Approaching the annual Baptist Assembly on 23rd April, new leadership of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) for the 2005-2006 session has been confirmed. The incoming President and Vice-President of the BUGB will be installed at the Assembly.

According to the Baptist Times, the Revd Kate Coleman, senior pastor at The Regeneration Centre in Birmingham, has been elected as Vice-President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) and will be working with the Revd Roy Searle, her predecessor as well as the incoming President, to serve the British Baptists.

Upon her successful election, Revd Coleman has expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the support of all the fellow Baptists across the country. Despite the fact that she joined the election as a sole nominee, the ministers, chaplains, Council members and churches across the country have responded very well and voted in her favour.

"I’m looking forward to gaining a broader perspective on church life around the UK and working creatively with others," said Revd Coleman of her new role. She also said that she hoped that "somewhere in the equation there has been a sense of conviction that God has played a central role" in her election.

Currently, Revd Coleman has already begun "to take steps to refocus her energies into key meetings and events in relation to her various commitments".

In response to the leadership reorganisation of BMS World Mission and its elimination of the role of president, Revd Coleman believes that the role of the BUGB president will not altered.

"Every role should be reassessed on a regular basis as part of our Christian commitment to furthering the cause of the Gospel and as part of our Kingdom orientation," she said to the Baptist Times.

"In fact, we have a responsibility with the Holy Spirit’s help to be proactive in these matters," she added. "I believe that the shape or future of a BUGB president is no exception to that basic principle."

Just as her predecessor the Revd Roy Searle, Revd Coleman will take up the post of President of the BUGB in the year following her one-year service as the Vice President.

Rev Kate Coleman is the senior pastor at the The Regeneration Centre, an innovative local church plant based on Cell Church principles in Birmingham. She has been serving the Baptist Church since her early 20s. She served in a local Baptist Church in Central London for 13 years before moving to Birmingham.

In addition, she is a gifted Bible teacher. With both national and international experience, she is able to support UK and overseas church pastors and churches. Revd Coleman lectures in a number of well-known academic institutions on Christian mission and various aspects of theology, including Black Theology. She has also served on the Baptist Union National Strategy Forum and advised on racial justice matters within the BU and beyond.

The Annual Baptist Assembly will be held on 23rd April at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham where the head of BMS World Mission and BUGB will be officially installed. Under the theme "Celebrating Diversity", Baptists across the UK will gather for a day of prayer and worship to strengthen each other.

Tickets for both the morning and afternoon sessions at the Assembly have now sold out, but tickets remain available for the evening concert - Diverse.

BUGB consists of some 2150 churches in the UK and has a total membership of almost 140,000.