editor, Author at Australian Baptist Ministries https://www.baptist.org.au/author/editor/ Serving 1000 Baptist Churches Across Australia Thu, 28 Mar 2024 04:35:00 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://www.baptist.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-ABM-_logo_transparent-32x32.png editor, Author at Australian Baptist Ministries https://www.baptist.org.au/author/editor/ 32 32 Australian Baptist Ministries Myanmar Statement 2023 https://www.baptist.org.au/australian-baptist-ministries-myanmar-statement-2023/ Thu, 29 Jun 2023 06:04:44 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=204100 The post Australian Baptist Ministries Myanmar Statement 2023 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
The National Council of Australian Baptist Ministries [ABM] stand in solidarity with all the church communities from Myanmar that are members of State Unions affiliated with ABM. We grieve with them as they witness their family and friends displaced, persecuted, and killed at the hands of the Myanmar military.

We note, that according to the United Nations an estimated 1,584,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) were reported across Myanmar as of 30 January 2023 and there are more than 1million refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring countries. We know that church buildings have been destroyed and pastors detained.

We call on the Australian government to:

  • increase humanitarian visas to refugees from Myanmar, particularly from ethnic areas
    such as the Chin, Kachin, Karen and Karenni States where people have been displaced and
    waiting for settlement for upward of 35 years
  • increase humanitarian aid to these ethnic areas that struggle to receive international
    support due to Myanmar Government restrictions and
  • increase pressure on the Myanmar government through further sanctions against
    individuals and companies associated with the Myanmar military and further action at
    ASEAN and the UN.
  • increase pressure on the Indian Government to issue exit permits to refugees who have
    already been granted Australian visas.

We commit ourselves to prayer, to continue to speak out on behalf of the people of
Myanmar, in particular those connected to our church community members from Myanmar,
and we commit to providing material support to displaced communities in Myanmar and
border refugee camps.

This statement was unanimously approved by the National Council of Australian Baptist
Ministries on 17th May 2023.

 

The post Australian Baptist Ministries Myanmar Statement 2023 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Rev. Mark Wilson Christmas Message 2022 https://www.baptist.org.au/rev-mark-wilson-christmas-message-2022/ Wed, 09 Nov 2022 03:02:26 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=204016 Let’s be real for a moment. Life isn’t always a bed of roses. In fact, at times it can be brutal. It is often in these tough times when true friends reveal themselves. They stay connected through the tough times and the good times. They are dependable. They are with you to support you, inspire […]

The post Rev. Mark Wilson Christmas Message 2022 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Let’s be real for a moment. Life isn’t always a bed of roses. In fact, at times it can be brutal.

It is often in these tough times when true friends reveal themselves. They stay connected through the tough times and the good times. They are dependable. They are with you to support you, inspire you and sometimes they are there to pick up the pieces. You can’t put a value on friends like these.

Christmas is the time we remember that God sent Jesus into our world to be a friend to people … but what sort of friend? One of the names given to Jesus is Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’. Jesus is a friend who doesn’t desert you. He doesn’t force himself upon you. His presence makes a real difference.

About 650 years before Jesus, a prophet called Zephaniah wrote about the type of friend Jesus would be. “He will take great delight in you,” he wrote. “He will quieten you with his love. He will sing over you for joy.” Jesus can bring calm to your life. He derives joy from being your friend and his joy has no cap on it. When God sent Jesus, it was an open invitation to share in His friendship and limitless capacity for joy.

Jesus, God’s Christmas gift, makes friendship with God possible. A genuine heart response to Jesus brings you into a joy-filled friendship with God, who is the happiest being in the whole universe.

Rev. Mark Wilson

National Ministries Director

The post Rev. Mark Wilson Christmas Message 2022 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Rev. Mark Wilson’s Easter message 2022 https://www.baptist.org.au/rev-mark-wilsons-easter-message-2022/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 22:53:45 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=203918 Easter Saturday is the ‘in between’ day. It sits awkwardly between Good Friday, the day Jesus died on the cross, and Easter Sunday, the day He rose to life again. For the original followers of Jesus it was a day of uncertainty and grief.

The post Rev. Mark Wilson’s Easter message 2022 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
The ‘In Between’ Day

Easter Saturday is the ‘in between’ day. It sits awkwardly between Good Friday, the day Jesus died on the cross, and Easter Sunday, the day He rose to life again.

For the original followers of Jesus it was a day of uncertainty and grief. On the first Easter Saturday they didn’t know how events would resolve. They had to live in the uncertain space ‘in between’.

I am glad that Jesus didn’t die one hour and rise the next, even though He could have. Yes, a quick death and rapid resurrection would satisfy today’s need for a storyline that could be resolved before the next ad break.

Depending on your view, the ‘in between’ Saturday might see you focusing on the death of Jesus, that it was a horrible, but necessary way to overcome the power of death once and for all. Or, you might be one of the optimistic and positive people who look forward to Sunday and celebrating that Jesus rose from the dead and delivered on the promise of eternal life. Another possibility is that you don’t care if some guy died a long time ago and you just want to enjoy the holidays.

No matter which way you look at it, Easter Saturday is filled with contrasts. It’s the ‘in between’ day that stares you in the face and says, “God is not finished yet!”

So how has your Easter been so far? Has it lived up to your expectations or crashed and burned? The good news is that God isn’t finished with you yet and, frankly, it doesn’t matter what your expectations are of this or any other Easter. His death and resurrection has drawn every storyline – including yours – to a conclusion.

Our feelings about Easter do not and cannot alter God’s plan for you in Jesus’ resurrection. He has paid the price for your life and bought eternity with Him as a gift. He has created a storyline with the ultimate finale. The only part left to be resolved is whether you will accept the gift. What will your response be this Easter Saturday?

Reverend Mark Wilson

National Ministries Director

Australian Baptist Ministries

The post Rev. Mark Wilson’s Easter message 2022 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Stand Against Domestic Violence – an initiative of Baptist World Alliance and BWA Women https://www.baptist.org.au/stand-against-domestic-violence-an-initiative-of-baptist-world-alliance-and-bwa-women/ Thu, 02 Dec 2021 23:06:22 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=203864 As part of the 2021 Global Conference of Baptist Women hosted by Baptist World Alliance Women, Dr. Valerie Duval-Poujol and Rev. Jenni Entrican were preparing a workshop on Domestic Violence. They were moved to take this important information beyond a single workshop and felt a Spirit-stirred desire to create something with long lasting and positive […]

The post Stand Against Domestic Violence – an initiative of Baptist World Alliance and BWA Women appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
As part of the 2021 Global Conference of Baptist Women hosted by Baptist World Alliance Women, Dr. Valerie Duval-Poujol and Rev. Jenni Entrican were preparing a workshop on Domestic Violence. They were moved to take this important information beyond a single workshop and felt a Spirit-stirred desire to create something with long lasting and positive impact.

They approached BWA Women Interim Executive Director Moreen Sharp with their ideas. A group of passionate and qualified women coordinated by Elissa Macpherson, President of the Baptist Women of the Pacific, and endorsed by the Baptist World Alliance and BWA Women, worked together to develop the Stand Against Domestic Violence global resource hub.

It brings together high quality resources to support individuals, congregations, and communities to stand against domestic violence and bring about the change required for women, children, and families to thrive.

Check it out at standagainstdv.net

The post Stand Against Domestic Violence – an initiative of Baptist World Alliance and BWA Women appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Rev. Mark Wilson Christmas Message 2021 https://www.baptist.org.au/rev-mark-wilson-christmas-message-2021/ Wed, 01 Dec 2021 02:28:29 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=203861 Becoming a grandparent this year for the second time was an amazing experience filled with tears of joy, love and adoration. It is an overwhelming experience to hold a newborn baby so fragile, helpless and totally dependent on its mother and father. It made me realise again the absolute humility and sacrifice that Jesus Christ […]

The post Rev. Mark Wilson Christmas Message 2021 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Becoming a grandparent this year for the second time was an amazing experience filled with tears of joy, love and adoration. It is an overwhelming experience to hold a newborn baby so fragile, helpless and totally dependent on its mother and father. It made me realise again the absolute humility and sacrifice that Jesus Christ made by coming to earth in the form of a baby.

Picture this, God in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirt – the creator of our planet earth, which sits just the right distance from the sun to sustain life, where water, land, plants, fish, birds and animals can live. Then came the creation of humanity, the pinnacle of all creation. That same creating God, even though the Son was God, did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position and was born as a human being.

This Christmas we desperately need a Saviour by acknowledging sin and anticipating the greatest declaration possible. Born is King Jesus, the wait is over, the Kingdom of God is among us. His birth; our birth. We were “helpless and dead in our sin” (Romans 5:6; 12), “without hope and without God in this world” (Ephesians 2:12), but the birth of Christ changes everything.

We typically wait until New Year’s Day to make resolutions, to start new habits, and to seek a fresh start but these often get tied purely to our own willpower, determination and effort. Perhaps that’s why so many of our resolutions fail. But Christmas invites us to new birth, because of the one birth that changed the world.

The babe of Bethlehem assures, enables and empowers our own re-birth… over and over. That’s something to celebrate. I am overwhelmed with the love of God to do this for humanity. That’s the Christmas message!

The post Rev. Mark Wilson Christmas Message 2021 appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Safer Spaces Toolkit is now live! https://www.baptist.org.au/safer-spaces-toolkit-is-now-live/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 06:41:22 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=203835 We are excited to announce the Safer Spaces Toolkit is now available at this link: https://saferspacestoolkit.com.au The Safer Spaces Toolkit is a resource of Australian Baptist Ministries to address domestic abuse and build relationally healthy communities

The post Safer Spaces Toolkit is now live! appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
We are excited to announce the Safer Spaces Toolkit is now available at this link: https://saferspacestoolkit.com.au
The Safer Spaces Toolkit is a resource of Australian Baptist Ministries to address domestic abuse and build relationally healthy communities

The post Safer Spaces Toolkit is now live! appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Working with Children Policy https://www.baptist.org.au/working-with-children-policy/ Fri, 10 Mar 2017 22:18:42 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=202242 An Australian Baptist Response to Working with Children and Youth. Nationally agreed standards Australian Baptists are committed to promoting the welfare of children participating in any of their ministries or activities by protecting their rights and also protecting them from harm. This is facilitated through: 1. Fostering a culture of Child Safety through constant communication […]

The post Working with Children Policy appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
An Australian Baptist Response to Working with Children and Youth.

Nationally agreed standards

Australian Baptists are committed to promoting the welfare of children participating in any of their ministries or activities by protecting their rights and also protecting them from harm. This is facilitated through:

1. Fostering a culture of Child Safety through constant communication and reinforcement of these principles at all levels in all our churches and/or organisations

2. Establishing Codes of Conduct for all persons working with children and/or youth which set out clear standards of behaviour and attitudes required of anybody working with children and/or youth.

3. Rigorous screening and selection processes for determining the suitability of persons to work with children and/or youth. All persons working with children and/or youth will also be given an appropriate induction and receive ongoing training during the time of their involvement.

4. Clear and transparent processes for dealing with Concerns including how disclosures, suspicion of harm and /or allegations of potential harm are handled and reported to relevant authorities. This would also include appropriate responses for anyone seeking redress. All complaints will also be taken seriously and responded to promptly.

5. Risk Management Approaches which prevent, identify and assess risk in the physical and online environment including the mitigation of those risks through appropriate strategies and action (e.g. Risk management plans formulated and implemented)

6. Mechanisms promoting the participation and empowerment of children and/or youth through listening and input from children and/or youth. Particular attention will also be given to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children.

7. A commitment to transparent and regular communication to all parents and other stakeholders regarding our principles and the processes adopted in ensuring the welfare of children and/or youth participating in our activities or ministries. Regular feedback will also be invited from families whose children and/or youth are involved in our ministries or activities.

8. Addressing privacy considerations by ensuring children and/or youth’s personal information is treated appropriately. This includes how the information is collected, stored and used.

9. A commitment to continuous improvement that involves reviewing, monitoring and adapting policies and procedures in response to changing circumstances, legislation and the needs of those in our care.

10. Compliance with all relevant legislation and regulations related to working with children and/or youth including working with children checks or their equivalent.

Download PDF here

The post Working with Children Policy appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Australian Baptist Ministries 90 Years On https://www.baptist.org.au/australian-baptist-ministries-90-years-on/ Sun, 20 Nov 2016 23:00:36 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=201769 The Baptist Union of Australia was inaugurated on 25th  August 1926 at the Burton Street Church in Sydney. Over 300 delegates from every state in the Commonwealth were witnesses to this historic event. Reporting on the event, The Australian Baptist (AB) stated, ‘henceforth the most memorable date in the Australian Baptist Calendar’ (Alan Prior’s, Some […]

The post Australian Baptist Ministries 90 Years On appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
The Baptist Union of Australia was inaugurated on 25th  August 1926 at the Burton Street Church in Sydney. Over 300 delegates from every state in the Commonwealth were witnesses to this historic event. Reporting on the event, The Australian Baptist (AB) stated, ‘henceforth the most memorable date in the Australian Baptist Calendar’ (Alan Prior’s, Some Fell on Good Ground, p. 216). I suspect that 25 August is not the most memorable date in the Australian Baptist calendar. In fact, this begs the question of an AB Calendar and what would be on it. Perhaps in some local churches it might be the first Sunday in May for Global Interaction, or the Easter Offering for Crossover, or the Christmas Day Appeal for BWAA. Alternatively, it might be some State Union event, such as an assembly or conference.

That said, we are still approaching the 90th anniversary of BUA and that is worth celebrating.

The beginnings

The journey towards the inauguration of the federal body was ‘long and frustrating’ (Manley, p. 459). Basil Brown (p. 13) suggests that ‘early Baptists in Australia had looked forward to the day when a Continental union would be set up’. Accordingly, they called their colonial fellowships ‘Associations on the English model’, with a view that these would ultimately become the member bodies of a Baptist Union similar to the British experience. However, the colonies over time abandoned this concept as they constituted as State Baptist Unions.

While there had been a growing sense of co-operation in Baptist work across the colonies in the late 19th century, the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 provided the catalyst for increased energy for closer relations between the State Unions. What followed was a series of interstate Baptist Federal Conferences in 1902, 1903, 1908, 1911, 1922 and 1925. Brown documents the trials and disappointments as the ‘interest waned and the cause of federation lapsed’ (p. 8).

However, there were some positive initiatives that flowed from these Congresses. Following the 1911 Congress, the Australian Baptist Publishing House was established with the first issue of the AB published on 7 January 1913. In February of the same year, the Foreign Mission board was established to consolidate the missionary work of the State missionary societies.

Plans were also agreed to for the establishment of an Australian Baptist College to train ministerial students for both home and overseas.

Victoria had agreed that their college should be transferred to the States and governed by an interstate board. However, funding difficulties meant the proposal was abandoned.

The 1925 Congress in Adelaide approved the draft Constitution for the proposed Baptist Union of Australia that, with the agreement of the State Unions, would be ratified in Sydney in 1926.

And so on 25 August 1926, the signing of the Constitution took place. JA Packer, the editor of the AB, titled the event as the ‘Great Consummation’ as ‘Our one big Baptist Union’ was born (Manley, p. 459).

The inaugural President, Rev JH Goble, reminded the delegates that ‘this new Union would not be just another organisation, not a bid for centralized power and authority, but a means of extending God’s Kingdom’ (Manley, p. 459).

As Brown (p. 13) notes, the Baptist Union of Australia became a federation of State Unions and not, as the State Unions, a fellowship of local churches.

The purpose of the BUA as detailed in the Constitution was:

To extend the Kingdom of God through the work, service and witness of Australian Baptists by:

  1. Promoting the spirit of fellowship and co-operation among the Baptist Unions of the States of the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories and their members and exhibiting their substantial unity in doctrine, policy and work.
  2. Conferring upon matters concerning the life and witness of the Baptist Churches within the Commonwealth of Australia and the progress of the Kingdom of God in Australia, its Territories and elsewhere.
  3. Organising and administering such enterprises as the constituent Unions may agree to undertake through the Union.
  4. Carrying out such work as the Union may agree to undertake on behalf of all its constituent Unions.
  5. Carrying out the work of mission and evangelism on behalf of Australian Baptists through Affiliated Organisations and Delegated Bodies (as defined in the By­ Laws).
  6. Participating in the work of the Baptist World Alliance and such other bodies as the National Council may from time to time determine.
  7. Expressing as far as may be possible the common judgment of the constituent Unions on matters of national, international or interdenominational importance.
  8. Assisting the constituent Unions to carry on national and missionary enterprises within Australia that are beyond the power and facilities of an individual constituent Union or Board to accomplish.

The Union operated through the triennial Assembly. Delegates to the Assembly came from the constituent Unions up to a maximum of 15 in proportion to the total State church membership. The Executive Council consisting of the Officers of the Union (OOU) and a small number of State representatives met annually. There was a smaller Executive Committee that met monthly. This committee was made up of the OOU together with Executive Council members from the State in which the BUA headquarters was located.

The Assemblies of the BUA were held every three years from 1928 until 2000. Assemblies until 1975 consisted of the State delegates together with a few other interested associate delegates. Over the years, there has been the consistent concern that very few members of Baptist churches have much knowledge of the ministry of the BUA. This concern gave rise to the First National Baptist Family Convention held in January 1975 on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The success of the conference saw subsequent conventions following the same format.

The BUA was eventually incorporated in the ACT in July 1954 under the Commonwealth Associations Incorporation Ordinance of 1953 (now the Associations Incorporation Act 1991). Initially, it was the practice to locate the Union headquarters in the State where the President resided but from 1935 until 2008 the BUA was located in Melbourne. It is now located in the city in which the National Ministry Director resides.

Aside from the establishment of the Assembly and the Executive Council and Committee, Boards were established to oversee the ministries of the BUA. These included the Home Mission Board in NSW, the Education Board in Victoria and the Young People’s Board in Queensland.

A brief review of the Boards provides an overview of the ministries that were undertaken by the national body.

The Home Mission Board was given the responsibility to commence the work in the nation’s new capital, Canberra, as well as to discover districts where the Gospel was urgently needed, and to explore opportunities of work among Aborigines and mission work with migrants. The establishment of Canberra Baptist Church deserves more comment than can be made today (see Ron Robb’s Fifty Capital Years). The major focus of the Home Ministry Board was the work in the new Federal capital and the key contributor was AJ Waldock who was appointed a Vice-President of the BUA. He worked tirelessly, identifying the site at Kingston, raising the funds to build the building and at the opening on 23 February 1929 noting that the church building ‘was a visible token of the unity and devotion of the Baptist people of Australia’.

Donovan Mitchell of Flinders Street Church SA described the building as ‘a sign of our unity in the faith. It is a corporate witness of our Catholicism; a prayer in stone: an altar upon which our petty state differences are consumed; a gift to our Lord; a symbol of our patriotism; a love offering to this land of hope and glory; an assurance to all present and future politicians that the people called Baptist watch and labour and pray’ (Manley, p. 460).

Involvement in Aboriginal ministries came to fruition in 1946 with the commencement of ministry in central Australia at Yuendumu. Under the sacrificial leadership of families such as the Flemings, new ministries were opened at Ali Curung, Lajumanu, and Kalkaringi. Organisational and funding difficulties saw the ministry transferred to the oversight of the ABMS in 1978. ABMS (Global Interaction) staff to the present day provide pastoral support to the Baptist churches in these Aboriginal communities.

The Home Mission Board also accepted responsibility to encourage and support ministry in the remote areas of the nation and especially the northern reaches of the Commonwealth, irrespective of State boarders. This included the establishment of Baptist churches in Darwin and the continued encouragement of church planting initiatives in the ACT. In the 1980s, the Board established a Field Workers Conference for those ministering in remote areas. Over time this responsibility was passed on to the Crossover Director and in more recent years the State Unions have accepted responsibility of the remote areas in their own States. By 2009, the States had assumed responsibility for the ministry in their own areas and the Home Mission was concluded.

The Education Board was established to encourage and assist the establishment of secondary schools for boys and girls under Baptist management in each State. Kings College in South Australia and Carey Grammar in Victoria provided the encouragement for this national initiative but little came of it. It was not until the introduction of Federal funding for non-government schools in the 1970s that there has been a substantial growth in the number of Baptist schools.

The Board’s second function was training men for ministry for local churches. However, having expended considerable energy in the development of a uniform curriculum by 1967, only 49 men had received tutorial assistance. By now, all the States except Tasmania had their own theological colleges. By 1975, the only activity of the Board was to organise a conference for staff members of the State theological colleges. The 1975 Assembly terminated the Board’s function.

The Young People’s Board was established to promote all young people’s interests and to provide uniform Sunday School lesson systems and other publications. Outcomes included the annual Sunday School examination and the provision of variously named magazines and Sunday School teaching material. Eventually, this Board and a Board of Literature producing religious tracts was merged to form the Board of Christian Education and Publication in 1956. During its years, the Board produced hundreds of titles resulting in over two million copies of pamphlets being printed. By 1971, it had become the Board of Christian Education producing the Word and Life material. But increasing decline in sales eventually saw the BUNSW accept responsibility to produce Word and Life and the Board was wound up.

Another early initiative was the Annuity Board, a pension fund to support retired ministers, ministers’ widows and children. The Australian Baptist Ministerial Fund was established in 1929. By 1985, having merged with NSW Provident Fund, it became the Australian Baptist Retirement Fund. The Fund subsequently has merged with other faith-based funds to form Christian Super.

An Advisory Board was appointed by the 1926 Assembly to give effect to a system of ministerial changes and transfers between States. Not finally established until 1935 and often bypassed in decisions about interstate transfers, the Board did provide a forum for highlighting the needs of churches in remote areas. The Board ceased to exist by 1984 but its lasting impact was the provision of funds to assist in removal costs for interstate transfers of ministers that continues to the present.

In the years following the 1926 Assembly, other Boards were established including the Board of Evangelism in 1938, the Women’s Board in 1935, the Men’s Board in 1950, the Federal Migration Committee in 1960, the Baptist Tours Committee in 1977 and the New Settlers Association to name the more significant. At this point it is worth noting the action by the 1950 Assembly to form the Australian Baptist Historical Society. As Brown notes (p. 28) the Society lasted little more than decade before subsiding into forgetfulness.

The Board of Evangelism was the precursor to the present day delegated body of the BUA ‘Crossover’ which seeks to help Australian Baptists to share Jesus by:

  • Resourcing churches in effective communication of the gospel
  • Equipping pastors and leaders
  • Facilitating mission.

The other significant initiative that deserves specific mention was the establishment of the World Relief Committee in 1958, ratified at Assembly in 1959. The growth of the ministry is reflected in the name changes. In 1965 it became World Aid and Relief and in 1975 the Australian Baptist World Aid and Relief Committee. In1984 it became a Board of the BUA and titled Australian Baptist World Aid.

Resetting the model

The 1984 Assembly agreed to substantial adjustments to the constitution. The major changes reflected a move to more closely align the national body with the State associations.

The BUA continues to be federation of State unions and not, as the State Unions, a fellowship of local churches. The present structure of the BUA reflects this understanding. The National Council meets twice a year and consists of the six State Baptist Union leaders, a representative from BUNT, the CEOs of the three affiliated organisations, Global Interaction, BWAA and BCA together with the National Ministry Director and a Chair and Vice-Chair. The Council has also agreed that any Australian Baptist who is currently serving in a senior leadership capacity at BWA or the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF) would also be invited to be associated with the Council. This reflects BUA’s continued engagement with BWA and APBF.

The State Unions continue to have a significant influence in the governance of the BUA. The National Ministry Director is responsible for the oversight of the delegated bodies for the BUA. At present this includes Crossover, BFS, BIS, A Just Cause, the Multi-Cultural Taskforce, ABW, Administrators and Professional Standards Taskforces. The National Ministries Director is also responsible to help facilitate the meetings of the Remote Areas Committee, the Disaster Relief Committee, the Archivists and the Principals. All of these delegated bodies and committees report to the National Council through the office of the National Ministries Director.

The National Ministries Director position came into being following a major review of the BUA in 2007. Precipitated by changes in the leadership of Crossover and an apparent misunderstanding about the governance responsibilities of the delegated bodies, the review saw the Constitution amended to replace the President with a Chair of the National Council and the appointment of a full time executive officer.

In the preceding years, the practice of allowing the Director of Crossover to be requested to undertake national responsibilities not directly aligned to evangelism had developed. It was apparent that the increasing level of compliance issues at a federal level required more resources than the previous honorary secretary and treasurer roles could be expected to provide. It was also recognised that the funds that had been donated through the Crossover appeal were not being used exclusively for evangelism purposes. The new model was based on a shared leadership role, three days as the Director of Crossover and two days as the Director of National Ministries with Crossover funding three-fifths of the costs of the new office and the BUA funding the remainder.

The initial appointment of the National Ministries Director/Director of Crossover was made in 2008. In more recent years, the honorary roles of Secretary and Treasurer have now been collapsed into the office of the National Ministries Director.

What has been achieved 90 years on

What does the Australian Baptist landscape look like 90 years after the formation of the Baptist Union of Australia?

There are now 978 churches affiliated with the State Baptist Unions in Australia and a strong church-planting culture has been developed in every State. There are now local Baptist churches from Broome to Ballarat, Albany to Atherton, Darwin to Devonport and Port Pirie to Port Macquarie. These churches represent approximately 142,000 attendees of whom 62,700 are formal members according the information provided by the State Unions.

The 2011 National Census reported that 352,499 people identified themselves as Baptists. Christian Research Association suggests that Baptists are the third largest worshipping community in Australia (fourth according to the NCLS). Research undertaken by the Christian Research Association shows that at least once a month there are 1,000,004 Catholics, 214,378 Anglicans, 170,178 Baptists, 167,000 Uniting Church in Australia and 148,900 Pentecostals attending churches.

Local Baptist churches affiliated with the State Baptist associations are impacting their local communities and beyond in partnership with BaptistCare Australia in meeting community social needs and supported in their ministry initiatives through Baptist Financial Services (Baplink in Qld) and Baptist Insurance Services.

In partnership with Global Interaction and Baptist World Aid Australia, a significant transformational ministry in places as diverse as Bangladesh and Kazakhstan, Malawi and Mozambique, and China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Philip Hughes writing in Baptists in Australia notes his surprise in the analysis of the 2011 National Census data to see that the Baptists were growing faster than almost every other denomination, even faster than the Pentecostals. While other denominations have shrunk, the Baptists have continued to grow about the same rate as the population. Three particular strengths seem to explain the growth of the Baptist community.

First, Christology: the emphasis on personal commitment to faith in the Lordship of Jesus as expressed in believer’s baptism. The centrality of baptism ensures that Baptists are highly committed. Research indicates that 63% Baptists are at a worship service once a month, compared with just 20% of Uniting Church attendees and 9% of Anglicans.

Second, Ecclesiology: the emphasis on the autonomy of the local church that gives rise to greater flexibility in how the local church engages with its local community. It gives rise to a flexibility to try different things, to be innovative, to adapt to the needs and interests of the local people, and to be flexible in finding the right leadership for the local congregation.

Third, Hospitality: more importantly and recently, Baptists have been hospitable to people of all races and all backgrounds. Migrant communities have made a huge difference over the years. The number of Baptist immigrants in the last decade 2001–2011 was 42,000, which is equivalent to all Baptist immigrants in the previous 30 years from 1971–2000. Baptists have made great efforts to accommodate them in the national movement.

Baptists in Australia: The challenging future story

The National Church Life Survey has shown that over the last decade Baptists are much better involved in the community. There has been a clear movement to be more engaged in the local community outside the walls of the church building.

However, what the NCLS survey also showed was that Baptists are less involved in faith-sharing than we were 10 years ago. It is thought the journey into the community has meant a self-imposed silence.

NCLS 2011 profile for Australian Baptist churches

Service
Practical and diverse
2001 55%
2011 60.2%

Leaders encourage use of gifts

2001                27.4%

2011               20.25

Baptists in Australia: The challenge to be God’s instrument of change

The great privilege for all of us in our Baptist movement it to embrace the gracious call by God to be in partnership with his Son our Lord Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit to be about transforming the destiny of people and their communities in Australia and beyond.

Current Issues

    • An agreed way forward of sustaining the centrality of mission both local and global as the focus of the national Baptist movement.
    • A narrative that articulates what it means to be associated with a Baptist church, and Baptist agencies in a post-denominational world. What is the Baptist distinctive that makes BaptistCare different from Anglicare, and Baptist World Aid Baptist different from World Vision?
    • The commitment to advocate for issues of justice and fairness in the public square.
    • The development of a sustainable national communication strategy.

 

Who are we, 90 years on?

See https://www.baptist.org.au/About_Us/Who_We_Are.aspx

References

Fifty Capital Years, Ron Robb (ed.), 1979

Baptised in One Body, Basil Brown 1987

From Woolloomooloo to ‘Eternity’: A History of Australian Baptists, KR Manley, 2006

Some Fell on Good Ground, AC Prior, 1966

Baptists in Australia, Phil Hughes and Darren Cronshaw, 2013

The post Australian Baptist Ministries 90 Years On appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Australian Religious Leaders call on PM and parliament to uphold the true meaning of marriage https://www.baptist.org.au/australian-religious-leaders-call-on-pm-and-parliament-to-uphold-the-true-meaning-of-marriage/ Thu, 09 Jun 2016 00:00:10 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=201778 MEDIA RELEASE AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS CALL ON PM AND PARLIAMENT TO UPHOLD TRUE MEANING OF MARRIAGE Thirty-eight of Australia’s religious leaders, representing major religious traditions and a broad diversity of faiths and cultures, have written a public letter to the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, urging him to resist attempts in Federal Parliament to redefine the […]

The post Australian Religious Leaders call on PM and parliament to uphold the true meaning of marriage appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
MEDIA RELEASE

AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS CALL ON PM AND PARLIAMENT TO UPHOLD TRUE MEANING OF MARRIAGE

Thirty-eight of Australia’s religious leaders, representing major religious traditions and a broad diversity of faiths and cultures, have written a public letter to the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, urging him to resist attempts in Federal Parliament to redefine the meaning of marriage.

“As leaders of Australia’s major religions we write to express the grave concerns that we, and those who share our various faiths, share regarding Bills that have or will be introduced into the Federal Parliament to change the definition of marriage in Australian law,” the statement said.

“The definition of marriage enshrined in the Commonwealth Marriage Act 1961 – “the union of a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life” – reflects a truth deeply embedded across diverse communities, faiths and cultures.”

The 38 signatories to the letter include the Catholic and Anglican Archbishops of Sydney, a bishop of the Lutheran Church, bishops from various Eastern and Orthodox Churches, Christian pastors representing major Protestant denominations, senior rabbis from the Jewish community and leaders from both the Sunni and Shia Islamic communities.

While suffering and injustice faced by people with same-sex attraction was to be “deplored”, “this does not require the further deconstruction of marriage as traditionally understood”, the leaders said.

The religious leaders pointed out that Australia’s definition of marriage as a union of a man and a woman is shared by the vast majority of nations and cultures, who represent over 91 per cent of the global population. They emphasised the need to uphold traditional marriage for the good of children: “as a couple, two persons of the same sex are not able to provide a child with the experience of both mothering and fathering. Only the institution of marriage between a man and a woman has this inherent capacity to provide children with both of these relationships that are so foundational to our human identity and development.”

The statement pointed out that redefining marriage would have consequences for everyone: “In overseas jurisdictions where the definition of marriage has been changed, the public manifestation of this belief has resulted in vilification and legal punishment of individuals and institutions. This violates not only freedom of religion, but also the rights of conscience, belief and association, and the right of parents to educate their children according to their own beliefs.”

The post Australian Religious Leaders call on PM and parliament to uphold the true meaning of marriage appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
Latest Release Video – Baptists in Australia https://www.baptist.org.au/latest-release-video-baptists-in-australia/ Wed, 18 May 2016 00:00:21 +0000 https://www.baptist.org.au/?p=201776 The story of our national Baptist movement is worth sharing. The attached video purposes to provide a simple factual overview of the national Baptist movement. Produced by Australian Baptist Ministries the video helps provide some detail about the growth of our movement and how the various parts of the movement fit together. Australian Baptist Ministries […]

The post Latest Release Video – Baptists in Australia appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>
The story of our national Baptist movement is worth sharing. The attached video purposes to provide a simple factual overview of the national Baptist movement.

Produced by Australian Baptist Ministries the video helps provide some detail about the growth of our movement and how the various parts of the movement fit together.

Australian Baptist Ministries – where we’ve come from from Australian Baptist Ministries on Vimeo.

The post Latest Release Video – Baptists in Australia appeared first on Australian Baptist Ministries.

]]>