National news stories in 2025

Praying Together 2025

Here at the start of a new year I want to call our movement to a continued commitment to prayer in the year ahead, writes General Secretary Lynn Green

Firestarters events in 2025

More Firestarters conversations are planned for this year, each with a microchurch focus, as well as leadership huddles

Ways you can join with the Project Violet lament

From now until Baptist Assembly 2025 all of Baptists Together are encouraged to join the Project Violet lament - and co-leader Jane Day shares ways you can take part

Slow wisdom: new discernment resources for Baptists

A new discernment training resource for churches based on academic research launched at the Centre for Baptist Studies at Regent's Park College, Oxford

Communion focus for Baptist Theology in the North

There will be a focus on Baptists and communion at this year's Baptist Theology in the North on 28 March

New films share the story of our radical roots

Andy Goodliff introduces Radical Roots - a series of films from the Baptist Historical Society telling the stories of five people to help better understand where Baptists came from

United in Mission - Baptist Assembly 2025

This year's Baptist Assembly will explore what we can learn about local mission using global insight

St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry now registered with the Office for Students

Eligible students at the centre will now, for the first time, be able to access student finance, including loans for both undergraduate and postgraduate study

'We urge the Government to rethink its decision immediately'

General Secretary Lynn Green has joined Methodist, Church of Scotland and United Reformed Church leaders in expressing regret and lament at the Prime Minister’s announcement of further cuts to the international development budget

Fresh Streams calls Baptists Together to a day of prayer and fasting

Fresh Streams is calling Baptist churches, ministers, and individuals across the UK to unite in a dedicated day of prayer and fasting on Thursday, 27 March 2025

Flowing faith from one generation to the next

The Baptist Union of Great Britain with BMS World Mission are launching a new church resource to help those considering an ongoing blessing to support God’s mission both in the UK and overseas

Churches invited to apply for science-faith funding

Churches across the UK can now apply for a grant of up to £10,000 for a project which creatively brings together their faith and a scientific topic

'A privilege to see the ripple effects of Project Violet impact the Baptist global family'

Participants have been reflecting on the Project Violet International Symposium, which saw more than 30 Baptist women from 10 countries deliver theological papers and engage in plenary discussion

Baptist Union Council: March 2025

Discussions about the future of ministerial formation, how to effectively enable the Baptist voices in the public square, and the return of public resolutions to the Baptist Assembly, all took place at the latest gathering of Baptist Union Council

The quiet revival - new study shows Gen Z leads rise in church attendance

Church attendance has risen by 50 per cent over the last six years, with 2 million more people attending church in England and Wales, according to a new survey commissioned by Bible Society

'God is doing a new thing - how can we, as Baptists, be part of it?'

Missional strategist Alan Hirsch and National Director of 24-7 Prayer GB Dot Tyler will be part of the next Everyone, Everywhere national event - a day of prayer and strategic conversation on Friday 23 May at Kings Cross Baptist Church

Baptist Union Presidency for Alex Afriyie

Baptists have discerned that Alex Afriyie will serve as our President in 2026-27

Churches ‘dismayed’ by the police raid on a Quaker Meeting House

Churches Together in England General Secretary Bishop Mike Royal has written an open letter to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner requesting a review and a meeting to prevent such an incident happening again

Baptists and Communion: Baptist Theology North 2025

Baptist Theology North, a one-day consultation which took place on 28 March, was packed this year, writes Sally Nelson

Baptist Assembly 2025 to begin a journey towards a national resolution on mission

Baptists Together Mission Forum will offer a resolution about mission aimed to inspire, unite and release us into God’s purposes

The Psalms and Hymns Support Fund - 100 years of help

April marks the centenary of the founding of a small Baptist charity that has been able to offer support in later years to those who have lived sacrificially in serving the Lord and his people and mission. By Ian Millgate

'An excellent prompt for some important and encouraging conversations'

An account of a reading and reflection group created to help men be better allies in the wake of Project Violet

Pictorial record of Baptist churches and chapels hits three figures

There are now 100 images of Baptist churches and chapels on a special page of the Baptist Historical Society website - and the Society would like this to grow further, it explains

'Faith the norm globally' - new Bible Society/Gallup survey

A comprehensive global study of attitudes toward the Bible and faith has 'challenged common assumptions about secularism and the decline of belief'

Messy Church to pilot new approaches for older children

A project that aims to engage families with children who have grown through Messy Churches is set to launch

Shine Your Light dates for 2025

The next Shine Your Light - a national evangelistic initiative which encourages Christians to take the Christmas story outside of church walls - will take place from 12-14 December

Migration - 'a call for a more compassionate narrative'

General Secretary Lynn Green has joined interfaith leaders in writing to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to rethink the Government's migration narrative

'Every fellowship is a disciple making environment'

A mission conference led by BMS World Mission formed the first 24 hours of the Baptist Assembly weekend

'Welcome to Baptist Assembly'

Reflections on the previous year from General Secretary Lynn Green and outgoing President Steve Finamore, an update on Project Violet, the treasurers' report and administrative resolutions all featured in the opening session of the Baptist Assembly

'We thank God for all the ways that he is graciously at work in and through us'

General Secretary Lynn Green celebrated the power of collaboration across Baptists Together in sharing three highlights from the past year

Mission Resolution introduced at Assembly

Designed to build a shared understanding of mission across Baptists Together, this marks the beginning of a two-year process of discernment, dialogue, and engagement, with the goal of the resolution being adopted at the 2027 Baptist Assembly

More than 60 ministers and pastors commissioned at Baptist Assembly

Ministers who have transferred to the fully accredited list, nationally recognised pastors and recognised local ministers were commissioned and prayed, in a session which also featured the In Memoriam