July 10, 2025
Elijah Brown, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), issued a powerful call for global revival during the opening session of the Baptist World Congress in Brisbane, Australia. Addressing Baptists from 135 nations, Brown urged believers to pray for “global revival in every language, neighborhood, and nation” in anticipation of the year 2033—the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and the birth of the church at Pentecost. He challenged the global Baptist community to pursue a Spirit-led, collaborative mission modeled after the early church, declaring that “the church at her birth was the church at her best.”
To prepare for this historic milestone, Brown introduced a five-fold “Acts 2 Movement” vision for Baptists worldwide. Learn more at baptistworld.org/acts2.
The 2033 Acts 2 Movement is a global initiative focused on commemorating the 2,000th anniversary of Pentecost and the birth of the Church, as described in Acts chapter 2. It calls Christians to unite in prayer, church renewal, and global Gospel witness. Inspired by the spirit of the early church, the movement aims to foster a renewed sense of unity and mission among believers. It emphasizes collaboration among Christians worldwide, encouraging diverse groups to come together in pursuit of shared Kingdom goals.
The Acts 2 Movement: Five Pathways
- The Witness Path challenges every Baptist to share their personal testimony once a year. Over nine years, this could result in 450 million people hearing a story of Christ’s transforming power.
- The Bible Path promotes the formation of 1,159 prayer groups—one for each language still lacking Scripture—and calls churches to fund translations in 120 of those languages. Every Baptist is also encouraged to read at least one chapter of the Bible daily.
- The Care Path invites Baptists to carry out three acts of service per year in Jesus’ name, totaling 1 billion intentional acts of kindness and compassion by 2033.
- The Freedom and Justice Path advocates for religious liberty for all people, aiming to gather one million signatories to a global covenant affirming freedom of belief and conscience.
- The Neighbor Path seeks to raise up 500,000 neighborhood lay chaplains committed to praying for their neighbors and responding to needs as the Holy Spirit leads.
More about the Freedom and Justice Path
Around the world, millions of Christians face opposition, discrimination, and persecution simply for following Jesus. Religious freedom is more than a political concern—it is a Gospel calling. The Freedom and Justice Path invites the global Baptist family to courageously defend the right of every person to worship freely and live out their faith without fear.
Rooted in the conviction that every person is made in the image of God and endowed with inherent dignity, beauty, and worth, the global covenant asserts that defending freedom of religion and conscience is essential to building just, peaceful, and flourishing societies.
Key components of the global covenant on freedom of religion and conscience include:
- Defending the dignity of every person, especially in an age where technology increasingly intersects with life and society, and affirming the right to freedom of belief and conscience.
- Protecting freedom of religion, belief, and conscience for all people and communities.
- Encouraging societies where people of any faith—or no faith—are granted equal citizenship, dignity, and legal protection.
- Living as neighbors committed to hospitality, integrity, and shared humanity.
- Standing against religious persecution and repression wherever it occurs.
The vision is to mobilize 1,000,000 advocates—Baptists from every nation and generation—who will pray, speak, and act on behalf of those whose voices are silenced. Through education, advocacy, and global solidarity, this movement seeks to bear prophetic witness to the dignity and freedom found in Christ.
An Invitation to Stand for Religious Freedom
“We’re calling on Baptists to bless their neighbors and encourage friendships between all neighbors,” Brown said. “Will you join a global movement to use the freedom Christ has given you?”
Sign the Global Covenant on Freedom of Religion and Conscience here.