Ten years - the Ministry
of “Being there”
As we look back on ten
years of the Network, what have we achieved?
Several of our members have been active in study groups, meetings of Baptist
ministers and Assembly Workshops. We have been consulted and listened to by
Baptist Union Council and other leaders of the Union, and had contributions in
the Baptist Times. Some of us have met from time to time and we continue to follow
up opportunities for pastoral support of lesbian and gay Baptists and to “signpost”
members to opportunities for fellowship with other gay Christians.
But there have been setbacks.
We have regularly asked for a stall and/or a workshop at the Assembly and have not been
successful yet. When we compare ourselves with colleagues in the URC and the Methodist
Church, they have had a much higher profile, with assembly debates (at some cost) and
have made more progress. Does that mean we have failed?
While that is a matter for others
to judge, I believe the way we have engaged with our fellow Baptists has made a
contribution which will serve us well for the future. Our approach is to be patient,
to continue to knock at the door, to be willing to engage with those whose minds are
open and to trust the Holy Spirit, who will lead us into all truth. In our situation
where the cost to the Baptist family we love might be greater, we must be
“wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt 10v16).
An example of how our approach is
beginning to bear fruit came at the last session of Baptist Assembly this year, where
speakers reported what they felt God had been saying through the Assembly. I quote
from my notes of the contribution from David Kerrigan, General Director of BMS World
Mission, co-host of the Assembly.
"In this 21st century world we will have to go to places
we are not very comfortable with. For example, how does the Gay community see the Church?
How can we be good news to the Gay community? Sometimes we have to do the work of
mission and work out the theology afterwards."
This contribution was greeted with
spontaneous applause from delegates. There is more on his blog – google
“David Kerrigan - Thinking mission : rediscovering radical roots(June 1st)”