Baptist Union Presidency for Steve Finamore 

Baptists have discerned that Steve Finamore will serve as our President in 2024-2025

 
Steve is the current principal of Bristol Baptist College, a role from which he retires this summer after 17 years at the helm. He was one of four candidates in the latest election, the others being Mark Elder, John Froud and Bryan Scott. Voting took place opened in January and closed at the end of March.
 
‘I was both surprised and really pleased to be elected,’ said Steve. ‘It will give me an opportunity to express my appreciation to the denomination for giving me a home.
 
‘I thank Webnet for nominating me, and for all who took part whether they voted for me or not. I hope I will serve them effectively in this role.’
 
The presidency candidates prepared a written profile and short video, and took part in a conversation on the Something to Declare podcast.
 
In these Steve has repeatedly spoken of his gratitude to God for our family of churches. His long association with Baptist life began in the late 1970s when a friend invited him to a Baptist church in south London. He was a fairly new Christian, ‘feeling dissatisfied with the versions of church that I had found up to that point.’
 
Upon entering the Baptist church, ‘astonishingly, it felt like coming back to a home I never knew that I had. Somehow, even though I was new, I had a deep sense of belonging. I was introduced to a way of being church that seemed to fit with all that I was learning about God.’
 
He met his wife Rebecca there, and together they would serve with Tearfund in Peru. While in Peru he felt strongly he should offer himself for Baptist ministry. On his return he was commended by the London Baptist Association and subsequently trained at Regent’s Park College. The Baptist Union offered financial support for a research degree once his undergraduate studies had finished. He wrote a thesis on the book of Revelation and was awarded a doctorate in 1997.
 
In 1996 Steve was called to serve as pastor of Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church in north west Bristol, where he spent ten happy years in local ministry. In 2006, he was invited to become principal at Bristol Baptist College, where he suggested the college developed its programmes around themes of mission and discipleship. For some or all of this period, Steve was a trustee of both the Baptist Union of Great Britain and his regional association, now called Webnet.
 
‘A personal motive for accepting the idea of being nominated as President,’ Steve wrote, ‘is that it would give me an opportunity to express my appreciation to the Baptist family and to thank them for being who they are.
 
‘This has been a great place of belonging for me. It’s been true wherever I’ve found myself among our churches, associations, and colleges. I am very grateful to have found a home among God’s Baptist people.’
 
Steve said during his Presidency year he will invite Baptists to look forward and back, ‘to invite us all to think about how God might want to renew us.’ This will find a focus on two key areas – scripture, and how we encourage our young people.
 
‘I want us to look back to scripture. I would want us to think together about ways we keep the Scriptures central to our worship, teaching, mission, and processes of discernment,’ Steve said.
 
‘And the second thing is young leaders. I’m concerned we are discouraging or turning away young candidates for ministry. I want to see us encouraging Christians of all ages, but especially younger people, into Baptist ministry and other forms of leadership.
 
‘I want to see us intentionally mentoring young people, and encouraging them to take theology and Baptist life seriously, and to committing themselves to a lifetime of ministry.’
 
 

Steve will succeed Tim Presswood, who is set to be inducted as our 2023-24 President at the Baptist Assembly in June. Our current President (2022-23) is Hayley Young.

The President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain is elected annually. Their main role is as a communicator/facilitator of our Union’s vision and mission. The President travels around our Union, engaging with local churches, regional Associations and Colleges.