N a z a r e t h – Small national Baptist Unions with fewer than 2,000 members face very special challenges: Problems in individual churches can have negative consequences for the whole union. In the same way, positive developments in one church can lead to a spirit of optimism throughout the whole union. That fact became clear during an informal meeting during the Council of the European Baptist Federation (EBF) in Nazareth. At the invitation of Walter Klimt (Vienna), General Secretary of the 1,500 member Austrian Baptist Union, representatives of 13 small unions met together. Twenty-two member unions of the EBF have fewer than 2,000 members, but not all unions were represented in Nazareth. As Klimt told the EBPS, many small Baptist Unions suffer from “outdated, apathetic structures”. They cannot respond to new challenges. In these churches, change is not desired, because those in leadership are convinced that the life of the church has stood the test of time and “we’ve always done it this way”. These unions and their churches have simply not entered the postmodern era; they often are not at all bothered when church members turn away and join other churches. On the other hand, there are a host of small Baptist Unions who are caught up in a whirlwind of renewal because they have, for example, directed their efforts more strongly toward immigrants in their country, resulting in a wave of church plants among them, which has also infected the native churches. In small Baptist Unions, it is also easier for the staff to encourage and include one another, because they know each other. According to the President of the Austrian Baptist Union, Anita Ivanovits (Steyr), participants felt the meeting was very encouraging, and suggested that it be made an official part of an EBF Council. In Nazareth, the one-hour meeting took place in the context of a shortened lunch break.