Peter Baker has been appointed as the first WLF National Director. He begins officially in that role from November as he moves from Bournemouth to Swansea with Siân and Emma.

Peter has been leading Churches for over 43 years in both England and Wales . Thirteen years ago he stood down from Highfields Church in Cardiff to become Senior Pastor of Lansdowne Church. Now he is about to stop being a cross cultural missionary to England, in order to become once more a mission worker in Wales!

So we caught up with him in between packing boxes of his books and getting ready for his last few weeks as a local Church Pastor.

Peter Baker - National Director

WLF: Peter, what have been the highlights of your years in Lansdowne?

Peter: I suppose the standout has been the challenge and opportunity presented by the £4.75 million new build project. Simply getting it across the line was immensely complicated. We changed our strategic approach to the delivery of the design and build. The whole thing overran the expected timeline and budget. We also had to cope with COVID lock down just as we were ready to open!

But we’ve have really seen the benefit of this contemporary, multi-purpose facility in the last five years. The Lord has created a very different Lansdowne, not just in size and scale, where we need to manage the numerical growth as a result, but in the development of an intercultural and intergenerational community.

Lansdowne Church, Bournemouth

WLF: What other encouragements have you seen?

Peter: Two in particular are worth mentioning. The start, a few years ago of our School For Discipleship. I have long wanted to create a residential one-year training programme for the local Church. So it’s been great to see 20 people each year helped to grow in their Christian faith and service. The reach has been wider than Lansdowne so we have seen 12 different churches send their interns and others to us.

I guess that’s the other positive feature of the new Lansdowne worth highlighting. We have been able to serve and resource the wider Christian Church regionally and internationally. SFD is now in Myanmar and Africa. We are planning other UK based learning- training hubs. In addition Lansdowne has become a key player in the start up of the Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole Church Collective.

This gospel and mission centred, but broad church grouping, has organised two summers of Beach Baptisms, a three venue event with Bear Grylls and a quarterly prayer night.

So we leave Lansdowne just having celebrated their 150 years as a Christian Community. A good way to finish, I think.

Peter & Sian Baker

WLF: So as you transition from the role of a local church leader after all these years, looking back, what are your feelings?

Peter: They are many and varied. Thankfulness to God that across four different churches and decades, we have been able to serve and see significant gospel transformation, church culture change, building Staff team, sending scores of people into global mission. I think of the countless baptisms, marriages, funerals, dedications – the hundreds, thousands of people we have known and loved and poured our lives into.

I’m so thankful to Siân who has been a rock of sense and support through all the highs and lows. It’s been exciting to see her grow in her calling and gifting too, especially here at Lansdowne. Siân has much to offer the wider Church.

WLF: And what about the prospect of coming back to Wales?

Peter: Well, you can view something of the journey behind that in the video I filmed recently on Swansea Bay! Beyond the inevitable stress of moving, is the major life change that has caused it. We are coming home ( yes! ) to a place and culture in which we grew up and for which we have retained a deep affection. But we don’t want this to be a nostalgia trip. We want to keep looking forward. Yes, it’s also a move into some form of retirement. But I’m excited to see what else might develop in the other half of my week, in addition to WLF. Somehow I can’t see me becoming an allotment owner or keen gardener!

WLF: And what can we, WLF, look forward to, with you on board?

Peter: Good question! Well I need to settle in and understand again what the issues are here in Wales. I have enjoyed being a Trustee at a distance, but a real world, on the ground perspective is going to be so important to strategic development. I want to reflect on how all my years in Christian leadership can further benefit the churches and individuals that WLF is already doing such a brilliant job helping. We have an excellent set of “ministry-programme Directors” and a big vision to create sustainable and thriving gospel communities throughout Wales.

I have a lot to learn still. One of the great things about WLF is its unique (at least I think so) commitment to be genuinely generous in serving all the gospel tribes of Wales as part of the bigger Kingdom of God picture. So I am looking forward to partnering with all those agencies and leaders who put the gospel and Kingdom ahead of local or tribal distinctives. It seems to me that Wales, because of its relative spiritual weakness, can ill afford a silo approach to mission.

As I lean into the strategy and how that might be clarified, upscaled and delivered, I’m well aware that this is going to be a tough ask. I suppose I could have sat on my role in Lansdowne a little longer or stepped back entirely from the hard yards of Christian leadership to collect sea shells on Swansea beach in my retirement(!)

But we have sensed a rising call to give back, while we still have the capacity and energy, to the land of our Fathers’ that has given us so much in every way.

We need prayer warriors who will have our back and we need a new generation of gospel workers in Wales. It will be one of my goals to help train and equip creative, brave and resilient leaders who will grow healthy churches. That’s a big agenda. May the Lord bless our work together.

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