As we approach Easter, we are once again drawn into the heart of the Christian story – a story of love poured out, of suffering that does not have the final word, and of new life emerging where hope once seemed lost.
Easter reminds us that God is always at work bringing renewal, restoration and transformation, often in unexpected ways.
This Easter hope sits at the centre of all we do at Baptist Mission Australia and our Future Directions vision. We are navigating ministry in a rapidly changing world – a world marked by complexity, uncertainty and deep need, but also by extraordinary opportunity. Just as the resurrection marked a turning point in the story of God’s people, Easter invites us to lift our eyes and reimagine what faithful witness looks like today. Be that in culturally and religiously diverse local Australian communities, or in the unique places Baptist Mission Australia serve and partner in across the globe.
Our Future Directions vision is grounded in the hope that Easter births again and again. It is not simply about our strategy or structure; it’s about discerning where God is already at work and joining in. It recognises that mission today is increasingly “from everywhere to everywhere”. This reality calls us to hold together clarity of purpose with flexibility of practice – staying anchored in Christ, while remaining open to new expressions of mission.
None of this is possible without faithful partnership.
From the earliest days of the church, the mission of God has always been a shared endeavour. That’s certainly been at the heart of the Baptist Mission Australia story. Our faith story is very much a shared one. Baptist churches will gather across the country this weekend for Easter services. Our team members and partners will share in Easter celebrations. These worship expressions will look different in the unique contexts we serve. But at the heart of all these gatherings, the unity we share our love for King Jesus and the hope of this season.
Easter itself is a communal story – women running to the tomb, disciples bearing witness together, the first faith communities formed to share the hope of Jesus and model loving koinonia. In the same way, our work today is carried forward through the faithful partnership of supporters, churches, local leaders and collaborators across Australia and around the world.
We are deeply grateful for the way you continue to walk alongside us.
Your prayers, financial generosity, encouragement and wisdom are not simply add-ons to our work; they are integral to it. Together, we are seeing communities strengthened, leaders equipped, and hope expressed in tangible, community-transforming ways. Together, we are participating in God’s restorative vision across the globe and in Australia.
Easter also invites us to embrace new possibilities, new ways, innovation – not for its own sake, but in serving others with the hope of Jesus. The resurrection was not a return to the old normal; it was the beginning of something radically new, with eternal and cosmic consequence.
As resurrection people we are encouraged to live with a new possibilities posture. I wonder what that means for you and your church today.
For Baptist Mission Australia, our Future Directions vision encourages us to experiment, learn and adapt. That’s been integral to our DNA over generations of ministry. Whether through new partnership models, locally led initiatives or creative approaches to mission and sending, we are seeking to respond to God’s leading with courage and humility.
Innovation requires trust – trust in God, trust that the Spirit is at work beyond our plans and expectations, and trust in each other. It also requires collaboration. Some of the most life-giving developments we see across the globe and in Australia are being shaped by authentic partnership in local communities.
As we celebrate Easter, my prayer is that we would be renewed in hope and recommit to serving together as Kingdom now and not yet people. Around us we see so much brokenness and pain – locally and globally. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. But what does God say in Revelation 21 – “I am making all things new!”. Not I will, but I am. And God graciously invites us to fully participate in this restorative, redemptive vision for the world – people and planet.
This weekend we will pause again to marvel at God’s amazing love. Love that gave it’s all for us. Love that changed our lives. Love that beckons us into our broken, hurting world as the hands and feet of Jesus.
And we celebrate resurrection! We celebrate the God of new things – of new possibilities!
The Risen Christ invites us afresh to embrace hope and to see the world, our communities and others around us as they are, and as they can become! We are called again to faithful, humble, bold, innovative and compassionate service. We are beckoned – in a world of rapid change – not to fear, but to look to the fresh winds of the Spirit and seize new missional opportunities, across the street and the globe.
Thank you for being part of the Baptist Mission Australia faith story. Thank you for your partnership, your generosity, your openness to missional innovation, and your ongoing commitment to God’s restorative vision for the world.
Grace and peace to you this Easter season.
Scott
