Affirm's History
Beginnings
During the 1990s, the Baptist Union had convened a Human Sexuality working group, which
produced a discussion document for churches Making Moral Choices. This encouraged those
who studied it to consider a number of moral questions. One of them was sexuality, engaging
with the way the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) understood the issues alongside
a contrasting approach.
Most churches, however, did not study the document and often LGBT Baptists found rejection
in their churches if they shared their stories. The experience of one Baptist minister, who had
“come out” to a trusted deacon and lost everything was recounted in a letter in the Baptist
Times. This brought together an informal network of concerned ministers and lay leaders to
offer pastoral support.
At about the same time, several Lesbian and Gay Baptists attended an AGM of LGCM. There
were a number of denominational causes of LGCM, but no Baptist one. Two of them met with
the convenor of the informal network. They decided against forming an LGCM caucus and
sought a “more Baptist” name.
The Network of Baptists Affirming Lesbian and Gay Christians was formed, which over time
became informally the Affirming Baptist Network. It was launched in 2000, led by Martin Stears-
Handscomb and Revd David Trafford.
Engaging with the Baptist Union
A joint letter to Council led to the avoidance of what would have been a negative debate on a
resolution at the 2001 Baptist Assembly. Instead there was a private session of all two
thousand delegates where several LGBT members were able to “come-out” either within buzz-
groups or at the plenary session.
Meetings followed with leaders of BUGB and BMS World Mission, which over the next few years
established an informal “consultative status”. LGBT members sought to establish the principal
of “nothing about us without us” on the basis that we are all on a “journey of understanding
under the Holy Spirit”, which ties in with the Affirm ethos. At the 2006 Assembly, members of
the Network participated in a workshop on Civil Partnerships led by Nigel Wright (Principal of
Spurgeons’ College). However the requests for an official interest group meeting and/or a stall
at the Annual Assembly were never granted.
Building the Network
Members are those Baptist Christians who have signed the Network’s statement. Membership
grew until by 2007 there were over 60 individual members. Working with colleagues in the
United Reformed Church, annual meetings were held with a variety of speakers and workshops,
attracting 20-30 each year, around half of whom were Affirm members. Open Committee
meetings were held on average twice a year with 5-6 members attending. Newsletters were
produced, often twice a year.
There were frustrations in the lack of visible results in most churches and work tailed off in the
last years of the noughties. However, the value of “being there”, the groundwork of changing
minds “one heart at a time” and the support for many who otherwise would have felt totally
isolated meant that the co-ordinator’s conviction never altered that this is God’s work. “We
love our Baptist family, some of us are gay, we are staying.”
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Tenth Anniversary and Beyond
The Tenth Anniversary celebration in 2010 was an effective re-launch, with 30 attending. New
LGBT members shared their stories. Revd Sharon Ferguson and Revd Benny Hazlehurst spoke at
the worship session. In 2011 BU Council formally recognised the Network, instructing the Faith
and Unity Executive to work with us “to make its purposes clearly known and recognised, so
enabling its ministry of care and support to be available within BUGB.”
Martin and Avril Mackenzie-Parr now led the Network. The name changed to Affirm with the
longer old name as a subtitle and the www.affirmingbaptists.org.uk website was set up. A
Reference Group of 5 leading UK Baptists was also formed.
Members had from the beginning been active in a range of Christian LGBT groups and this was a
period of considerable activity with the retirement of Jeremy Marks of Courage and launch of
Two:23, the growth of Accepting Evangelicals and Christians at Pride and we were able to
undertake joint activity with them and with the more established group Evangelical Fellowship
for LGBT Christians.
2012 was an exceptionally busy year and included organising our own fringe meeting at
Assembly at which Jeremy Marks, now a regular committee member was the speaker.
2013 and Continuing the Conversation
At last in 2013 we had our Assembly workshop! 150 delegates attending the official workshop
organised by the Faith and Unity Executive at which Avril and Martin shared their stories and
several others spoke. The Assembly Plenary session the following morning started the
conversation: “How are we to respond in missional and pastoral ways to people in faithful
same-sex relationships within our churches?”
In the years that followed, a good number of Baptist churches have declared themselves to be
‘Affirming’ and some have registered for Same-Sex Marriage. Other churches and ministers
declare themselves “on a journey” or at least accept the integrity of those who are affirming. A
larger number find this difficult and struggle to remain in fellowship.
Decisions at Council and reported to Assembly have reflected this tension; the tension between
the responsibility of each local church to discern God’s laws under the Spirit’s guidance and
Jesus’ prayer that we should seek to be at one so that the world will believe.
Affirm seeks to “Continue the Conversation” started in 2013, conscious of the challenges that
that entails and looking to the experience of those involved in Conflict Resolution, in the
knowledge that the Baptist unity within the Baptist Union (BUGB) grew from our ability to
disagree well for the sake of the Gospel.
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Martin Stears-Handscomb, February 2017