7. Going For Gold

In this Olympic year it seems appropriate to draw inspiration from Hebrews 12 in which the journey of faith is likened to a long distance race. Perhaps Team BUGB can be inspired by the athletes in Team GB as they prepare to win gold at the London Olympics…

Begin with the End in Mind

No one just turns up on race day without having imagined crossing the finish line for months and years beforehand. In the same way we need to be clear about our purpose and use this to inspire us. I’m a big fan of BU motto “Encouraging Missionary Disciples” – it seems to me to fully encompass our purpose as churches, and as a Union. This is the vision that needs to guide all that we do, and the goal against which we need to honestly evaluate our progress.

Have a Strategy

Ever since London was awarded the 2012 Olympics we’ve been aware of Team GB’s strategy to win as many gold medals as possible. There has been targeted funding and interim goals along the way for athletes to aim towards and be accountable for. Sometimes difficult choices have been made to ensure the team as a whole made the desired progress. BUGB needs to be similarly strategic in the way that it uses the limited financial resources at its disposal. For example, why not use Home Mission funding to support those innovative individuals and churches that are willing to go to strategically identified groups of un-churched or under-churched people within the UK population?

Don’t Forget to Limber Up

The organisational structures of any movement which is 400 years old are bound to be a little bit stiff! Just like the athletes who regularly do their stretching exercises, every so often we need to check that the Union’s systems and processes, committees and councils, are as flexible as they can be. This is even more important in our ever-changing society – survival in such an uncertain environment is dependent upon the ability to adapt. New technologies are providing alternative ways to ‘associate’ with one another – perhaps we need to further embrace these networks (e.g. Fresh Streams, Incarnate Network) within the structures of the Union, for example by involving them in the settlement process.

Develop Strong Muscles

As well as flexibility, the success of the athlete is built upon strength. In the human body this strength is found in the ligaments and muscles and in the Baptist Union our strength, or otherwise, can be seen in the quality of our ‘connectedness’. It seems to me that the covenant between individual churches and the Union to which they belong is one aspect of our life together that needs working on. Ways to deepen the covenant could include a fixed subscription for churches, rather than a voluntary donation, and seeking to make the decision-making bodies within the Union more accountable and representative.

Don’t Let Finances Hold You Back

At the Olympics, I always love to see athletes from the Two Thirds World doing well. When the Ethiopian crosses the line first in the 10,000 metres, you realise that money isn’t everything. I’m a strong believer that when we’re being obedient to God’s will then He is the supplier of all that we need. But the source of this provision needn’t always be the Baptist Union: I’m aware of church planters within the Union who are, or are willing to be, bi-vocational in their ministry. These pioneers may need some financial support – much more important, however, is for them to experience the genuine and prayerful encouragement of their Baptist brothers and sisters.

Be Prepared to Finish Well

Any athletics fan knows that it can all go wrong in the home straight – it is important to finish well. I have a feeling that within the Baptist Union we have become quite uncomfortable with endings. We see the closure of an individual church as some sort of failure rather than seeking to embrace its potential life-giving power (John 12:24). Perhaps we need to think of ways to encourage faithful but struggling congregations to see how they may be able release their resources in order to give birth to something new and possibly very different.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders… and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

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Simon Goddard is a pioneer pastor at RE:NEW – an ecumenical expression of church gathering in a variety of ways in rural Cambridgeshire. He has written a section in Chris Duffett’s new book, 'Big Hearted', due to be published ahead of his year as President of the Baptist Union. Simon ran the London Marathon in 2006 and was proud to finish in 23,400th position!