Poland: leaders gather from across Europe
John Stevens
In May, some 900 Christian leaders from across Europe gathered at a hotel in Wisla in Poland for the annual European Leadership Forum (ELF).
The vision of this conference is to renew the biblical church and thereby to re-evangelise Europe. It brings experienced leaders with a proven track record in ministry together with the emerging leaders of the next generation, so as to equip and envision them for their ministries. The conference offers a wide range of networks linking leaders who specialise in different aspects of evangelical leadership, including theology, preaching, counselling, youth ministry and heading up organisations.
European leaders gather
John Stevens
In May, while the UK pondered the EU referendum campaign, I was privileged
to
attend the European Leadership Forum.
Over 700 evangelical leaders from all over
Europe gathered for six days at a hotel
in
Poland. The object
is
to
serve and equip
national leaders to renew the biblical church
and re-evangelise Europe, through a strategy of
identifying, uniting, mentoring, and resourcing evangelical
leaders. The Forum brings
together experienced leaders from the US and
Europe to serve and equip the next generation.
Word Alive buzzes
John Stevens
The week after Easter some 4,250 people from all over the UK decamped to Prestatyn in North Wales for Word Alive.
This year the main Bible Readings were given by Vaughan Roberts from the book of Job. While the reasons for our sufferings might remain obscure and unknown, he exhorted us to put our faith and trust in God’s sovereign goodness and to look forward to the day when we will finally share in the glorious resurrection victory of the Lord Jesus.
John Stevens: Evangelical unity & 'secondary issues'
The appointment of Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury has inevitably raised questions as to how evangelicals deal with what are often termed "secondary issues," including differences over women’s ministry and whether it is right to remain in mixed denominations.
These are more complex issues than a simple distinction between primary and secondary issues would suggest, a distinction which is rarely agreed upon anyway, such that the real issue is often whether the point in disagreement is primary or secondary. The New Testament (NT) stresses the importance of maintaining unity, but also recognises that there are times when separation is both justified and necessary.