Christine Stride is the Executive Assistant to the National Leader. She is a member of Titirangi Baptist Church, in Auckland.
Something significant happened at the New Zealand Baptist Hui last November. Our five Regional Leaders stood before the gathered church delegates from across the motu and introduced a global movement they believe has the potential to shape us here in New Zealand.
It's called the Acts 2 Movement – He Haruru Nui, and this article introduces what it’s about.
A 2000-year anniversary
The year 2033 will mark 2000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the founding of the church at Pentecost, the Great Commission, and the first Christian martyr. Across many Christian traditions, plans are already forming to mark this moment.
For the global Baptist family (51 million people across 150 countries) the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) has proposed something specific: a movement rooted in chapter 2 of the book of Acts. Specifically, the movement aims to encourage Baptists around the world to share the gospel with 450 million people, pray for the 1,159 languages still without Scripture, care for a billion people, stand with the persecuted, and raise up 500,000 neighbourhood lay chaplains by 2033.
Those goals may seem huge, but they could be surprisingly achievable. For example, reaching a billion people with practical support is made up of millions of small acts: a meal delivered, a lawn mowed, a listening ear, a warm welcome.
The moment it landed
New Zealand Baptist National Leader Chris Chamberlain was in Brisbane last July at the Baptist World Congress when BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown introduced the Acts 2 Movement publicly for the first time. Chris, then the Regional Leader of the Upper South Baptist Association, wasn’t struck by the scale of the goals but the overwhelmingly positive response from the people around him.
"The majority world Baptists didn't even blink. They just said, ‘yes, we're going to do this, it's very exciting, we're in on it’."
Chris came home convinced that New Zealand Baptists needed to pay attention to what their global whānau was so enthusiastically embracing.
For Peter Foster, Regional Leader for Waikato, the Bay of Plenty & Eastland, the movement connected to a question he'd been wrestling with: what does discipleship actually look like in practice?
"It gave me a framework for what discipleship could be,” Peter said. "It was an ‘Ah ha’ moment."
Rachel Murray, Regional Leader for Otago & Southland, was struck by the movement’s accessibility.
"There's something there that anyone of any age can do, whether they are eight, 16 or 88 years old."
Five pathways
The Acts 2 Movement is organised around five pathways, each connecting a different dimension of Christian life and mission. In an Aotearoa New Zealand context, the movement has been given both English names and te reo Māori expressions.
- Bible (Te Paipera Tapu) — deepening biblical literacy for transformation.
- Story (Whakawhiti Kōrero) — engaging in meaningful conversation and sharing what God has done in your life.
- Friend (Whakawhanaungatanga) — cultivating quality relationships with neighbours and community.
- Care (Manaakitanga) — practising mutual acts of kindness.
- Justice (Whakatika) — participating in restoration and reconciliation.
The Māori contextualisation was led by Luke Kaa-Morgan, Te pouarataki mō te hīkoi Treaty Guide, who spoke at Hui about the movement being called He Haruru Nui — the great sound, like the rush of a mighty wind.
"We should lay on the land and listen for what the Holy Spirit might be saying," he said.
Not a programme but a culture
One of the most important things to understand about the Acts 2 Movement is what it is not. It's not a box arriving at your church filled with programmes and posters. It's not a denominational mandate. It's not a one-size-fits-all initiative.
"We're talking about creating a culture focused on gospel renewal for people and places. And you guys are the experts in your [places]," said Peter Foster.
The Regional Leaders use the phrase ‘adopt and adapt’; in other words, take what resonates with your community and shape it to your community.
One practical request is already on the horizon: between Easter and Pentecost this year (2026), New Zealand Baptists will be invited to give the movement greater profile. Elijah Brown and the BWA have identified Pentecost as an opportunity for the 51 million Baptists worldwide to come together around something shared.
An invitation to be part of something bigger
New Zealand Baptists represent a small fraction of the global Baptist family. But the Acts 2 Movement is a reminder that we belong to something much larger than ourselves, a movement spanning Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America, and movement that is vigorous, growing, and increasingly united around a shared vision.
New Zealand Baptists had 6.6% growth in church attendance last year and 876 baptisms. These are signs of a movement already stirring. Acts 2 invites us to lean into that momentum and connect it to something global.
"The prayer is that God would do something [like what we see in Acts 2] among us here in Aotearoa, New Zealand." — Chris Chamberlain, National Leader
This is part 1 of a three-part series of articles. The next two articles will unpack the five pathways in more depth, and offer practical ideas for how your church, whatever its size, context, or resourcing, can begin to engage with the Acts 2 Movement – He Haruru Nui.
Five pathways, one people
Read the second article in this 3-part series: Five pathways, one people.
To learn more, visit the Acts 2 Movement page on the baptist.nz website: acts2.baptist.nz
Image credit: Md Khurshid Alam from dreamtime
