We are talking primarily about the future of a Union of Baptist churches, not the future of churches themselves.

In other denominations, the national or regional body is the church; for us, the local congregation is the essential ecclesial reality, and regional and national organisations are derivative. Thus the question we face is different, and perhaps less urgent, than a similar problem faced by a different Christian community.

This is not to say that national and regional organisations are unimportant. Classically, we look to the statement of the Abingdon association in 1652, which asserts that ‘there is the same relation betwixt the perticular churches each towards other as there is betwixt perticular members of one church.’ This, in Baptist understanding, is an astonishingly strong claim: churches are called to share their lives to such an extent that they stand or fall together.

As our history developed we chose to exercise this corporate responsibility towards one another by delegating it to paid officers, both in local congregations and in regional/national organisations. In the local church, the work of ‘watching over’ each other - pastoral care, encouragement in ministry and discipleship, and church discipline - was placed largely in the hands of the pastor, and/or an elders’ court; locally and nationally we appointed superintendents, association officers, and regional ministers to offer the beneficial external support spoken of by the Abingdon churches.

What if Beyond 400 we ...

… began to see our churches as ‘communities of character’ which form us and school us in Christian living, that is, we reclaimed the early church and the early Baptist emphasis on teaching people the faith and how to live the faith.  I wonder what a Baptist catechesis might look like?

… encouraged church members to do a Baptist history and principles course (for example Bristol Baptist College do a distance learning one for £50!) and so suggest that being Baptist matters, its not just a nostalgic word in the name of our church, or only for the minister. I was encouraged at the beginning of this Beyond400 project that voices were saying that telling our story was important not just so we know where we come from and who we are, but as a source of wisdom and as a means of remembering our future.

… developed ministerial formation as more of a partnership between Colleges and Associations, so student ministers are initiated into (a hopefully renewed) association life from the start and not just at the end; and so colleges see themselves as a more integral part of our Baptist life. While recognising that colleges are already delivering theological education in a number of different forms, it would be great to see them become even more places for theological reflection for a wider range of persons, beyond just ministers. This will require they are properly funded, or perhaps more likely we reduce the number of colleges (not something I quickly want to advocate), but increase what we might call theologians in residence within associations and encourage every association to create theological centres – with libraries and places for study and education.