Today's Baptist new esweep says...

"The Baptist equivalent of General Synod, Baptist Union Council starts today..."

Is it?  I kind of hope it isn't!  Not that I am anti-Synods, it just doesn't sound like Baptist speak or Baptist doings.

I'd always seen it as somehow more like the Deacons' Meeting - given that we seem to equate Assembly to the Church Meeting.  Or maybe I have a funny view of these things...

There's that nice triangle diagram thing that has minister at the bottom of the heap, then deacons, topped by members - I guess unless/until we have an archbishop equivalent then we lose the minister layer at Union level, but Council seems to sit in the middle - does all the hard work and slog, thinks, prays and formulates things that go as recommendations to Assembly.

I might have this totally wrong, but I thought Synod (in Anglican not URC parlance) was the voting body, not only the thinking body. 

I guess that BU Council must have the potential for as much frustration as Deacons' meetings when all your hard work can be dismissed by a show of hands by people with only part of the information.  Maybe the difference is that the procedures for 'due process' are more clearly defined and propsoals are always circulated with enough time for people to think/pray about them.  Whilst I/we try to model that in our church working, I know it isn't always so straight forward.

Anyway, to those I know who are at Council and who are likely to read this... no blogging in the back/front row unless it's really dull, and pay attention to your nice Moderator!