'Prepare for Project Violet findings' 

The Baptist community in Britain is being urged to prepare for the findings of major research on women’s experience of ministry - and a new podcast series has launched to help

Project Violet is a three-year participatory research project that is examining the place of women in Baptist ministry. 

Its findings will be released in early May - and to help the Baptist community prepare five podcast episodes are being released, with the first one dropping on Thursday, 1 February. They are being released weekly.

Access the podcasts here: projectvioletpodcast.podbean.com

The aim of the project has been to understand more fully the theological, missional, and structural obstacles women ministers face in the Baptist community in England and Wales and identify ways forward. 

Seventeen women ministers have undertaken research, and they are meeting in April to agree the findings and requests for change which will be released on 2 May.

All parts of Baptist life are being invited to plan opportunities to discuss and respond to the findings between May and September 2024. A report of agreed actions will come to Baptist Union Council in October 2024.

General Secretary Lynn Green said, ‘Project Violet has already had an impact but now we are looking forward to the release of the findings on 2 May 2024.

'All Baptist groups will want to take time to consider them and make their response by the end of September.’
 

In addition to the podcasts, a 15-minute film ‘A name to live up to’ has been released with an accompanying study guide. 

The film features an interview with Helen Pankhurst, a prominent advocate for women. Access it here: www.baptist.org.uk/helenpankhurst

A Zoom webinar also took place in November to help people prepare for Project Violet's findings. More here.

Project Violet has been undertaken by the Centre for Baptist Studies at Regent’s Park College, Oxford and funded by the Mission Forum and Baptist Union Trustees.

Find out more at the Project Violet website www.projectviolet.org.uk