We are fortunate to have writers contributing regularly to Baptist NZ in the form of columns and opinion pieces.
The aim with our written columns is to provide content to encourage, inspire, inform, and bring into focus a wide range of topics and discussions across the breath of Baptist expression in Aotearoa New Zealand. The hope is that every person within the Baptist movement of churches in New Zealand will find at least one regular column that nurtures their following of Jesus. Who is Jesus?
The views expressed in any of the columns below are not necessarily and probably won’t be the views of every person in our ‘Team of 40,000’ Baptists in New Zealand.
Please contact us if you have column suggestions: [email protected]
Getting to know…
In this column, we discover more about our Baptist whānau, meeting someone in our ‘Team of 40,000 people’ in each column. If you think of someone in your local faith community who would be good for the wider Baptist family to get to know, please email us their details at [email protected]
Getting to know…Rod Robson
Rod is the Chair of the Baptist Assembly Council and Sole Pastor of Opawa Baptist Church, Christchurch.
Getting to know…Jo Hood
Jo is the Visionary of mainly Ministries, an organisation that remains curious as they resource and support faith communities to connect with whānau in their…
Getting to know…Bradley Nicolson
This week we are getting to know Bradley Nicolson, General Manager of Oxford Terrace Baptist Church’s Kānuka Hopestill Limited.
Getting to know… Blue Bradley
In this edition we are getting to know Blue Bradley, who is many things including Director of Northern Easter Camp, and an elected member of…
Getting to know…Shelley Motu’āpuaka
This week we are getting to know Shelley Motu'āpuaka, Chair of the Northern Baptist Association and recently called Sole Pastor at Whangārei Baptist Church.
Getting to know…Jan Ozanne
Get to know Jan Ozanne, Family Pastor at Ōtūmoetai Baptist Church and Children and Families coach for the Bay of Plenty & Eastland Baptist Association.
Getting to know…Chris Bullen
This week we are getting to know Chris Bullen, Professor of Public Health at the University of Auckland, from Royal Oak Baptist Church.
Getting to know…Kathryn Heslop
This week we are getting to know Kathryn Heslop, Executive Advisor and managing Strategic Projects on the Baptist National Leadership Team.
Getting to know…Chris Lee
This week we are getting to know Chris Lee, Pastor of Thames Baptist Church and Chair of the Waikato Baptist Association.
Getting to know…Kelly Enright
In this column, we discover more about our Baptist whānau, meeting someone in our team of 40,000 each post. This week we are getting to…
Curious by Jo Hood
Curious, by Jo Hood, is a monthly column. Jo is the Visionary/CEO of mainly Ministries, an organisation that remains curious as they resource and support local churches, church plants, missional communities, and Christian schools to connect with whānau in the community.
Curious: Count it all joy
Hardship in our lives makes us sensitive to the journey of others...What sets our experience apart is the joy we find despite the circumstances.
Curious: You’re speaking another language
How do we speak out hope in our faith community setting as we support whānau/families coming into contact with us?
I’m curious. What value does “For such a time as this” have today?
Jo shares her individual and organisation’s haerenga (journey) of understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and embracing the first people of the land.
Curious: Make a difference
Volunteers are hard to recruit. Yes and no! There are plenty of examples where volunteers flock to sign up. I’m curious – what’s their secret?…
Curious: Revealing Jesus
To be confident in our quest to reveal Jesus, I’m curious – is there something that can guide us?
Curious: A new way to think about team
I’m curious about how teams work together. Would working as a discipling-focused team rather than a task-focused team have benefit?
Curious: Saltiness or fruitfulness
What's the difference? Jo shares stories of salt and fruit in ministry.
Curious: Needed and known
How can we make it easier for families to connect into a new space?
Curious: Flourishing or floundering
In this new monthly column!: What does witness look like in a team with a community-facing connection point?
Charles Mail
In this regular column, our Baptist National Leader, Charles Hewlett, keeps us posted on the happenings in Baptist faith communities across Aotearoa. The original Charles Mail is emailed out most Fridays and reproduced here the following Monday.
Charles Mail: I thank my God
Launch of Whiria Kids website | Gathering to focus on the Regional Associations | A visit from the Baptist Union of Samoa | Baptist Women’s…
Charles Mail: Healthy faith communities
Journeys to baptism that began at eCamp 23 | Over 100 attend free English class bringing gospel renewal in Christchurch | Influencing change for people…
Charles Mail: Proclaiming Jesus
Thank you Easter Camp volunteers! | Celebrating culture with the Karen community | My day at Easter Camp | Baptist attendance statistics | The Baptist…
Charles Mail: Living
Charles invites four Baptist leaders to reflect on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – our Lord and our Saviour.
Charles Mail: Our invitations
A prayer for Easter camps | Motueka baptisms | Karen Baptist Churches' culture night | Responding to the Ministry of Disabled People announcement | More…
Charles Mail: Keeping you informed
Preparing to meet with the Prime Minister | 100 years at Liberty Baptist Church | What’s our Lead Team reviewing? | What does self-care look…
Charles Mail: Tracing footprints
Baptist Māori Ministry pioneers | National Support Centre staff retreat | Seminar with Otago Southland Association | Podcasts Baptist leaders are listening to | And…
Charles Mail: Life to the full
Baptisms & learning about the purpose of life | Meetings with Regional Leaders, Chinese Pastors, Children and Families coaches, eCamp 2024 team and Baptist Union…
Charles Mail: New life
New Chair of Baptist Women New Zealand, cohort of Pastoral Leadership students, and pastoral appointments…
Charles Mail: Painting a picture of gospel renewal
A chat with Old Testament Lecturer, Michael Rhodes | Assembly Council and ‘30 around 30’ retreats | Gospel renewal on marae | Adoring Jesus |…
Pondering…
This occasional weekend column called ‘Pondering:…’ is where people from within the ‘Team of 40,000 Baptists’ in New Zealand can share issues they are thinking about, in a way that opens up a topic from a particular perspective. If you would like a piece considered for this column, email us at [email protected]
Pondering: How relationship-centered justice has shaped my thinking on Israel-Gaza
Are we willing to grow relationships deeply embedded in the Kingdom of God? To peel back our prejudice and uphold that every person is made…
Pondering: The historical context for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
This opinion piece provides some historical context and views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as some resources.
Pondering: A response to ‘Governance of our tribe’
“Using a bird sanctuary as a metaphor for the church, I can’t help but feel there is still a pecking order for access at our…
Pondering: Why few women are senior pastors in Baptist churches
“As sole pastor, for over a decade now… I have faced challenges. Some challenges are unique to our specific location, some due to being single…
Pondering: Myths about our history
“Ever since I attended a Māori studies class as part of my teacher training in 1989, I have been interested in what really did happen…
Pondering: How many chaplains does the church really need?
Let’s see the churches welcome chaplaincy in from the cold, someplace out on the fringes, and then let’s send the church, a multitude of trained…
Pondering: Women can’t be pastors?
The decision to not let women be pastors is settling for less when we were made for so much more. Christa McKirland reflects on the…
Pondering: Governance of our tribe
"In my opinion, our Assembly Council must have the diversity ‘around the table’ that reflects the future we strive to imagine for the Baptist ‘tribe’…
Updraft by Rick Pierce
Rick Pierce is the Network Pastor, Health and Development for the Northern Baptist Association. An ‘updraft’ in meteorology characterises a storm’s early development as warm air rises, eventually bringing the rains that offer sustenance and life. Rick’s hope for this monthly updraft column is for it to be a catalyst for change, ultimately contributing to the transformation of our faith communities. This regular column first appears in the Northern Baptist Association monthly newsletter, ‘Northern Lights’.
Updraft: Changing our culture
Culture impacts us in ways we are often unaware of, so when we talk about change, we must also talk about culture.
Updraft: 2023 will be different
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Remembrance
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Third space
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Embracing change
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Diverse and together
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Reconnect
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Expect new things
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Send me!
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Updraft: Inspiring gospel renewal
Column by Rick Pierce reproduced from the Northern Baptist Association ‘Northern Lights’ e-newsletter.
Salt of the earth by Kevin Robertson
Kevin Robertson, or ‘Kev the Rev’ as some people call him, is a gumboot-wearing-chainsaw-wielding-farm-hack and pastor-of-people at Te Awamutu Baptist Church in the beautiful Waikato region. Salt of the earth: it’s what Jesus says we are. Paul the Apostle encourages us to season our conversations with salt. This column is about that: telling stories of salty people, inspiring us to imagine something we haven’t thought of before, or helping us taste something differently. Porridge is better with salt!
Salt of the earth: The birthday
I’m still challenged by my friend’s obedience to the ‘go’ from his Father. This was the reason for our season of friendship. Where is your…
Salt of the earth: The rest is history
It’s not the romance of the story that impresses me, it’s the reminder that God is so intimately woven into our stories as the God…
Salt of the earth: Heroes
Have I become so institutionalized working ‘in’ the church that I have forgotten that the ‘good shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes hunting for the…
Salt of the earth: Mongrel
In this column Kevin Robertson shares stories of salty people, inspiring us to imagine something we haven't thought of before, or helping us taste something…
Salt of the earth: Grandpa
Kev the Rev's column shares stories of salty people, inspiring us to imagine something we haven't thought of before, or helping us taste something differently.
Baptist women biographies by Beulah Wood
These biographies of New Zealand Baptist women are complied and presented by Beulah Wood who is part of the Baptist Women New Zealand board.
Julie Belding
The story of the first female editor of the New Zealand Baptist.
Anne Turley (nee Churcher)
Anne Turley was the first paid, full-time, woman Pastoral Assistant in the Wellington Baptist Association. That proved to be one of several preludes to her…
Nell Jones (née Helen Gillanders) 1898–1975
Nell learned the Bru language and gave the first known sermon in Bru language. She followed that with Scripture translation and hymns.
Woman of the month: Claire Hart (nee Gilbert) 1926-2022
Claire Gilbert Hart (1926-2022), commencing in the mid-1950s, ministered in the Baptist scene and Baptist churches to such a level she became a trailblazer in…
Woman of the month: Elizabeth Jones 1936-
What could a classically trained opera singer do musically in a remote tribal village?
Woman of the month: Nancy Squire 1941-2023
Nancy was the first woman as Regional Director of Baptist Social Services and the first woman employed on the teaching staff at Carey Baptist College.
Woman of the month: Reti Ah-Voa
Reti Ah-Voa has worked as human resources manager for a Middle East international mission agency, studied and guided students at Carey Baptist College, and is…
Woman of the month: Bev Holt 1941-
Bev ran youth work in the 1970s and 1980s and became the Baptist Youth Ministries’ National, Director, creating a lively and highly effective sector.
Woman of the Month: Annette Denholm 1941-
Annette Denholm made her mark in the churches where she and her husband Barry served, and later was the third female President of the Baptist…
Woman of the Month: Janet Donald 1819-1892
Janet Donald was a prime mover in the commencement of the first Baptist church in Auckland, on Wellesley Street, and took the same initiative to…