The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) has inducted its new President, Revd David Coffey on the penultimate day of the Baptist World Centenary Congress currently being held in Birmingham, UK. Officials have stated that in excess of 13,000 people have been involved in the huge celebratory gathering, that has seen a festival-like atmosphere develop and a feeling of a new beginning come across joyful delegates.
Coffey accepted his position humbly in a service performed at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena (NIA), and will succeed the position as leader of the BWA from Revd Billy Kim for the period 2005-2010.
In the aftermath of an emotional service where thousands prayed for him in his new position, Revd David Coffey took time out for an exclusive interview with Christian Today, where he expressed new hope for a Baptist Church where every member is an evangelist. The full text of the interview can be seen below:
Christian Today: This morning you took up the position as president of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). It looked like it was a very emotional event for yourself, as well as your family. Now that it is beginning to sink in, how do you feel taking up this leading role in Baptist history.
David Coffey: I feel very honoured, very privileged. I don’t think anybody would contemplate a ministry like this if they weren’t called by God. The responsibilities, the expectations are huge. So I do confess that I am called. I confess to you that when I was first approached, I didn’t respond positively, but the chairman of the Nominations Committee came to me and said ‘Why don’t you go and examine the questions we’ve asked you and see if when you address those questions, whether there is a stirring of a call.’ And that’s what happened. When I actually got down to think about it, to pray about it, I did hear God speaking to me. I heard God speaking to me through people from many countries who said ‘You must allow your name to go forward’, and out of that came the call. I thank you for saying what a moving service it was because sometimes when you’re in the heart of something like this, its difficult to know, but so many of my friends also just said it also – that it was very moving. So I thank you for that.
Christian Today: You are succeeding the presidency from Revd Billy Kim, who has had an amazing past five years in the BWA, but when there is a new president put in place, and particularly now that a new century is beginning in the BWA history, it feels like a new era is about to open up. So at this time looking out on this new beginning, what do you believe that your presidency can bring to the BWA that is does not currently have?
David Coffey: I don’t think that there’s anything that I can bring that the BWA doesn’t have, apart from my gifts as a bible study teacher and pastor, and my leadership gifts as well as who I am as a person. Everybody who is put into a leadership position brings that basic contribution. I am a man in Christ, Christ has put his spirit within me, I bring experience and wisdom. I am a European leader, and I am a British leader. So I said this morning (in his induction service) that Billy Kim’s shoes are far too big for me to fill, but I cant be shy about what God has done in my life, and I have been president of European Baptists, and Europe has a story to tell, and the UK also has a story to tell. We haven’t only got a great history, this is where there was the creation of Baptist movement, this it the birthplace of people like John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, and William Booth who established the Salvation Army, William Carey. There are just so many great Christians, but I think and sense that the Spirit of God is moving again in our country and I want to bear witness as a European Christian, and as a British Christian.
The other thing that I think that I hope I would bring a new emphasis. I have a great heart for developing the gifts of younger leaders; what I call are emerging leaders. people maybe between the ages of mid-20s to mid-30s, who have the potential to become international ambassadors. They’ve already emerged in leadership in their own countries, not just ordained people like myself, pastors, but business people, journalists like yourself, so that they can be introduced to one another, so that they can be empowered and equipped. A country trains ambassadors to represent that country abroad. The BWA shouldn’t allow these younger leaders, emerging leaders to emerge by accident. They should emerge by design. So one of the things that I am setting up is a ‘Global Emerging Leaders’ Academy’, and it will be once a year and it will be in different parts of the world and like all things it will be relational – very relational, so if you came to it, you would meet other people and be encouraged to be in touch with them in-between the annual meetings with the academy.
