Background

During Covid, many churches transferred aspects of their ministry and mission online. After the lockdowns, some continued with a hybrid offering, while many returned to gathering just as they had before. During this season, a conversation began among a few Baptists about the possibility of a fully digital expression of church, leading to a series of three ‘Digital Pentecost’ conversations in Spring 2023.

A number of those who took part in these discussions came together around the vision for transform.church and became its trustees. Over the last eighteen months, we have been meeting regularly, refining this vision, and working with others to address key issues such as safeguarding. We are now in a position where we have clarity over the resources we need to launch and are pleased to approach potential partners who may be interested in supporting this exciting church plant.

One of our trustees, Alice Cheeseman, recorded a video with Matt Souza (who has been leading an online church in the USA for 10 years) as part of a presentation to BUGB Council in March 2025. The quotes on this page are taken from that video which you can watch by clicking on the image above. The ‘digital revolution’ is one of six priority areas within Baptists Together, and the trustees of transform.church are all involved in the Digital Round Table which seeks to help our movement follow the example of others who are leading the way and sending missionaries into this 21st century mission field.

"Every single username is a person that God loves, and we get to be part of their stories."

Vision

transform.church could be described as a multi-congregational digital Baptist church, or as a network of missional communities. It will be served by shared vision and governance and connected through an online platform and training hub. The vision is grounded in a deep commitment to holistic discipleship that understands our participation in the mission of God in four key dimensions:

• With God: Knowing and following Jesus, doing the will of the Father, and living in the power of the Spirit.
• With People: Loving our neighbours, pursuing justice, and embodying grace and mercy.
• With the Planet: Practicing good stewardship of creation with a generous gratitude for the natural world.
• With Ourselves: Developing our character, discerning our calling, and making our unique contribution.

• Inwardly: Personal transformation, deepening our relationship with Jesus in the four dimensions mentioned above.
• Outwardly: Offering transformation to others through opportunities to encounter and follow Jesus.

"There's such a hunger for spirituality... and I can't wait to see the church step into that space and go, 'Hey, we're here. God's here. He loves you.'"

Core Activities

There are two main ways that transform.church operates:
(i) as a training hub, and (ii) in missional communities.

(i) Training Hub

This incorporates our website and the rest of our digital content, and the online spaces where we gather, either synchronously or asynchronously. The hub serves as:

• A place to communicate and express our commitment to the shared vision.
• The home of, or a signpost to, the content we’ve created or other relevant online resources, including YouTube videos, podcasts, blog posts and social media.
• A platform for engagement and discussion.
• A training space, equipping people in the four dimensions and two directions of missional discipleship.
• A home for the monthly ‘transform groups’, which connect people from the different missional communities, and train those who are:
  • Exploring faith
  • New believers In a missional community
  • Not yet in a missional community
  • Seeking support in setting up a missional community
• A space where testimonies and information about missional communities are shared.
• A call to action, inviting members to take the next step towards starting their own new missional communities.

(ii) Missional Communities

The life of each missional community is informed by the fresh expressions journey. This identifies that new Christian communities are often formed through engagement (not always in a sequential order) of the following key steps:



As each missional community matures into a distinct congregation within transform.church it will show evidence of four deepening relationships:

• In – through fellowship with one another,
• Out – through participation in the mission of God,
• Up – through God’s Word and a life of worship,
• Of – through its connection with the wider church.

"Jesus stepped out of where he was to come down to where the people are. Digital ministry gives us the opportunity to do the same."

The missional communities will gather more frequently than the training hub, and are:

• Digital or physical spaces for relational ministry (In, Out, Up, Of).
• Focused on nurturing belonging and community (In).
• Outward-looking and welcoming to new participants (Out).
• Exploring worship and engagement with God’s word (Up).
• Encouraging wider participation in the missional training hub (Of).
• Gathered around shared interests or experiences.
• Small and capable of multiplying as needed.

"The mission is more important than ever, and technology is not going away."

Stewardship

Stewardship (our name for membership) is expressed through active participation in a team starting or nurturing a missional community and engagement in the relevant ‘transform groups.’

Stewardship includes commitments to:

• Baptism as a sign of following Jesus.
• The four dimensions and two directions of discipleship.
• Regular participation in a missional community and transform groups.
• Coming together online at least four times a year to discern the mind of Christ for the life and direction of the church.
• Contributing financially to the ministry and mission of transform.church.

• The costs of the ministers (who we refer to as ‘enablers’).
• The training hub.
• Supporting missional communities.
• Charitable giving (e.g., Home Mission, BMS).
• A fund for innovation and other aligned activities.

Ministry Team

A strong ministry team is essential to the success of transform.church. We initially propose three part-time ministry roles, each contributing uniquely to the life of transform.church:

• Mission Enabler – Serving the formation and growth of new missional communities.
• Digital Enabler – Supporting the online infrastructure, content creation, and digital engagement.
• Community Enabler – Nurturing the transform.church community and fostering deeper connections among members.

Governance

"Don't be afraid of the future. And the truth is – this isn’t even the future. It’s really the present."

Partnership

• Firstly, we need funds to cover the costs of startup, including ministry and initial content creation. 
• Secondly, we’d like a few people to offer their support and serve transform.church as trustees to help us with the governance of this project in its first few years. 

Conclusion