Baptists Together

History

The Baptist Union of Great Britain was officially established in 1813 by 45 Particular Baptist churches in London. In 1832, it was reorganized to include the New Connexion of General Baptists (General Baptist) as partner. In 1891, General Baptist and Particular Baptist work merged in the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and The Baptist Historical Society was created in 1908.

In 1922, Edith Gates became the first ordained female cleric in the BUGB.

In 1978, Nell Alexander became the first woman to be appointed as BUGB President.

In 1987, Margaret Jarman became the first woman minister to be appointed president of the BUGB.

In 1999 Cham Kaur-Mann became the first Asian woman minister in the BUGB.

In 2013 Lynn Green was elected, with no votes against, as the first female General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain to commence in September 2013. She was received at the vote by a standing ovation and her inaugural message included "I believe that our union is ready for generational change... It is time to cast off the institutional mindset that has served us well in the past, and embrace a new way of being for the 21st century."

Also in 2013, the union publicly re-branded itself as "Baptists Together" and introduced a new logo to reflect the change (although it is still known in an official capacity as the Baptist Union of Great Britain).

In 2006, Revd Dr Kate Coleman from Ghana, the first black woman to be an accredited Baptist minister, became the first black female President of the BUGB.

Membership

According to a census published by the Union in 2025, it claimed 1,822 churches and 99,121 members.

Missionary organization

The Fellowship of British Baptists and BMS World Mission brings together in ministry the churches that are members of the Baptist Union of Scotland, Wales, the Irish Baptist Networks, and the Baptist Union of Great Britain. It is itself a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) because of its work to promote young people's personal and social development.

Inter-denominational associations

The union maintains membership with Christian ecumenical organisations such as Churches Together in England, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, the Conference of European Churches, and the World Council of Churches.

Missionary Society

The BMS World Mission was organised as Baptist Missionary Society in 1792, under the leadership of Andrew Fuller (1754–1815), John Sutcliff (1752–1814), and William Carey (1761–1834).

Beliefs

The union has a Baptist confession of faith. It is a member of the Baptist World Alliance.

Marriage

In 1988, the Union adopted a resolution affirming that homosexuality is unacceptable in the ministry.

The Affirm network was founded in 2000 by churches to advocate for the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the Union.

In 2014, the Union affirmed the freedom of each local church about blessings of same-sex marriage. Due to opposition from conservatives, it advised against doing so in May 2016. In December 2016, a group of pastors called on the Union to respect diversity of belief, as it does with the ordination of women.

In 2020, the Ministerial Recognition Committee received a letter from 70 members of the Union asking that the rules be changed to allow ministers in same-sex marriages to no longer be guilty of gross misconduct. The request was referred to the national Council, who discussed it in March 2022 and initiated a process of consultation whereby ministers and churches in membership with the Union were asked their thoughts on the proposed change. During this time a group formed, initially known as 'Baptist Ministers for Orthodox Marriage' and later 'Evangelical Baptists', who campaigned against the change in rules. The results of the consultation were presented to Council, who decided against the change in March 2024 with a vote of 65% against:

Schools

The Union is a partner of 4 theological seminaries, namely South Wales Baptist College, Northern Baptist College, Bristol Baptist College and Spurgeon's College, and a university college, Regent's Park College. In March 2024, the St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry, previously an affiliated centre of Northern Baptist College, entered membership with the Baptist Union of Great Britain in its own right.

Organisation

The principal of the Union is the General Secretary. A number of paid staff provide leadership and practical support from the Union's headquarters in Baptist House, Didcot, in areas such as finance, ministerial accreditation, and legal support.

List of general secretaries

• 1898 – 1924 John Howard Shakespeare
• 1925 – 1951 Melbourn Aubrey
• 1951 – 1967 Ernest A. Payne
• 1967 – 1982 David S. Russell
• 1982 – 1991 Bernard Green
• 1991 – 2006 David Coffey
• 2006 – 2013 Jonathan Edwards
• 2013 – Lynn Green

Since 2001, churches in membership with the Baptist Union of Great Britain have been organised into 13 Regional Associations:

• Central Baptist Association
• East Midlands Baptist Association
• Eastern Baptist Association
• Heart of England Baptist Association
• London Baptist Association
• North Western Baptist Association
• Northern Baptist Association
• South Eastern Baptist Association
• South Wales Baptist Association
• South West Baptist Association
• Southern Counties Baptist Association
• West of England Baptist Network (formerly West of England Baptist Association)
• Yorkshire Baptist Association Regional Association teams, led by a number of Regional Ministers and a senior Regional Ministry Team Leader (RMTL), oversee and facilitate ministry in local churches. This may include pastoral support for ministers, signposting regional events, organising regional conferences, and supporting churches without a minister.

Doctrinal controversies

At the Baptist Union Assembly in April 1971, Michael Taylor, then Principal at the Northern Baptist College, asserted, "I believe that God was active in Jesus, but it will not do to say quite categorically: Jesus is God." The statement bred controversy, and some charged him with denying the Deity of Christ. Nigel G. Wright, later Principal of Spurgeon's College, commenting on the affair, claimed the, "Spectre of theological downgrade had lingered within the denomination throughout the 20th century," alluding to the Downgrade Controversy of a century earlier.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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References

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4. William H. Brackney, ''Historical Dictionary of the Baptists'', Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 77
5. Erich Geldbach, ''Baptists Worldwide: Origins, Expansions, Emerging Realities'', Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2022, p. 111
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8. . ["Cham Kaur-Mann"](https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/542050/Cham_Kaur_Mann.aspx).
9. Allen, Robert 'Bob'. (6 May 2013). "Woman Named to Lead British Baptists". Associated Baptist Press.
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