NBC Pastoral Letter May 2011

This month I was struck by what Jonathan Edwards, the General Secretary of the Baptist Union had to say in the BUGB publication Transform, and I thought it deserved a wider readership. So I have quoted it below…

I am often interviewed. Sometimes the interview takes place in a radio studio and I am grilled by someone who fancies themselves as the next Jeremy Paxman! However, more often I am interviewed in the gentle context of a service of worship. I have discovered that there are two main questions that I am asked. The first is “What encourages you most about the Baptist Union?” and the second is “What depresses you most about the Baptist Union?”

I find both questions easy to answer. Without any question the most impressive and encouraging aspect of our life together in the Baptist Union is the bubbling creativity that I find wherever I go. Whether you look at buildings, worship, evangelism, fellowship, or engagement in the community there are innumerable illustrations of new and exciting initiatives and novel ways of doing familiar things. This is exactly what you would expect from a community that is inspired and led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always in the business of transformation and creativity.

The Olympics next year will give a wide range of exciting opportunities to reach out to people with the love of God. The eyes of the world will be particularly focussed on London and the main Olympic centres – but every community will be caught up in the Olympic experience and More than Gold (www.morethangold.org.uk) is giving lots of ideas for local initiatives.

At the March Baptist Union Council a new Mission Forum has been launched which will be the main driving force for Mission in our Union. We value our partnership with other Baptist Unions in these islands and I am delighted that the Mission Forum will also include representatives from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We are all determined that this will not be a talking shop but a powerful and effective spring board for creative mission.

So what depresses me most about the Baptist Union? I will tell you. I get depressed when we allow ourselves to get trapped in our own culture because this means that we lose the ability to communicate to the people who live around us who wouldn’t have any understanding of our culture. I get depressed when we assume that if we just keep doing the same old things, then revival will finally turn up. I get depressed when we opt for the comfort of our familiar ways of doing things, and resist the transforming breath of the Spirit.

On balance I am more than encouraged. But we need to remember that creativity is challenging and disturbing and even in our most creative moments, there will always be the temptation to opt for the safe and uncreative option.

May the wind of the Spirit of God blow through your life and fellowship.

Jonathan Edwards is the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (www.baptist.org.uk)