A
Missional Moment
The above was the title/theme of the recent meeting of the Evangelical
Alliance Council at High Leigh in Hertfordshire which was a truly
uplifting and encouraging gathering to be part of. I have been
privileged to serve on this group for about 9 years, supporting this
wider Gospel work across Britain.
Many of you will have picked up news of the “quiet revival” identified
in a survey published by The Bible Society earlier this year. This has
been questioned in the media, but people shared from across the four
nations of the UK that the tide really has changed and there is now a
much greater openness to the Gospel. We are in a missional moment!
The keynote speaker was Justin Brierley who for many years hosted the
Premier Radio “Unbelievable” debates engaging with thinkers with
opposing views on Christian faith. He is married to my colleague Rev
Lucy Brierley who leads the thriving URC congregation in Woking. He had
noticed a shift in the atmosphere over recent years and published a book
a couple of years ago -
'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why new atheism grew old and
secular thinkers are considering Christianity again'
A snappy title, don’t you think?
What he saw happening among many of the great thinkers seems to have now
spilled over into the wider community where people are seeking after
some real answers to life’s questions which the “new atheism” of Richard
Dawkins and co’ was not delivering. Justin set the tone for the rest of
the meeting as we went on exploring how we might seize the moment and
help those seeking the Lord to find a home in the church. It was all so
inspiring and heartening. I shared about this with the Wight Church Team
and we all want to pray this into being on the Island.
Gavin Calver and Phil Knox (who spoke at Shanklin last year) launched a
new book at the meeting - Good News People. This looks at what it
means to be an evangelical (good news person!) in the UK, with stories
from up and down the land about faith coming alive today. The title has
different overtones across the pond! It was written before the recent
shift in the tide and looks like a really great read.
These seem to be exciting times to be a Christian in Britain – but it
was also noted that we must challenge the way that some have used
Christianity to back the new surge of nationalism that has hit the
headlines. Many Christian symbols and bible texts were evident at the
recent rally organised by Tommy Robinson, but this movement seems so far
removed from Gospel values. I’m sure many of you have read various
critiques of it and we should be concerned that this does not tarnish
the reputation of true believers who follow the sacrificial way of
Christ and his generous love.
In my talk on Invitation and Welcome on 21 September I asked how we
might seize the moment and become more courageous in reaching out to
friends and neighbours and inviting them to explore the faith. Twenty of
us recently spent a Saturday together at Ryde exploring how we might
move forward positively as a church and see kingdom growth in our church
life and community. The Elders will be meeting for a day retreat (or
advance?) on 25 October to seek the Lord and take things forward. We can
all join in praying further on 7-8 November when we hold another Sabbath
of Prayer.
Let’s grow closer to Jesus and in relationship to one another as we
explore what God wants for us in this new missional moment…
With very best wishes,
