British Baptists downsize national staff. The Baptist Union of Great Britain will downsize its national staff from 46 to 32 employees and change the way it works with associations and Baptist colleges to improve how it serves local churches in the 21st century. Changes approved by the Baptist Union Council followed a yearlong study prompted by financial concerns but broadened to re-examine mission structures designed for the 20th century. The driving vision for the shift, which also includes reducing the size of the governing council, is to create a more flexible structure that moves decisions closer to the local church. In March, the Baptist council received report of a deficit of more than $1 million in the Baptist Union’s Home Mission Fund, attributed to declines in giving by churches.
