New England Baptists and the Future of Reverse Mission: The Portugal Conference as a Case Study
This article examines the pioneering role of the Baptist Churches of New England (BCNE) in advancing reverse mission within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). It situates New England Baptists within the wider context of global Christianity and secularization, highlighting their strategic efforts to empower and equip European churches. The Reverse Mission Conference held in Porto, Portugal, on September 19–20, 2025, is analyzed as a case study of how reverse mission is no longer theoretical but being concretely realized through denominational partnerships. The article argues that BCNE represents a model of reciprocal, globalized mission that reshapes the meaning of “sending” and “receiving” churches.
The concept of reverse mission has become increasingly central to discussions of global Christianity. While historically the West served as the source of missionaries and the Global South as the recipient, today these roles are increasingly reversed (Sanneh, 2003; Jenkins, 2011). Nowhere is this shift more visible than in New England, a region once renowned for its missionary leadership but now one of the most secularized areas of the United States (Putnam & Campbell, 2010).
This paper focuses on the Baptist Churches of New England (BCNE) and their leadership in pioneering reverse mission within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). In particular, it examines the Reverse Mission Conference held in Portugal in September 2025 as an embodiment of this new paradigm.
Reverse Mission in Theological and Sociological Perspective
Reverse mission is best understood as part of the globalization of Christianity (Walls, 2002). As the center of Christian vitality has shifted toward Africa, Asia, and Latin America, mission is increasingly reciprocal, marked by mutual exchange rather than unilateral sending (Robert, 2009).
Sociologically, reverse mission also responds to secularization in Europe and New England. Immigrant congregations from the Global South have revitalized declining churches in the United States (Adogame, 2013), and similar efforts are now extending outward, with New England Baptists equipping European congregations. This dynamic highlights the interdependence of the global church.
The New England Context
New England has long served as a barometer for American religious life. Its Puritan heritage, the revivals of the Great Awakenings, and its early missionary societies once positioned the region as a hub of Protestant influence (Robert, 2009). Yet contemporary studies consistently identify New England as the least religious region in the United States, with high rates of secularism and low church participation (Roof & McKinney, 1987; Putnam & Campbell, 2010).
Within this environment, Baptist churches—particularly those tied to immigrant communities—are experiencing growth and vitality. These congregations emphasize evangelism, charismatic worship, and community solidarity, which contrast sharply with the decline of many historic mainline congregations. Rather than viewing themselves only as receivers of missionaries, New England Baptists are increasingly redefining themselves as senders in the global mission landscape.
The SBC and New England Baptists: From Receiving to Sending
The Southern Baptist Convention historically emphasized sending missionaries from North America to the rest of the world. However, within the SBC, the Baptist Churches of New England (BCNE) are charting a different course by framing themselves as agents of reverse mission. They have done so in three key ways:
Empowering European congregations through leadership training, discipleship resources, and evangelism workshops.
Equipping pastors and church planters with theological and practical tools suited for secular European contexts.
Building partnerships that are not extractive but reciprocal, in which both New England and European churches learn from one another.
This strategic emphasis allows New England Baptists to position themselves as catalysts for mission in regions, such as Europe, that mirror their own struggles with secularization.
The Reverse Mission Conference in Portugal (September 19–20, 2025)
The Reverse Mission Conference held in Porto, Portugal, represents a significant milestone in the institutionalization of reverse mission. Organized by BCNE in partnership with Portuguese Baptists, the event brought together pastors, theologians, and mission leaders from New England, Europe, and the Global South.
Purpose
The stated goal of the conference was to “be obedient to God’s call to the nations” by equipping European leaders with tools for evangelism, discipleship, and church planting (Baptist Churches of New England, 2025).
Content
Workshops and plenary sessions included:
Training in contextual evangelism for secular societies.
Testimonies from immigrant Baptist congregations in New England.
Strategies for sustainable partnerships between U.S. and European churches.
Significance
The Portugal conference demonstrates three critical developments:
Symbolic reversal: New England, once the source of missionaries to Europe, now returns in a posture of partnership and empowerment.
Global networking: The event connected leaders from multiple continents, underscoring the interconnectedness of contemporary mission.
Missiological innovation: The emphasis on equipping rather than exporting reflects a paradigm of empowerment that avoids paternalism.
Toward a Theology of Reciprocal Mission
The Portugal conference provides a model for rethinking mission theology. No longer is mission defined by one region supplying resources and another receiving them. Instead, it is characterized by reciprocity, where all churches are both givers and receivers of spiritual gifts and practical resources (Anderson, 2013).
For New England Baptists, this means embracing their dual identity: revitalized through immigrant congregations and called to participate in the renewal of Europe. Such a theology of mutual mission challenges hierarchical models of the past and reflects the globalized nature of Christianity in the twenty-first century.
The Baptist Churches of New England are pioneering reverse mission within the SBC by equipping and empowering European churches. The Reverse Mission Conference in Portugal serves as a case study demonstrating that reverse mission is no longer abstract but institutionalized and operationalized.
This development affirms the global shift of Christianity’s center and suggests that New England, despite its reputation for secularism, may again play a strategic role in global mission—this time not as a dominant sender but as a collaborative partner in reciprocal mission.
Lierte Soares Junior is a Brazilian-American pastor, missionary, and educator serving in New England. As a "reverse missionary," he was sent from Brazil to New England to help revitalize churches. He serves as the president of the Baptist Churches of New England.
Soares holds a law degree from Faculdade de Direito Vale do Rio Doce, a business degree, an education degree plus a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Faculdade de Teologia Integrada in Brazil. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Missouri and a Master of Theological Studies with a concentration in cross cultural missions from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Missions and Evangelism from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Lierte Soares's extensive educational background in theology, missions, and evangelism directly informs and empowers his ministry as a "reverse missionary" in New England. His academic path, spanning degrees from both Brazil and the United States, has equipped him with a nuanced understanding of cross-cultural ministry, church planting, and leadership in diverse contexts.
References
Adogame, A. (2013). The African Christian diaspora: New currents and emerging trends in world Christianity. Bloomsbury.
Anderson, A. (2013). To the ends of the earth: Pentecostalism and the transformation of world Christianity. Oxford University Press.
Baptist Churches of New England. (2025, August 28). Reverse Mission Conference, Portugal, Sept. 19–20, 2025 [News release]. https://www.bcne.net/news/
Jenkins, P. (2011). The next Christendom: The coming of global Christianity (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Putnam, R. D., & Campbell, D. E. (2010). American grace: How religion divides and unites us. Simon & Schuster.
Robert, D. L. (2009). Christian mission: How Christianity became a world religion. Wiley-Blackwell.
Robert, D. L. (2013). Shifting southward: Global Christianity since 1945. International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 37(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/239693931303700113
Roof, W. C., & McKinney, W. (1987). American mainline religion: Its changing shape and future. Rutgers University Press.
Sanneh, L. (2003). Whose religion is Christianity? The gospel beyond the West. Eerdmans.
Walls, A. (2002). The cross-cultural process in Christian history. Orbis Books.