Although no one other than God knows what the future holds in any comprehensive way, this does not release us from our responsibility to understand the forces that are shaping our future, or a commitment to plan towards it, in a more informed and creative way.  On this side of eternity, Christians live in a perpetual state of the ‘now and the not yet’.  We, more than others, are called to live in a state of preparedness/readiness for both the kingdom to come, and the life we live.  The parable of the wise and foolish virgins also outlines the importance of preparedness and the consequences of the failure to act.

Church leadership in the 21st century, involves making numerous decisions about the future of ministry, frequently against a backdrop of rapid change and poorly understood but increasingly challenging circumstances. For example, at the beginning of the 21st century, a number of churches are either in decline or (by contrast), are experiencing significant numerical growth.  Churches are facing major decisions as to whether to sustain or expand their present facilities, continue to minister in the same way, relocate to another community, disband or even sell their property and facilities.  Austerity measures and declining budgets further compound these issues.

Critical decisions are also required concerning the future of mission, both in its narrowest and broadest sense.  These range from appropriate approaches to evangelism in contexts of multiple ideologies, to the kind of activities we should be planning for and engaging with, in order to promote the well-being of our communities and society.

When God created the cosmos he revealed the sort of God that he is – a creative God who never stops bringing new things into being by his Spirit.  I am finding this present Baptist Futures conversation enormously creative and I see this as a clear evidence of the Holy Spirit at work.

The Baptist Union of Great Britain is the way it is today as a result of the thoughtful and prayerful discipleship and careful work of innumerable people over the past couple of centuries.   Through those 199 years (to be exact) the Union has changed constantly.  In my own experience the Union is very different from what it was ten years ago, and no doubt others could gaze back at previous decades and make exactly the same observation.  This is precisely as it should be and I hope that the present debate will lead us to yet more dynamic changes.  When compared with most other denominations our ways of operating are relatively light.  Nevertheless I long for our governance structures to be lighter still and I pray that we will have the courage to make those changes.

As I sit by the window with my battered bible in my hand sifting through the blood, sweat, and coffee stained pages; the phone rings for the 23rd time in 3 hours. I know it was 23 because I have counted the deafening rings that indicate one of the first baby steps back to technology that so many have longed for. The sharp noise is a painful reminder in my temporal lobe, that I, we all had fallen prey to the seductive tones of Technomonster.

No one –other than those who used their gift of discernment, recognised the web in which we had become entangled. Technomonster was cleverly and rapidly dulling our senses, making us rely heavily upon him for our every need. He had a way about him that would leave you wanting more. He made life simple –we lived in high definition and at the speed of super fast broadband, and we reveled in it! Before we knew it, we were addicted, jacking up through fibre optic cables and wi-fi. It was beautiful; we could be so much more productive than we had ever been. Industries grew at alarming rates. For us, we could reach so many more souls without ever leaving our desks. Mission was at the touch of the ‘return’ button.

It is intriguing that the Baptist Union is facing a financial crisis in the year we are commemorating the planting of the first Baptist church on English soil. Do we focus on lessons from the past or concerns about the future? Can the former help us grapple with the latter? Which parts of our history are helpful or useable? Can we detect any wrong turnings, unfinished business or failures of nerve that have brought us to this point? Can examples from the past inspire or guide us? Do we concentrate on practical suggestions for restructuring and reducing expenditure or debate missional and ecclesial priorities? Previous contributions and comments offer diverse insights and perspectives.

But I’ve looked in vain for any reference to the ‘Five Core Values for a Gospel People’. Searching the Beyond400 website draws a blank. Apparently these values are irrelevant to the discussion. The Futures Group is only slightly more enthusiastic, identifying them as a significant resource but then ignoring them and (in Update 5) proposing new values (which look more like theological convictions and strategic priorities than values). But if the ‘Five Core Values’ really are our core values, shouldn’t they shape our deliberations?

So are they our core values? Without looking them up or reading further, can you name them? Try asking others in your church. If most of us can’t, they aren’t actually our core values. In which case, it’s no wonder they are absent from this conversation.

If Pat Took should prove to be prophetic in her whimsical contribution, if BUGB should cease to exist by 2060 through processes of simplification, radical individualism, or (and perhaps as likely) through the creeping dilution of post-denominationalism, then I am left pondering what l would most miss (though I doubt that either Pat or I will be missing much in 48 years time).

Those who know me might predict my longing to be for a series of historic but threatened theological distinctives – but they would be mistaken. That which I would most miss of our Union, or, more positively, that which presently I most treasure, would be the friendships that have nourished me, challenged me, and held on to me with extraordinary faithfulness and generosity. Some Restorationist streams trumpet a commitment to building relationally but my experience of personal crisis witnesses that our Baptist family promises less but delivers more.

But maybe friendship, an often neglected virtue, is itself for us a theological notion, a covenant relatedness that is ordered to the promise of a sacramental presence? If the Church in Europe is succumbing again to an age of darkness we should recall that monastic communities enabled our survival and even our flourishing through the Dark Ages of the past and, at root, monasticism is disciplined and intentional friendship. It is significant that several early Anabaptist leaders were formerly monks, desiring that same intentionality of covenant friendship for every gathering of true disciples.