Dr. Elijah Brown, General Secretary and CEO of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), called members to “a collaborative global mission” during the opening celebration of the 23rd Baptist World Congress. The international fellowship of Baptist churches and organizations launched the Acts 2 Movement in Brisbane, Australia. It is described as “the mobilization of our Baptist family in prayerful pursuit of a global Pentecost that overflows in church renewal and holistic Gospel witness around the world.”
More than 3,000 Baptists from over 100 countries gathered at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 7-12 to join in worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching and service. The 23rd Baptist World Congress was held in partnership with Australian Baptist Ministries and Queensland Baptists.
The theme of the gathering was “Living the Good News” and based on Luke 4:18-19. Attendees were invited to live the good news as “incarnational community,” “disruptable disciples,” “freedom pursuers” and “anointed proclaimers.”
“Two thousand years ago, the disciples gathered in an upper room, and for the first time, the Holy Spirit permanently filled men and women. As a church in action, they changed the world,” Brown said. “What if for the glory of God, we prayed, ‘Lord, what you did 2,000 years ago, would you do it again?’ A global revival in every language, in every neighborhood, in every nation.”
“In light of 2033 as the greatest anniversary in the history of the world, for the first time in BWA history, we are calling every Baptist, every Baptist convention and union, every Baptist mission agency, humanitarian initiative, university and seminary, every church, every brother and sister to pursue an unprecedented Holy Spirit filled collaborative global mission,” he continued.
Brown offered attendees five paths toward attaining the goals of this initiative, described as “the road map to reach the world”: the Witness Path, the Bible Path, the Care Path, the Freedom and Justice Path and the Neighbor Path. These paths also support the BWA’s five core ministry areas: worship, fellowship and unity, mission and evangelism, aid, relief and community development, religious freedom, human rights and justice, theological reflection, and leadership development.
“With the collaborative efforts of BWA Baptists in 138 countries, the movement aims to impact the world by 2033 with 450 million shared testimonies; 500,000 neighborhood chaplains ministering to their neighbors; 1 million signatures on the Covenant for Religious Freedom; 1,159 Bible translations engaged with prayer and support; and 1 billion intentional acts of service,” the Baptist World Alliance said in a press release.
Brown asked attendees to take this initiative to their local churches and communities. Afterwards, he extended a call for prayer, with hundreds of participants coming to the stage in response.
“The global Christian community is uniting around the 2033 vision to help complete the Great Commission. Through the Acts 2 Movement, Baptists are stepping forward to fulfill our sacred responsibility in this divine mission,” Kyle Henderson, BWA Acts 2 Movement Director, said in a statement. “As we look ahead to 2033, we anticipate the joy of standing together—celebrating all God has done through His Church and filled with expectancy for all He will do in the years to come.”
For more information, visit acts2movement.org/.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.
