Statement for the NBA

Statement from the Northern Baptist Association Council (trustees) - February 2022

 

The Northern Baptist Association (NBA) is in the midst of transitioning to an association that is relevant for the 21stcentury putting mission and pioneering at its core. 

 

It has become clear to us that the NBA has not always created a fair and equal space for all of God’s people.  We have heard accounts of peoples experience and witnessed prejudices (in particular misogyny, racism and gender stereotypes*) which are wrong and have often been left unchallenged.

 

We apologise to everyone who has not been able to flourish in who they are because of our attitudes and structural biases. 

 

In the NBA we believe that all God’s people should be able to embrace their calling and access to ministry and mission. 

 

We believe that it is important that we model and practice an ability to recognise and celebrate our diversity and, where we hold different convictions are able to disagree well.

 

We commit to making the NBA a safe space for all disciples of Jesus and we actively encourage our member churches to do the same.

 

We will do this by engaging with:

• Equal Opportunities Training (including training on unconscious biases)

• Diversity Awareness 

• Just Aware Training from Baptists Together

• Project Violet

• Creating Sanctuary

 

Two of our core values are:

 

Committed to Justice: as God’s people we experience a ‘holy discontent’ that calls us to work for God’s justice in our communities, churches, region and world.  

 

Seeking Well-being: we seek for our association and churches to be a place where people can experience a place of listening, encouraging and guiding in all stages of their mission and ministry.

 

In the coming months we will be working on a strategy of implementing these across the NBA. 

 

A helpful starting place for engaging in conversation can be found here:

https://baptist.org.uk/listen

 

 

* 

Misogyny: dislike of, contempt for, or an ingrained prejudice against women

Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

Gender Stereotypes: a generalised view or preconception about attributes or characteristics, or the roles that are or ought to be possessed by, or performed by, women and men.

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