Overview

This book is an exploration of the renewal of the Baptist Union of Great Britain in the 1990s, the only historic UK denomination which grew in this period. It was an exciting time, with plenty of denominational activity and engagement, both theological and institutional. The book tells this story focusing on the particular individuals involved and the wide-ranging discussions centered around mission and identity, ministry, associating, and ecumenism. It argues that there were competing visions emerging from two different streams of thought which whilst not divisive caused tension. At the end of the decade structural changes were introduced with hope for the new millennium, but the book contends that opportunities were missed for a more deeply theological renewal.

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9781725279827

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Baptists have been less affected by declining numbers than other British Free Churches. Goodliff's analysis of the two main recipes for denominational renewal advocated in the 1990s helps to explain why. Commitment to mission and charismatic renewal on the one hand, and deep ecclesiological reflection on a covenantal basis for Christian unity on the other, offered contrasting solutions, but both played their part in rejuvenating a historic Free Church tradition for the twenty-first century. --Brian Stanley, University of Edinburgh It may be too soon to assess the effectiveness or otherwise of recent structural changes within the Baptist Union of Great Britain that Dr. Goodliff so carefully describes and analyzes here: though thus far they have had little visible impact on a steady decline in membership and the demise of a distinctive sense of identity. What is here presented is the regrettable phenomenon of two groupings talking past rather than engaging critically with each other. --John E. Colwell, Spurgeon's College, London This is a welcome study of Baptist life in a period of significant change at the end of the twentieth century. Goodliff's work is marked by careful analysis and offers important insights. It will be of great benefit to all involved in Baptist life who want to understand and learn from this period. In addition, those engaged in wider pan-denominational reflection will find this account valuable. --Ian Randall, Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide Goodliff's Renewing a Modern Denomination is not merely a chronicle of significant recent developments in the life of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, but an absorbing account of the often fraught and sometimes fruitful tension between missiological and theological renewal movements within the denomination. A careful work of historical and theological scholarship by a rising pastor-theologian who has already done much to advance the forms of ecclesial renewal explored in this book. --Steven R. Harmon, Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity

Author Information

Andy Goodliff is the minister of Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend-on-Sea, UK. He has co-edited and contributed to Gathering Disciples (2017) and Rhythms of Faithfulness (2018).

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