What ministers must do
If you are a newly or fully accredited minister, or a nationally recognised pastor, you must watch the I Am Because You Are videos and let the Ministries Team know you have done so.* This is in line with the decision made by the Baptist Union Council. Our target for you to complete this is the end of 2023.
We ask you to watch the videos together with other ministers so that you can consider the material and discuss the questions as they arise. We are confident that there will be differing views shared! But it is in the discussion of the questions during and at the end of each video that we hope the real work of the training will be done, as you listen well and respond with grace to other perspectives and other people's stories.
Please note: Some regional associations are arranging for all their ministers to watch and discuss the material in organised gatherings. Where this is the case, your association will let you know about dates and times. If this is not the case, it is your responsibility to arrange to watch I Am Because You Are with other ministers in your existing networks. This can be with those from your local cluster meetings or within other formal or informal gatherings.
We recommend that the group with whom you discuss the videos is between four and eight people. Ideally, the group will not be entirely uniform itself but will reflect something of the diversity among ministers in gender, age, race, background, ministry setting, and so on. If you are struggling to find others with whom to watch the resource, please in the first instance speak to your regional minister - they may be able to connect you with others in the same situation.
The videos vary in length from twelve to thirty minutes minutes, and each episode's length is shown on the videos page. The combined running time is 1 hour 50 minutes. However, because each video encourages discussion, we estimate that you will need to set aside around four hours in total. Clearly, this would make for an arduous task if undertaken in one sitting. Our recommendation is that you meet together two or three times, for perhaps ninety minutes to two hours on each occasion, watching and discussing two or three videos each time. However, please feel free to determine your own alternative pattern.
As with all training, meeting in the room with others may assist the nuance and quality of the discussion. However, we acknowledge that for some it will be more practical to meet online.
Once you have watched all the videos, please email the Ministries Team to confirm this, by clicking here. If you are part of a group, one minister can include the details of all who were involved, but it is each minister’s responsibility to check this has been done.
*Please note that retired ministers and those serving as military chaplains are not required to undertake the training but are very welcome to do so if they want. Also, if you have been granted Leave of Absence, we appreciate that it may not be possible to engage with the training right now. We will ask you to undertake the training on your return to active ministry.