Baptists Together Mission Forum – July 2025

 

In July 2025, representatives from across Baptists Together gathered for a 24-hour Mission Forum. After an introduction from Sandra Crawford and a presentation from Dave Gregory about the missional call to creation care, we consider how best we might collaborate nationally to support our shared calling to God’s mission. Building on the Mission Resolution presented at Assembly and a question posed by General Secretary Lynn Green — “How could BUGB best enhance national strategic collaboration in mission?” — the Forum focused its energy on five priority areas:

• Increasing numbers of ministers and leaders
• New and fruitful mission
• Wide ownership of our Baptist identity
• Baptists speaking prophetically in the public square
• Increasing numbers of baptisms and churches

Each of these areas was explored through a structured process: defining the problem, engaging in group discussion using the STOP, START, CONTINUE, and CHANGE framework, and reflecting together on possible ways forward.

Some common themes emerged:

• The need for flexibility, contextualisation, and partnership in leadership formation.
• A call to shift from institutional maintenance to missional innovation.
• The importance of celebrating and resourcing diverse expressions of mission and identity.
• A desire to amplify prophetic voices and empower grassroots initiatives.
• A growing conviction that collaborative structures — not just national strategies — are essential for lasting fruit.

Participants celebrated existing collaborative work like SENT, Internships, YouthScape Essentials, and the Pioneer Ambassadors, and explored what further national initiatives might now be needed.

The insights and proposals from Mission Forum will inform Core Leadership Team discussions in September and Council in October, helping shape national priorities that support our shared calling as a Spirit-led, mission-shaped movement.

At the end of our time together we prayed for our journeying together, asking that God will guide us into bold, generous, and fruitful collaboration – locally, regionally and nationally – so that we might bring glory to God through partnering well with one another in mission.


 

 

Sandra Crawford chairs Baptists Together Mission Forum