‘We can choose to tell a new story – one of gracious growth’ 

General Secretary Lynn Green urged Baptists to embrace a story of hope and renewal rather than decline in her closing address at the Baptist Assembly

Rooted in Philippians 1:1-11, Lynn's message painted a vision of “gracious growth” for Baptists Together, in which church attendance had stabilised, numbers of children, young people and 18-35 year olds had increased, and baptisms were at their highest in a decade.

In light of this, what story are we going to tell, she asked?
 
‘We can choose to keep looking back to some golden era in the past… We can choose to keep our focus on the decline…

‘But we can also choose to tell a new story, and praise the Lord for the gracious growth that, together, we are seeing.

‘Not everywhere, but somewhere, the Lord is opening doors and we are walking into a season of spiritual hunger…. safe in the knowledge that our partnership in the Gospel means that Kingdom growth for one of us means Kingdom growth for us all.’
 
 
A dying fire?                                                                  

Lynn's address closed the Baptist Assembly on Saturday evening. She began with a downbeat metaphor: a dying fire representing the state of Baptists Together. Recalling a moment on retreat, she described sitting by a fireplace, watching the flames fade despite there being wood on the fire. ‘It felt like a picture of our movement,’ Lynn said. ‘And it was disheartening.’

This image, she explained, reflected the struggles many in the Baptist family feel today: ‘inoculation’ to the gospel among the white British population, declining church attendance, resource scarcity, and closed doors to ministry opportunities. Lynn likened this to the challenges faced by Paul and his companions in Acts 16, where repeated closed doors left them disheartened before God led them to Macedonia.

‘Following God’s call, and yet nothing seems to be happening? That must have been difficult and disheartening,’ she said, before drawing a parallel to recent times.

‘We have prayed, we have waited on the Lord, we have welcomed His presence and opened ourselves to being available to His purposes.

‘And yet it has still felt like our Baptist movement is like that fire, dying down and looking like maybe it is done.’
 



Shifting the narrative

Lynn continued this initial downbeat tone by sharing statistical realities that illustrate the struggles: over the past decade, 101 churches within Baptists Together have closed, 69 since 2021 ('illustrating the Covid effect'); 34 have left ((Many are Welsh churches which have become part of Baptist Union of Wales only; others are Local Ecumenical Partnerships ceasing to be part of the Baptist Union). While 70 churches have become parts of Baptists Together, there has been a net loss of 65 churches overall. 

‘This is the story we tell ourselves—that we are a faithful, historic movement now experiencing decline, with embers fading and the fire almost out,’ she said.

But just as Paul’s obedience led to the Gospel spreading into Europe, God is still at work among us today. ‘While the fire may seem to be dying down, there is wood on the fire. And slowly but surely, that wood is beginning to catch alight.’

Lynn showed this by presenting a snapshot of what is stabilising and areas where measurable growth is already taking place, with her findings taken from the 2024 annual returns.

Lynn highlighted several areas where decline has slowed or levelled off. Membership numbers, which were once in freefall, are beginning to stabilise. Our statistics show 57 per cent of churches reporting net growth in attendance between 2022 and 2024, and a further 6 per cent showing no change. That means ‘almost two-thirds of our churches are holding their own or growing!’ said Lynn.

‘And having trawled through the spreadsheet, what I am delighted to report is that the data clearly shows that ALL SORTS of churches are growing!

‘This just wonderfully demonstrates the beautiful, contextual, and varied movement that we are.  Each of our churches has a unique missional fingerprint… if we didn’t have everyone, we would not be growing.’

Lynn celebrated churches that have joined Baptists Together in recent years, noting how three Associations —SEBA, EBA, and NBA—have seen modest net growth over the past decade. ‘While there are many factors at play, this is something to celebrate, and we thank the Lord for it,’ she said.
 

Children and young people and 18-35s, and baptisms

The annual returns showed further areas of growth among our younger generations, and in baptisms.

Midweek attendance for children and young people has risen significantly, with a 23 per cent increase for children and a 30 per cent increase for young people between 2021 and 2024. Sunday attendance has also shown steady growth, with children up by 14 per cent, young people by 19 per cent, and 18-35s by 16 per cent.

It’s ‘not what it was’ Lynn said, but ’there’s no point living in the past we don’t live in anymore’.

She added, ‘Isaiah 43 reminds us, Don’t dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, don’t you perceive it?’.

Last year also showed there were over 800 more baptisms than the previous year – the highest in a decade. Not only that, but the number of baptisms per church has risen from 1.3 in 2018 to 1.6 in 2024.

‘What I find most encouraging about this,’ Lynn continued, ‘is that number of baptisms is about the best figure we have giving us an indication of how we are doing at responding to Jesus’ command to make disciples.’
 

‘The immeasurables’

Prior to presenting this statistical evidence of growth, Lynn was keen to honour what she described as the ‘immeasurables’ of ministry.

‘We all know that numbers and stats can give us a helpful snapshot - but they are by no means the whole picture,’ she said.

‘Pioneers, seeking God’s Kingdom in tough places on the margins, those who minister in communities and with people who feel abandoned and forgotten, those trying to create community from scratch.

‘Our chaplains, who embody and share Jesus and minister in transient communities, trusting that the God-encounters that they invite people into will have a lasting impact on those they meet.

‘For all the precious yet incalculable ways in which individuals and communities are served and blessed and prayed for through the regular worship and witness of our churches.

‘None of this can be counted, but it is all seen and celebrated by God and is beautiful and precious and never to be forgotten.’
 
 
 A story of grace and readiness

Throughout her address, Lynn emphasised that the story of Baptists Together is ultimately ‘a story of grace’. She highlighted an example from Berwick Baptist Church, where she preached recently, in which she shared about The Bible Society’s Quiet Revival report – specifically the point about younger men turning up at churches.

Part way through the service five young men—visiting church for the first time—unexpectedly walked into a Sunday service.

‘Talk about a sermon illustration!’ Lynn said. ‘It was pure grace. But the church was ready, trusting God for the rest. And I want to challenge all of us to be ready too.’

She urged churches to prepare for the opportunities God may bring, whether through prayer, practical action, or simply maintaining an attitude of openness.

‘Spring clean your baptistry and keep praying that it will be used at least once this year,’ she urged. ‘Wouldn’t it be absolutely amazing if, by this time next year, by the grace of God, every single one of our churches had celebrated a baptism?’
 
 
What story will we tell?

As she concluded, Lynn asked delegates to consider the story they tell about the Baptist movement. ‘Are we going to keep telling ourselves and others a story of decline? Or are we going to focus on the open doors and the gracious growth we are seeing?’

For Lynn, this is a ‘no brainer’.

‘I want us to tell a story of what God is doing in and through our Baptist family.

‘I want us to tell a story of the measurable and the immeasurable; of growth and vibrancy and beautiful, varied contextual worship and mission.

‘I want us to tell a story of partnership in the Gospel cheering each other on as disciple-makers and Kingdom seekers.’

She encouraged Baptists to pray for each other and cheer each other on, as Paul had done in his letter to the Philippians.

‘As partners in the Gospel, let’s share our praying and gifts and resources with each other because we care about God’s Kingdom above all else as Baptists Together.

‘And as our reading said, let’s be thankful for each other and pray for each other with dedication and joy.

‘The enormity of responding to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission leaves no time for rivalry and competition and empire building.’

Finally, she encouraged the newly commissioned ministers, everyone present and all those watching the address online to be ‘the influencers in our movement’.

‘Tell the story of gracious growth, and have such a deep sense of partnership in the Gospel it enables us to step into a new era with confident faith and hope that God is at work and one day His Kingdom will come!’



Lynn's address can be accessed below: