The Baptist Union of Western Australia values the diversity of cultures amongst the congregations within the Baptist Family of Churches. Our aim is to build a healthy and growing Church which reflects the makeup of the population in Western Australia whilst also helping new migrants to integrate in the society here. We will do this through the following means:
Provide Church Health Consultancies to existing Churches to help them evaluate their current setup and provide them with recommendations on steps to move towards a more healthy structure, leadership model, worship style, outreach while also taking care of second and subsequent generations.
Provide training to leaders of Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) Churches to promote a stronger and more effective leadership. These are nationally accredited courses conducted under the umbrella of the Vose Seminary.
Provide NESB Churches with help and support to combine resources to enable them to become healthier and more intentional in mission. Instead of having fifteen small and struggling churches, we will encourage and facilitate the setting up of four or five church buildings where fifteen healthy communities meet with the mission of reaching out to their own. We will also endeavour to take care of the second and subsequent generations of migrants by having English speaking services in each of those four or five church buildings for those more comfortable with the English language and also for others from the wider community.
Provide a positive environment where migrants will be helped to integrate into this great Australian society and to make a significant contribution to the Baptist family of Churches as fully participating members. This will be implemented through the institution of migrant centres within available Church buildings where new migrants will be helped with the English language, helped to deal with the various government agencies, provided with temporary accommodation and any other needs each community might have.
As migrants, we too can make a significant contribution to the Baptist Family of Churches. We are here to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, just like anyone else and we are here in Western Australia to fulfil the Great Commission, just like anyone else.
Let us all work together to build a healthy missional Church. We are stronger when we work together – let us do it for our Lord Jesus Christ.