Baptists Together Mission Forum – July 2026

At the heart of our discussions at Mission Forum was a presentation and conversation led by Israel Olofinjana, drawing on his paper Why Did Jesus Speak Aramaic? A Biblical Theology for a Decolonised Mission. The paper begins by considering the world of Jesus: a people living under occupation, whose language, identity and culture had all been shaped by empire. Together, we explored themes of power, culture and the Kingdom of God, recognising that Christian mission has not always been separate from the structures of empire. At times, the good news of Jesus has travelled alongside assumptions of cultural superiority, political power and Western influence. While many missionaries have served sacrificially and faithfully, mission itself has sometimes become entangled with patterns of domination rather than reflecting the self-giving way of Christ.

Rather than confronting empire with greater power, Jesus embodied a different kingdom altogether. His life was marked by vulnerability rather than privilege, humility rather than control, generosity rather than exploitation, reconciliation rather than division, and an openness that crossed cultural and social boundaries. These qualities were presented not simply as admirable characteristics, but as the very pattern through which God’s mission is revealed.

This was not a conversation about blame, nor an attempt to dismiss the rich heritage of Christian mission. Instead, it became an invitation to listen honestly—to Scripture, to history and to one another—and to ask how we might participate more faithfully in God’s mission today.

We reflected on a number of questions, including:
• Where do we still see echoes of power, control, or superiority in our mission practices?
• What would it mean to engage in mission as guests rather than hosts?
• Whose voices are currently missing from our mission conversations?
• How can we share not just resources, but power and influence?
• How would our approach change if we focused more on presence and witness than on results and outcomes

We were reminded that the earliest church flourished not because it possessed influence, but because it embodied a different way of living. Long before Christianity occupied positions of privilege, it grew through communities whose lives reflected the reconciling love of Christ. Recovering something of that posture may be one of the greatest opportunities facing the Church today.
Following these conversations, we returned to the proposed Mission Resolution. We considered how the resolution might help us articulate a richer and more holistic understanding of God’s mission. We also reflected on feedback received over the past 12 months through the Baptists Together website and from Assembly.

While there was strong support for the overall direction of the resolution, several consistent themes emerged about how it could be strengthened. The highest priority was to make the resolution shorter, clearer and easier to understand. Participants also wanted greater clarity about its purpose and how it is intended to be used within the life of Baptists Together.

There was a clear desire for the resolution to give greater emphasis to the Holy Spirit, recognising the Spirit’srole in guiding, empowering and sustaining God’s mission. Many also suggested that the existing emphasis on proclamation should include more explicit references to evangelism and disciple-making, alongside a clearer expression of personal repentance and faith.

Other areas for development included making the resolution’s biblical foundations more explicit, ensuring thatit is clearly rooted in the Christian story, and strengthening the reflection of Baptist distinctives, particularly the significance of believer’s baptism.

In light of this feedback, time was spent reviewing the wording of the resolution and considering resources that could accompany it for use by churches, including sermons, small group material, art, prayers and poetry.

We concluded by exploring issues for future gatherings and listening to one another about missional priorities across the country.

Sandra Crawford chairs Baptists Together Mission Forum