Broadway Baptist Church

Minister’s Page

Minister's Letter | Who are the Baptists? | Church History

Minister's Letter

Peter Shepherd

As a “baby boomer”, born in 1950, I have been very fortunate. The years since the 1939-45 war have seen economic prosperity, and freely available, high-quality health care and education. There have been problems, of course, but on the whole the last 60 years have been good years.

There are signs that we are embarking on more difficult times. Economically, severe strains are showing in the Western capitalist system; environmentally, the destructive effect of human activity on our planet is becoming more and more obvious.

In facing an uncertain future, we are sharing a common human experience. We are unusual in having enjoyed such security and comfort. Unlike most people in history, and even in the world of today, we are not used to such threatening clouds on the horizon.

Difficult as this may be, there is one good thing about it – we can no longer take our blessings for granted. We can, perhaps, only appreciate the good things in life properly when we face the prospect of them being taken away.

Have a really good summer, and enjoy all the good things of life, which none of us really have done anything to deserve.

From the Minister

Peter

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Who are the Baptists?

Baptists are part of the whole Christian Church and share its basic beliefs. They are made up of several different groups in most countries of the world, united by a conviction that baptism is only for people who have a Christian faith. For this reason they do not baptize (christen) babies. Baptist churches are self-governing and vary in the way they do things, working together through Associations and Unions. Most Baptist churches in England, like Broadway Baptist Church, belong to the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

At the time of the Reformation in the 1500’s, many Christians began to think differently about their faith and the Baptists were one of the movements that emerged at that time. They were regarded as radical and sometimes dangerous, especially because of their commitment to religious freedom. The various Baptist groups in existence throughout the world today date their origin to congregations in London that started practising believer’s baptism in the early 1600’s. There are over 40 million members of Baptist churches in the world today, including about 150,000 in Britain.

Baptists at 400

On Friday June 26^th, 120 Baptists from the East Midlands and South Yorkshire met in Gainsborough Old Hall to celebrate 400 years of Baptist life. A congregation of “Separatists” (so called because they wanted to separate themselves from the Church of England) met in the Hall in the early 1600’s. In 1608 they left for the Netherlands, where they were free to worship as they wanted, and in 1609 adopted believers’ baptism. A group returned to London shortly afterwards and became the first English Baptist church, from which the world-wide Baptist denomination of today has grown. The Gainsborough celebration included a telling of the story of the congregation and a dramatic presentation by the Heanor Players, both written by Stephen Greasley. Sue Allan, in costume as Rose Hickman, lady of the seventeenth-century manor, who had Separatist sympathies, welcomed us. The event concluded with a time of worship and thanksgiving, led by Chris Ellis from West Bridgford Baptist Church. This included the singing of a hymn composed by Chris for the occasion, Lord of the Word. It was an enjoyable occasion, and a worthy commemoration of our Baptist forebears who sacrificed much for the sake of following Jesus in the way they believed to be right.

We believe in the baptism of believers and the importance of church membership for those who make Broadway their spiritual home. Please contact Peter if you would like to know more about Believers' Baptism or Church Membership.
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Broadway Baptist Church

Our church began in 1791 when nine people were baptized in the river Derwent and formed themselves into a Baptist church. In 1802 the first church building was opened on Brook Street (now the Masa Restaurant). Forty years later a large town house on St Mary’s Gate was converted into a new church building, seating 1,200. At this time the church was growing rapidly, led by its energetic minister, J G Pike. Several new churches were formed in the area as a result of his preaching.

In 1939 the St Mary’s Gate building was sold, and soon afterwards demolished. A new building was erected on Broadway, then in a growing residential area at the edge of the town.

As with most churches, Broadway Baptist experienced a decline of membership during the twentieth century, but is still an active church with several organisations for young and older people and a dynamic witness in the area. It belongs to the East Midlands Baptist Association and Allestree Churches Together.

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Office Address:

166 Broadway

DERBY

DE22 1BP