent years we have supported a number of UK initiatives reaching out to such communities. This will continue, even though our primary focus remains our work in other nations. We believe that the challenge of growing multi-cultural communities in the UK will make fresh demands on those training for ministry in the years to come. Our strengthening partnerships with Baptist Unions, Colleges and Associations are full of potential for the future. u We will create resources to help churches develop their own world mission strategies. u We will help churches forge a direct link with a person, a project, a team or a country where we work, thereby enabling their mission link through BMS to develop in exciting new ways. u We will intentionally seek stronger partnerships with the Unions, Colleges and Associations of the UK Baptist family. u We will continue to support a limited number of bold, creative ventures within the UK, especially those reaching out to ethnic minority communities. u We will develop training resources to equip our churches in the UK with the skills and insights needed to become more confident in reaching out to neighbours from other faiths. 26 27
Resourcing through sacrificial giving BMS is one of the last remaining mission organisations in the UK to fully support our long-term workers. This is a principled position that we have adopted and one that we believe should not change. The financial responsibility is shared by the whole Baptist family rather than allowed to rest on the shoulders of our mission workers alone. Our work can grow in the coming years but we can t expand without extra resources. So we will walk in faith, looking to God in prayer for our needs to be met. The Baptist family is amazingly generous. We are blessed by the faithfulness of our churches. We interpret this faithful support as the clearest indication that Baptists retain a biblical conviction that the Church is missionary in nature, or else it ceases to be the Church. Praise God that this is so! We have been encouraged to explore additional sources of funding. This we have already begun. Our 24:7 Partners programme had 1,500 individual members giving us 125,000 of income in its first year. Ten thousand Partners paying by Gift Aid could bring in over 1 million for 7 per month per person! u BMS will continue to depend on the sacrificial giving of Baptist churches as the mainstay of our mission work. u To facilitate additional growth we will develop 24:7 Partners and other initiatives as means of adding new resources to BMS without placing unrealistic demands on our churches. u BMS will develop new initiatives for accessing grant funding that will support our work in some of today s physically and spiritually neediest parts of the world. 28 Tithe barn 29
This document is the product of the wisdom, insight and prayers of a huge range of people, notably a large number of Baptist ministers who took time to comment on the early draft versions which we issued widely for discussion. We are indebted to them, and to all the other contributors who helped shape and refine the content over a period of months. The Board of Trustees believes that the commitments made in this document are foundational to the way in which BMS will develop in the coming years. These form a manifesto which will see us systematically work through the six themes outlined in the second section. I hope that you will commit to making this journey into the future with us, both through prayer and through practical support for BMS. In the end though, our chosen title reflects our belief that all we do is for, and in the name of, the God who loves us and asks us to be his hands in a hurting world. Graphic design: Malcolm Currie Art direction: Andrew Mann Photo research: Andrew Dubock Director for Communications: Mark Craig Jeff Taylor Chair of Trustees Photo credits Page 8 (top left): Robert France Page 11 (top left): Ian Britton; (right): Lucas Simmons Page 13, 14: Dan McDowall Page 21: sbc.net Page 29: Jess Loughborough Printed by Wright s (Sandbach) Limited Printed on material from sustainable forests. 30 31
BMS World Mission PO Box 49 129 Broadway Didcot Oxfordshire OX11 8XA Tel: 01235 517700 E-mail: mail@bmsworldmission.org www.bmsworldmission.org Registered as a charity in England and Wales (number 233782) and in Scotland (number SC037767) BMS World Mission 2010 32