BWA NEWS highlights United States
Pastors Welcome Document that Guides Relationships Between Baptists Principles and Guidelines for Intra-Baptist Relationships is
Several pastors in the Washington Metropolitan Area welcomed a document laying out principles and guidelines for relationships between Baptists. BWA General Secretary Neville Callam introduced the document at a reception for pastors from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, at the BWA international offices on April 25. He said that though it was created specifically to guide relationships within BWA organized life it could prove useful in other contexts. This view was affirmed by participants at the meeting, stating that the document could be modified so that it could be used by local churches while, at the same time, taking care not to water it down. It was also proposed that the guidelines and principles form the basis of a Bible Study to be used by churches. One pastor indicated that his church just considered the problem of divisiveness within church life and felt that this document could form the basis for discussions on the matter. Two pastors representing two separate churches informed the meeting that they were contemplating merging into one congregation. They indicated that the document could serve as the starting point on which to forge congregational unity and that it would be an important resource in the drafting of a vision statement. The view was that the document was long overdue and that
it reflects a collaborative and servant leadership model that is worthy of emulation and adoption.
The document, Principles and Guidelines for Intra-Baptist Relationships, was unanimously endorsed by the BWA Executive Committee in March. It is to be presented to the BWA General Council for ratification at its meeting in Jamaica in July.
New UN Representative Appointed
Darrell Armstrong, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey, in the United States, is the new Baptist World Alliance®
representative to the United Nations in New York City. Since 1974, the BWA has held special consultative status with
the UN through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Conference of Nongovernmental Organizations (CoNGO), which gives the organization opportunity to have a voice in different areas within the UN systems. The BWA has membership on three CoNGO committees, the Committee on Freedom of Religion and Belief, the Committee on Sustainable Development and the Committee on Human Rights. The international Baptist organization also holds representation on the UN Human Rights Council and plays an active role on the Committee on Religious NGOs at the United Nations. The BWA holds 25 seats at the UN. BWA representatives are appointed to a two-year term, with the option to be extended. Other UN representatives are Christer Daelander and Joseph Oniyama who represent the BWA in Geneva, Switzerland, and New York, respectively. Armstrong began his role at the recent “ECOSOC Integration
Meeting on Sustainable Development” held at the New York Office of the UN. By attending this event, he was able to begin networking with other representatives, a vital component in enabling the BWA to maintain its presence. Armstrong remarked that “this ‘Special Meeting’ was certainly congruent with the theology and praxis of the Baptist World Alliance and must command our full attention and participation.”
24 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE
currently being translated into 27 languages for dissemination around the world. Baptists are encouraged to have it translated into their own local language.
The document takes into account the great diversity that exists among Baptists, particularly within the BWA, which has 223 member organizations in 120 countries. It seeks to forge an understanding of how such diversity may work itself out into a unity that, according to Callam, “is not mono-layered but is thick.” This diversity, Callam said, is God’s gracious gift, but so is the unity among believers. The challenge is to negotiate the living out of these two gifts – diversity and unity – within the life of the church.
Callam emphasized the need for a consensus approach
to decision making within church life rather than a majoritarian approach. Worship, Callam believes, should be at the heart of church life, including in the decision making process. When decision meetings are held, they would not fall captive to or be based solely on a particular constitutional order that is culture- bound, but would be done in an atmosphere where participants seek to apprehend the mind of Christ. In such a setting, there would be love, mutual respect, a willingness to receive each other, a desire to look out for the interests of others and a commitment to accomplish the will of God more fully. The reception on April 25 was part of a series of meetings
hosted by Callam on an annual basis, usually in the spring and in the fall, for Baptist pastors in the Washington Metropolitan area.
Darrell
Armstrong, BWA
representative to the UN in New York
His other representative responsibilities include advocacy on behalf of the BWA, monitoring UN actions and making reports to the BWA so that it stays informed on actions and issues that will affect the global Baptist family. Armstrong earned degrees from Stanford University in the state of California, Princeton Theological Seminary in the state of New Jersey and the College of New Jersey. He currently serves on Princeton seminary’s Board of Trustees.
United States
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