THE Baptist Union has
appointed its first woman general secretary, the Revd Lynne
Green.
Mrs Green has been
elected after serving as a Regional Minister and Minister of
Wokingham Baptist Church. She has also served on the Baptist Union
Council. After her election, she said that Baptists were ready for
"generational change", and that it was time "to cast off the
institutional mindset".
The Moderator of
Trustees, Jenny Royal, who proposed the appointment, said: "This is
an exciting appointment for the Baptist Union and we are confident
that Lynn is the right person to lead our Union at this strategic
time. She brings many gifts and vast experience to the task."
Mrs Green will replace
the Revd Jonathan Edwards, who is stepping down as general
secretary after the post was restructured as part of a cost-cutting
drive.
The position of general
secretary has been merged with general manager as part of a
£1.2-million restructuring process, which includes reducing the
staff at the Didcot headquarters to 32, from 46.
The appointment was
endorsed by the annual Baptist Assembly, held last week in
Blackpool. About 1500 Baptists attended. Its central theme was the
text of Philippians.
The Assembly was hosted jointly by the Baptist Union and BMS
World Mission. Eighty-three new ministers were transferred to the
fully accredited list, and several mission workers were sent on new
ministries overseas. Delegates also heard about a new initiative of
BMS World Mission, Project Cyrus, which asks churches and
individuals to pray collectively over the next two years for change
in North Korea.