The Baptist Union is, and always has been, a movement on mission. We have always been about going where the people need to know about Jesus and creating places for people to experience belonging, community and the love of Jesus.
So now that we remember where we’ve come from, let’s remind ourselves where we’re heading. Our vision as a union of churches together – is to be a union of 500 flourishing churches, making disciples and transforming Victoria.
Five hundred churches – that’s not just a number. It’s 500 communities scattered across this state, from the CBD to the Mallee, each one an outpost of the kingdom. Each one making disciples who actually follow Jesus, not just attend services. Each one transforming their local community because the gospel does that when it takes root.
Right now, we have 247 churches within the BUV. Some are thriving. Some are hanging on. Some are asking hard questions about their future. And that’s actually okay, because flourishing isn’t about having it all together. It’s about being alive, growing, and aligned with God’s mission.
Flourishing churches don’t happen by accident. They happen when we’re intentional about the right things. When we…
- pray like everything depends on God.
- seek to invest our time and effort on the things that matter to God, make a difference in people’s lives and impact the community.
- equip people to make disciples, not just deliver programs.
- plant new churches and revitalise existing ones with the same passion.
- invest in young people, care for the sick and love those who have been forgotten.
The vision IS doable. We’re not asking churches to do everything right now – we have 50 years to accomplish this goal. But we are asking churches to start by engaging with one or two areas where God is already stirring something amongst your congregation.
The question isn’t whether we can get to 500 flourishing churches. The question is whether we’ll be faithful with what’s in front of us right now, and have the faith to build on it. Let’s do that together.
This is the invitation of this generation – what will your part in the story be?
Victorian Baptists, if you are resonating with our vision for 500 flourishing churches in 50 years, we would love you to join us as we make our vision a reality. Firstly, we would love you to join us in prayer because we know that prayer is our firm foundation. Find out which churches we are praying for each week through our Prayer page – buv.com.au/pray/
And secondly, we’d love to talk with you about how you might be able to support bringing this vision to life through partnering with us in mission. You can find out more by connecting with Doreen Tang, our Donor Relations Lead on gift@buv.com.au or you can visit our Partnering in Mission website page.