The Baptist Union is delighted to announce that the Revd Lynn Green
has been appointed as General Secretary, taking up the new role in
September 2013.
Lynn, 48, is well known to many within the Union and is currently a
Regional Minister with the Southern Counties Baptist Association team.
Previously she served as Minister at Wokingham Baptist Church and was
Team Leader there for 11 years. During this time Lynn has been able to
mentor a number of leaders as well as being mentored herself. She has
also served our Union in many ways over the years, particularly as
Moderator of the Staffing committee and the Mission Executive. Seven
years ago she herself was the Moderator of the General Secretary
Nominating Group. She also served as Secretary of Mainstream (now Fresh
Streams) for a number of years. Lynn began her working life commuting to
London as a Marketing Manager with Royal Mail Parcels International and
subsequently was the Corporate Identity Manager for Royal Mail. Most of
her working life has been bi-vocational, combining the calling to
ministry with her vocation as a wife and mother. She has been married
for 26 years to Stuart, who is Head of Audit with The Garden Centre
Group. They have two children and also care for two children as Friends
and Family Foster Carers.
Lynn is excited by God’s call to this ministry and as she looks
forward to serving our Union in this new role of General Secretary, she
outlines her vision.
“My vision is to see
our vision and values become
reality. Through the ‘Futures’ process we have clarified our vision to
be “Growing healthy churches in relationship for mission”. I want to
harness the energy generated by the ‘Futures’ discussions and turn it
into action!
Our 5 Core Values - being prophetic, inclusive, sacrificial,
missionary and worshipping communities – must be reflected in our life
together. I am committed to holding us all accountable to these values
in our life together and in our engagement with the world.
I also believe that we need a humble confidence that God is at work
in us and through us! There are so many amazing stories of what the Lord
is doing out there; God has certainly not finished with us yet!
Alongside pioneering new ways of being church, I long to see many more
local churches being encouraged and supported to transition beyond
inherited patterns of church into vibrant mission communities. In doing
this, I hope that we will be adventurous, take more risks and above all,
be Kingdom possibility thinkers!
In a tribal world I want us to be known for our profound and rich
diversity in unity - diverse yet integrated. As Baptists we can
celebrate that we are a people gathered from many nations; we have so
much to learn from each other in our journey to become Christ centred
communities.
I am committed to the priesthood of all believers, where women and
men, young and old, rich and poor, are encouraged and released to serve
the Lord , each one differently abled and unique. And I pray that we
will be known as a deeply loving people. As Scripture says, “..if I have
not love, I am nothing”. As I see it we are not so much an
organisation, as a radical movement of Jesus’ followers who experience
and share God’s incredible, sacrificial love for all.
When it comes to putting this into practice I see our priorities at this time to be:
Listening to the Lord, to one another and to our communities;
at heart there must be an utter dependence on God. Our Declaration of
Principle states clearly that our sole authority in all matters of faith
and practice is our Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture. For me
keeping Jesus at the centre and allowing our lives to be shaped by His
Word is essential. I also want to build on Jonathan Edwards’ focus on
the centrality of prayer.
Truly becoming a team; this is my deepest longing for us as a
Union. By working together in trusting partnerships I believe that we
can maximise our Kingdom potential. WE are the Union.
Turning our talk into action! We have done LOTS of talking and now I feel strongly that we really need to get on with the job!
Jonathan Edwards, the present General Secretary, says
“I am thrilled that the Baptist Union has recognised Lynn Green as
General Secretary. Lynn has been an effective local minister for many
years and her gifts have been well used as a regional minister in the
Southern Counties Baptist Association over the past two years. She has
served on Baptist Union Council and moderated the Staffing Committee for
a number of years during which time we have recognised her sharp mind
and gracious spirit. I feel a deep peace and great excitement for the
Union as Lynn becomes our General Secretary. I urge the Baptist family
to pray for Lynn and to give her all the love and support that I have
been privileged to experience for the past seven years.”
and yes this IS England and that IS blue sky
