London Baptist Ministers and leaders gather to reflect and respond to the findings of Project Violet
In London Baptists there are over sixty women in pastoral leadership. Almost forty of these are accredited ministers. These women are in a number of different roles including trans local roles, chaplaincy and community ministry as well as in local church leadership. As Baptist churches are governed by the local church meeting, London Baptist Churches have many different approaches and ideas on how and where women can serve in their churches, depending on the theology and culture of the local church. Some have had women ministers right since their formation, some are only just discovering and working out how women and men and co-work as equals in ministry in their context, and many have never had a woman as part of their ministry teams. We’re all very different and we celebrate our diversity.
Project Violet has investigated women’s experiences in ministry whilst developing women ministers. The project is designed to help us understand more fully the theological, missional, and structural obstacles women ministers face in the Baptist community in Great Britain and identify ways forward. London Baptists is committed to responding to the report and committing to actions that will lead to change in our culture and enable women and others who have not always been able to, to thrive in our association. We are encouraging our churches to do the same.
As part of our response, as association and churches, over sixty church leaders from forty two different London Baptist churches gathered together at The King's Cross Baptist Church to reflect on the findings of Project Violet and commit to change.
Rev Jane Day, Baptists Together Centenary Development Enabler and co-leader on the Project, shared an overview of the research, and spoke about the process, which brought together sixteen co-researchers, who worked with Jane, and Helen Cameron (project co-lead and research fellow at Regent’s Park College, Oxford), along with a group of Theological Reflectors from our Baptist Colleges, to research, write and bring the Project together. Seven of the co-researchers are from London Baptists. The research has resulted in fifty seven recommendations which have been brought to the Baptist Family to consider and commit to, so as to bring about change. You can read the research and recommendations on the Project Violet website.
Regional Team Leader, Rev Phil Barnard, brought his response to the gathering, encouraging those who attended to take the reports seriously and to think about what they might do to help, not only women, but all those on the margins to thrive and enable them to be all that God has called them to be. He identified ministers clusters and meetings as a good place to start and asked that all would consider how they might be good and effective allies for women and for all those who are discriminated against in our association. Our culture needs to change to ensure that we are welcoming to women ministers and that church and association spaces are a safe place to be for all.
As the day continued we heard from local co-researchers and then began to explore with some fruitful discussions, how as association and churches, we might commit to and implement change. Each attendee responded to a call for action in their local context and went away committed to exploring the findings and continuing the conversation, as they identified what their own personal response might be. The details on how to respond and commit to action can be found on the Project Violet website, and key stakeholders are encouraged to submit their responses by the 30th September 2024.
