Baptists gathered from across 20 countries explored the major changes facing mission in the Baptist Church when they met in Budapest earlier in the month for a major conference.
General Secretary of the European Baptist Mission (EBM), Hans Guderian, urged the 120 delegates that mission can no longer appear as it has in the past.
A report was also presented at the conference from a task force set up a year ago to explore the changing face of mission.
The report warned that it is no longer possible to make a clear distinction between wealthy “sending” countries and poorer “receiving” countries. Rather the report outlined that Christians in Western Europe could gain a lot from the experiences of Christians in Africa and Latin America.
It also stated that Western European missionaries were no longer needed to lead mission work but that the mission work could be placed in the hands of local Christians.
Missions Secretary, Pastor Volker Bohle, stated that the end goal of the reform process was the increased competence of EBM in mission work, “so that more persons might hear and experience the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed”.
Although the formal strategy is yet to be finalised, delegates were hopeful at the conference. Carlos Waldow, one of the task force members and also General Secretary of Brazil’s “Convenção Batista Pioneira do Sul do Brasil”, said that there was “great openness for new ways” at the conference.
Baptists from across Europe were also challenged to find their vision and transform it from an idea into reality when they gathered for a special International Baptist Leadership Course earlier in the month.
Participants in the sessions were encouraged to reflect on good vision-building, which requires a firm grasp of given factors, including individual personality, faith, abilities and group characteristics.
