Faith and Unity
Is involved in theological reflection, worship and prayer, relations with other Christians, social and political issues, and justice issues.
This gives us responsibility for a number of important areas of work within the life of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB). Our key tasks are to:
Reflect on issues of faith and doctrine, and deepen our shared life of prayer and worship.
As Baptists we have a distinctive identity, and our aim is to draw on the riches of our tradition to help us understand what it means to be God's people today. At the same time, we recognise that there is much to learn from other church traditions as we grow in mutual understanding and deepen our togetherness in Christ. So the Department seeks to provide space to think through issues of faith that affect the life and witness of our churches, a task often fulfilled in partnership with others who are not Baptists. We aim to produce resources that can guide reflection within a local congregation, and that can also contribute to the enrichment of our continuing life of prayer and worship.
See also: Theological Reflection, Prayer and Worship
Nurture relationships with Christians both in this country and throughout the world.
We want BUGB to play its full part in the wider church, offering the distinctive insights that reflect our Baptist way of being church, and contributing to the strengthening of Baptist witness throughout the world. Many BUGB churches have close links with Christians of other denominations, perhaps ministering and witnessing within Local Ecumenical Partnerships, and we work to deepen and sustain these relationships. This involves representing BUGB within the national and international ecumenical and Baptist structures.
See also: Ecumenical Relations (UK), International Relations
Promote campaigning and action on issues of social justice.
The call of the gospel is to work for freedom, peace and justice, and we believe that this is part of what it means to be a missionary people today. So, working in collaboration with ecumenical agencies and partners, we enable Baptists to be actively involved in creating a movement for change in our world. We facilitate campaigning against poverty and the structures that keep people oppressed, partnering closely with Christian Aid. As part of the Joint Public Issues Team we engage with matters of political and social concern, helping Baptists respond to government agendas. And we address issues of equality and diversity, including race, gender, disability and sexuality, enabling Baptists to participate in building inclusive communities.
See also: Social and Political Issues, Justice – Racial, Women’s, Disability
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