PERSISTENTLY PREACHING CHRIST
Compiled and Edited by Christopher Ash,
Mary Davis and Bob White.
Christian Focus Mentor. 192 pages. £10.99
ISBN 978 1 845 509 828
What does a Christ-centred church and ministry in a university town really look like? It is helpful to have some enduring examples.
The Round Church at St. Andrew’s the Great in Cambridge has been hugely influential. Ably led by Mark Ruston (1955-1994) and Mark Ashton (1994-2010) for more than 50 years, this book is largely a collection of reflections on their lives and ministries. With warm appreciation from more than 50 Christian leaders, the book title gives a clue to their effectiveness.
Frequently repeated words from contributors include faithfulness, godliness, loving, prayerful, preaching, humility, modelling and mission. Such qualities in combination are of lasting value. The desire of the writers is to give thanks to God for two memorable ministers.
Regular call to repentance
I was impressed by the commitment of the two Marks to regularly call people to repent and believe. There was the expectation that discipleship requires a clear starting point. These were not preachers who hid away during the week and many remarked on their patient and thorough pastoral care. Unlike some church leaders in university cities today, they resisted the temptation to arrange their own midweek teaching programmes, but encouraged students to fully participate in the Christian Union. They understood that effective witness to students requires involvement in student life and a Christian Union committed to evangelism and discipleship.
Eight convictions
The book will be enjoyed by those with connections to the Round Church, Cambridge. The outstanding chapter by Mark Ashton, where he outlines eight convictions about the local church, will benefit any church. I would like to have seen a little more detail about both Marks, but in view of their obvious humility this may have been inappropriate. If faithfulness is a key to fruitfulness, there will have been few better examples than Mark Ruston and Mark Ashton.
