Outside the kitchen wall in the CBM office hangs a long, wooden-framed black-and-white photo. Though it includes hundreds of men and women, the group is strikingly uniform and orderly: men in black suits, women in white dresses with pinned-up hair. The picture is a beautiful artifact of our shared legacy as Canadian Baptists—a reminder of the courage and faithfulness of those who first answered the call to overseas service, many for a lifetime, and many buried in the places they served.
That photo tells one part of CBM’s long story, capturing a particular moment in Canadian Baptist history. But it also invites deeper reflection on how mission—and the world—has changed since then, and raises a living question: What role do Canadian Baptists play today in what God is doing through his global Church? God’s mission does not change, but we are continually called to renew and re-examine how we participate in what he is already doing and how we steward the resources entrusted to us. Even as our role evolves, we must remain shaped by the same humility and faithfulness that characterized the service of those early missionaries.
Through the years, CBM’s leaders have responded to the realities around them with a willingness to embrace new approaches to mission engagement. The phrase “shift a little” has continued to resonate through many seasons of reflection, adjustment, and renewal.
As far back as the 1970s, CBM recognized that our global church partners were not objects of mission, but mission centres in their own right. They were better positioned to understand the complexities of language, culture, and community than any foreign mission agency could be. Our task as Canadian Baptists was not to direct their work, but to strengthen the capabilities they already had.
That conviction continues to shape our commitment to capacity building —walking alongside partners as they develop their own abilities, skills, and leadership for effective, lasting change. Many of our global church partners identify this as the support they most need. This priority has helped many global church partners to be strengthened and flourish, with well-trained leaders and programs that effectively reach their communities in locally rooted and culturally meaningful ways.
Long before we had language to describe it, CBM was already taking steps toward a polycentric approach that recognizes multiple centres of mission and acknowledges the remarkable vitality of Christianity in the Majority World. It also invites Canadians to consider how the strength of the global Church can help revitalize mission here in Canada.
So, what are the implications for CBM as we continue to shift and live into these realities?
For over a century, CBM would have been described primarily as a missionary-sending agency.
Today, it is more accurate to describe CBM as a mission-facilitation organization. This does not diminish the important role of Canadians serving as Global Staff. Rather, it places those roles within multinational regional teams, alongside colleagues from the regions they serve.
Not long ago, CBM’s field work was led entirely by Canadians, reflecting our historic denominational and governance structures. Today, that work is led by national leaders from the regions they oversee. Our three regional Team Leads—Suraj Komaravalli in Asia, Patty Nacho in Latin America, and André Sibomana in Africa—are all nationals who bring deep contextual understanding that has enriched CBM’s ability to support partners as they develop locally rooted strategies. In this landscape, the role of Canadians has shifted from expert to thought partner, from director to facilitator.
Our partnerships have changed as well. While we continue to form one-to-one partnerships, over the past decade CBM has increasingly helped bridge and connect partners in every region, creating opportunities for them to strengthen one another’s capacity and learn together without CBM needing to remain at the centre. This movement toward being an equal participant at the table represents a significant step toward shared and more equitable leadership.
Even as we continue to discern the most effective use of our financial resources, we are also exploring creative ways to maximize opportunities through shared staffing, collaborative networks, and partnerships with other mission agencies and churches.
Though the next season at CBM is still unfolding, God’s faithfulness has not changed. The photo outside the kitchen reminds us that we stand within a long story of people who answered God’s call with courage. Today, that call continues to widen our view of the Church and our place within it. As Canadian Baptists, our calling remains the same: to participate humbly, generously, and courageously in God’s mission, trusting that he who has led us this far will continue to lead us forward.
For over a century, CBM would have been described primarily as a missionary sending agency. Today, it is more accurate to describe CBM as a mission-facilitation organization.”
