As the global church looks ahead to the 2,000th anniversary of Pentecost and the birth of the Christian church in 2033, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) has launched the Acts 2 Movement, a sweeping initiative calling for unprecedented collaboration among Baptists worldwide to advance global mission, evangelism, and justice.
The announcement came during the opening celebration of the 23rd Baptist World Congress held in Brisbane from July 7–13, 2025, where BWA General Secretary and CEO Elijah Brown challenged the more 3,000 participants from 130 countries to pray for “global revival in every language, neighborhood, and nation.”
“Two thousand years ago, the disciples gathered in an upper room, and for the first time, the Holy Spirit permanently filled men and women. As a church in action, they changed the world,” Brown said. “What if for the glory of God, we prayed, ‘Lord, what you did 2,000 years ago, would you do it again?’”
The Acts 2 Movement is centered on five “Paths” modeled after the early church described in Acts chapter 2: the Bible Path, Witness Path, Care Path, Neighbor Path, and Religious Freedom Path. These correspond to the BWA’s five core ministry areas and aim to mobilize Baptists in 138 countries toward specific goals by 2033, including 450 million shared testimonies, 1,159 Bible translations engaged through prayer and funding, 1 billion acts of service, 500,000 neighborhood chaplains, and 1 million signatures on a global covenant for religious freedom.
“The global Christian community is uniting around the 2033 vision to help complete the Great Commission,” said Kyle Henderson, director of the Acts 2 Movement. “Through the Acts 2 Movement, Baptists are stepping forward to fulfill our sacred responsibility in this divine mission.”
Throughout the Congress, hundreds of attendees responded to a call to prayer and committed to bring the Acts 2 vision home to their local churches and communities.
One key component, the Freedom and Justice Path, addresses the defense of religious freedom and human rights, an area where BWA works closely with advocacy partners like 21Wilberforce. The initiative aims to mobilize 1 million Baptists as advocates who will pray, speak, and act on behalf of those facing religious persecution worldwide.
“Religious freedom is more than a political concern—it is a Gospel calling,” the Freedom and Justice Path statement reads. The global covenant on freedom of religion and conscience calls for defending the dignity of every person, protecting freedom of belief for all, encouraging equal citizenship and legal protection, and standing against religious persecution wherever it occurs.
“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?”
The BWA, founded in 1905, represents 53 million baptized believers in 178,000 churches worldwide. For over a century, the alliance has worked to strengthen worship, mission, aid, justice, and theological leadership across the Baptist family.
