Gender Justice Resource
In 2019 Baptist Together celebrated 100 years of ordaining women in Baptist Ministry. We as an Association celebrate the gift of women's ministry and honour the (painful and slow) journey that has been made so far. We want to continue to inspire women to respond to God's call and to clearly and loudly say that women's ministry is welcomed and encouraged.
As an Association we are committed to the promotion of gender equality and diversity within the Baptist Movement: we will work together for the:
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The elimination of discrimination on grounds of gender;
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Advancing education and raising awareness in gender equality and diversity within our churches
Celebrating, Surviving and Thriving - Women in Baptist Ministry:
A recent women's conference made up of women in ministry across the Baptist Family published the following statement:
In celebration of the centenary of the recognition of women to be Baptist ministers, we commit ourselves into our shared life and take courage to step forward in living out our call. This conference calls on our Baptist family to support women, of all ages and ethnic and social backgrounds, in the following ways:
By joining with us to celebrate and support the ministry of women, sharing and teaching with vigour the biblical and theological foundations for their affirmation by successive Baptist Union Councils, and reporting the many ways in which women in ministry at all levels are growing our churches and advancing the mission of God.
By making it a priority to identify and utilise women who will mentor, accompany and be role models to women at all stages of exploring a call and of ministry, recognising that all women are different and their experiences vary widely.
By providing frequent opportunities for experience such as apprenticeships, placements, shadowing, preaching opportunities, and by intentionally equipping and calling emerging women ministers and leaders.
By challenging ourselves to be more aware of questions of justice, to reflect on our assumptions and biases, to ensure fairness within our structures, processes and behaviour, such as exploring a call and National Settlement, and commit together to equity of opportunity and expectation.
As an Association we are working to put these steps into practice - see our Women in Ministry page for details of how we are doing this.
Baptist Together Gender Hub:
Baptist Together have a Gender Hub that have produced resources for the church including addressing the biblical, historical and practical reasons why the Baptist Union of Great Britain wholeheartedly Click here to visit the national Gender Justice Hub
The Lydia Question:
This collection of Bible studies and personal stories explore women in leadership produced by Baptist's Together. This resource is designed to give individuals and groups the opportunity to read and reflect on Biblical passages together and also offers suggestions for worship and prayer for small groups. Click Here to Download the Resource
Gender Pay Gap:
Research has been conducted recently about the gender pay gap within our Baptist Churches; results and reflection will be posted soon.
Celebrating Black Women in Religious and Theological Education: Know their Names!
In honour of Women’s History Month, we are pleased to highlight the enormous contributions of ten African American (Womanist) religious and biblical scholars; here are ten groundbreaking texts in their respective academic field of study.
Dignity - Taking a stand against gender based violence:
Across the world every one of us will have met someone who has been a victim of gender based violence. We just may not know it.
Baptists Together is part of the Dignity Coalition aiming to bring this reality out of the shadows and supports churches in grappling with the issues involved.
A resource-packed DVD accompanies the Dignity initiative to help leaders engage with scriptural wisdom on GBV. Order your free copy now
Click Here to go to the Dignity Website for more resources and how your church can take a stand
Below is the overview video of Dignity