13. Better together

Many years ago a teenage Anglican moved to the other end of town and stopped going to church (her parents weren’t Christians). A friend took her to the badminton club at a local church, and then to summer camp. She thought: ‘if I am going on a trip with them I had better go to church.

She discovered amazing people who didn’t care that her parents weren’t Christians, loved and cared for her, and celebrated when she was baptised.  Two practices attracted her to this new denomination: firstly, believers’ baptism and secondly, the church meeting (I know!). The belief that Christians were ‘equal’ and covenanted together to support one another, discerning God’s will together as a gathered people made sense to me even at 16.

I stayed there for many decades, till called into ministry, and remain a committed Baptist for the very same reasons.  I recognise the potential of the church meeting, and want to transform the ‘board meeting’ model into community gathering.  I believe that communication, mutual accountability, and support are essential in the community of the church.

I believe passionately in the Baptist Union with its interdependence, mutual accountability and support:  the belief that it is only together that we can properly discern God’s will. Whilst I value freedom of conscience I recognise human frailty and our need of guidance and wisdom as Christ’s body on earth.  I value beyond measure the support, help, and guidance I have received both from Regional ministers, and staff at Didcot.

However, there are things that sadden and puzzle me. As a covenant community, local and national, we make promises that involve mutual support but also mutual respect. How do some feel free to not support prayerfully, financially, and practically, their brothers and sisters in Christ, despite this resulting in churches without ministers, people losing jobs, needing subscriptions, and to work against decisions made together?

I long for the day when covenanting together actually means that we value our interdependence more than our independence, our responsibilities more than our rights.

Listening to other I find they feel excluded from Association and national decision-making. At least one Association very rarely meets as a whole and so involvement even at that level in non-existent. If we don’t know what’s happening how can we be involved or contribute? With the demise of the Baptist Times how can God be heard through the prophetic, or challenging, or marginal voice sat in the churches?

This is one part of the bigger questions we now face.

How can we improve communication at all levels?

1. Rethink relationship between Council and Didcot (and Associations and Assembly) – who leads who? I value the central resource believing that some tasks need to be done centrally and for representation on National bodies. We need to act more collectively and share resources, maybe seconding people for a period to fulfil a specific task.
    
2. Rethink format of Assembly – more consultative
    
3. Communicate with networks such as Urban Expression and the Anabaptist Network.
    
4. Make more use of Baptist E-News –Sweep which gives daily, easily digestible, items to be informed of and links for greater involvement.
    
5. Maybe use something similar for informing people of what was going to be discussed at Council, or planned at Didcot, and provide a forum for comment.
    
6. Association representatives become pro-active conduits of information and discussion in, and out, of council for the churches.
    
7. Twitter/Facebook /Blogs can now be employed as a servant of that discernment/involvement process.
    
8. ‘Beyond 400’ process is a great example of how this can be done as it seeks to involve as many people as possible in the discernment process. I know many will ignore it but many won’t, and at least the opportunities are being given. Can we build on this experience?

I dream of stronger relationships between us all, fostered by a renewal of covenant relationships and deepened by authentic communication. Maybe then we will want to partner one another in the work of being the good news to the world and that both money and resources are shared more generously and more joyously between us locally, regionally and nationally. Better Together!

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Julie Aylward is a wife, mother, grandmother, and Baptist minister serving a local church in south east England. Member of BU Interfaith Taskgroup. A Baptist by choice!