Four books to enthuse your family in worldwide mission
Catherine MacKenzie
Date posted: 8 Jun 2025
I am writing this article from a hotel room in Krakow, Poland where I am meeting international Christian publishers and missionaries from around the world.
We are a stone’s throw away from the Schindler factory made famous by the book Schindler’s Ark and the subsequent film Schindler’s List.
God is using migration to fulfil His mission
Chris Howles
Date posted: 6 Mar 2025
There can be few topics more likely to canvass votes, generate clicks, or provoke vigorous and sometimes heated discussions than that of international migration in the world today.
And perhaps for good reason, for not many people or places are unaffected by this issue. Indeed some already speculate that the 21st century will in time be known as ‘The Century of Migration’.
‘Tell people at home that there are Kazakh Christians’
Tim*
Date posted: 12 Nov 2025
This summer, seven students and one staff member from Oak Hill College travelled to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The trip aimed to help students reflect missiologically about how Jesus may be served in these contexts as part of Oak Hill’s desire to see the church, in the UK and around the world, flourish. Tim, a student on the trip reflects on their time and some lessons for us all:
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are strange and beautiful places seemingly in between worlds. They feel strikingly modern in their shopping malls and glitzy districts, yet also raw and traditional in bazaars and potholed roads. Islam is a strong cultural marker, though less evident in daily practice. Soviet influence lingers – especially in Kazakhstan – while young people are increasingly drawn toward Western ideas.
Once-in-a-generation Lausanne Congress gathers for fourth time
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 20 Sep 2024
In a magnificent display of unity, over 5,000 Christians from across 202 countries and territories gather in Seoul, South Korea this September. Together they will pray, listen, and discuss how Christians across the world can fulfil Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’.
This ‘once in a generation’ event is run by the Lausanne Movement, which exists to mobilise Christians to collaborate in order to fulfil the Great Commission. This gathering, their fourth Congress, is only the fourth time such meeting has taken place since the movement was formed in 1974.
Mission isn’t easy – but isn’t that the point of it to start with?
Jonny Pollock
Date posted: 30 Mar 2025
In Western Europe, the refrain is common: mission and evangelism are hard.
It’s an oft-heard lament, one that sparks endless discussion, strategy sessions, and even discouragement among Christians. But what do we really mean when we say it’s “hard”? Beneath the surface, it often seems we’re using “hard” as a catch-all term for something deeper – uncomfortable, difficult, and complicated. These realities, while challenging, are not legitimate reasons to abandon the Great Commission, or to throw in the towel in despair. Instead, they demand that we reframe our approach, recalibrate our expectations, and reaffirm our commitment to the task at hand.
Isaac and Rebekah: Narrative 'nesting' in Genesis 24
Stephen Moore
Date posted: 5 Dec 2025
It is a remarkable thing about the book of Genesis that it tells universal history by means of particulars – the small details.
"And before he had finished speaking, out came Rebekah – who had been borne to Bethuel son of Milcah the wife of Nahor the brother of Abraham – and her water jar was upon her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. And she went down to the well and filled her water jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, ‘Let me gulp a little water from your water jar’, and she said ‘Drink, my lord’ then hastily brought her water jar down onto her hand and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink she said, ‘For your camels too I will draw water until they’ve finished drinking" (Genesis 24v15-19).
What is faithful church ministry?
James Burnett
Date posted: 7 Dec 2025
Would you make a good "Traitor"? Have you got the mojo of a chameleon to hoodwink fellow contestants, like the comedian Alan Carr - this year’s winner of BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors?
Game show The Traitors was inspired by the sinking of the Dutch ship Batavia in 1629. When the Batavia sank off Australia, 250 survivors scrambled ashore an island archipelago. Mutinous traitors fought against a small band of faithful soldiers, culminating in a live-or-die boat race towards an oncoming rescue ship. Who would get there first - the "Traitors" or the "Faithful"? A true story!
‘A rising tide lifts all boats:’ Why your church should back this mission
Nick McQuaker
Date posted: 3 Apr 2025
Almost 40 years ago, I entered the workplace as a new Christian and soon formed a friendship with Richard, who had joined the company as part of the same intake of school-leavers.
I began to share my faith and witness as best I could. A few months later, my local church held a mission weekend. I invited Richard to one or more of the special events that were taking place. To my delight, he said yes and came along. To my far greater joy, Richard gave his life to the Lord that weekend. This was a wonderful introduction to God using a local church mission to bring someone to faith.
Is nostalgia fossilising your church's ministry?
Jonny Pollock
Date posted: 6 Nov 2025
The other week I watched the new Jurassic Park movie with our eldest son, and as soon as the movie finished (and it was ok by the way!) a curious thought entered my head. How many times has Jurassic Park been rebooted since the first movie in 1993?
There was the original, then the remake, now another reboot, and never mind the kids' Netflix series. I definitely think that velociraptors have now lost their sheen. I remember vividly watching that first movie and yet it has been rebooted more times than I have renewed my passport!
‘The last two years have been the most encouraging... of the past 30 years’
John Woods
Date posted: 13 Nov 2025
en Reviews Editor John Woods speaks to John Stevens about his time thus far serving with the FIEC.
en: You have been serving as National Director of the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches (FIEC) for 15 years. What was you first experience of the FIEC?
a Jewish Christian perspective
Moments of grace in Jewish evangelism
Joseph Steinberg
Date posted: 1 Nov 2025
I am so thankful to God for what has been a very busy and fruitful summer of outreach to Jewish people.
In my last column I wrote about the plans our mission (IMJP.org) had for summer outreaches in Budapest, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, and London. Now, with these behind us, I am thrilled to share the fruit of those efforts. Once again, God is faithful!
engaging with culture today
How well do we know our different cultures?
Debbie D.
Date posted: 16 Nov 2025
The articles in this series are about “engaging with culture”. Recently I have been pondering “just which culture should I engage with, or try to understand more?”
In my neighbourhood I meet people from many countries, shopping, working in the supermarket, waiting for the bus. In church too the percentage of people who were born outside the UK has increased greatly. I wonder what they make of us locals!
In war’s shadow: Spiritual welfare on the frontlines
SASRA
Date posted: 11 Nov 2025
Up and down the country today, Tuesday November 11th, Remembrance Day, just as they did on Sunday, many people will honour those servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives in previous wars and conflicts so that we could be free and could live in peace.
Not only must we remember those who fought and died, but also those who brought the spiritual courage and hope necessary for victories, amidst the suffering.
everyday theology
Are we people of a sect or of the gospel?
Michael Reeves
Date posted: 9 Dec 2025
In practice, evangelicals have often tended to be individualists in their faith. But our understanding of what it is to be truly evangelical should be taken not from evangelical practice but from the evangel.
Evangelicals are people who have been born again, but to be born again is to be born or baptised into Christ (Rom. 6v3; Gal. 3v27). From the moment of our regeneration, we are part of a bigger whole, the body of Christ (Rom. 12v5; 1 Cor. 12v13).
The Enhanced Games versus the grace of limitations
Jonny Reid
Date posted: 22 Oct 2025
British Olympic swimmer Ben Proud has joined the Enhanced Games. It’s a decision, and a potential trajectory, for sport, with significant consequences and challenges for Christians to reflect on.
The Enhanced Games encourages the use of performance-enhancing drugs to break world records. It claims to be the future of sport “on a mission to redefine super humanity through science, innovation and sports.”
everyday evangelism
We need to talk about judgement
Gavin Matthews
Date posted: 14 Oct 2025
God’s judgement is a central Biblical theme, and for vast numbers of evangelical Christians, it was the experience of conviction of sin which led them to trust Christ as Saviour.
It certainly did for me. Knowing that I had sinned against God, and seeing the sombre truth about the rotten state of my soul before His righteous judgement, made the realisation that Christ had borne my punishment total liberation and joy!
everyday evangelism
The challenge of sharing Jesus in the workplace
Gavin Matthews
Date posted: 15 Nov 2025
For many Christians, the place with the most challenges and opportunities for sharing their faith is the workplace. While most evangelistic training, prayer and activity is church-focused, the reality is that believers spend the bulk of the time they spend with non-Christians, in offices, shops, factories, airports or campuses.
A friend of mine once went on a short-term medical mission to Africa. Many Christians promised to pray for her trip. Her reply was striking: “Thank you. But please also pray for me the rest of the year too, because being a Christian in NHS Scotland is harder than in Africa!” At a recent Christian conference, almost every hand went up when delegates were asked if they felt unequipped by their church for the challenges of workplace discipleship. Yet this remains the frontline where the church meets the world.
Immigration & integration: A debate on how can we consider it wisely
Krish Kandiah & Tim Dieppe
Date posted: 14 Nov 2025
en invited Dr Krish Kandiah and Tim Dieppe to consider the question: "How can UK Christians respond in a Christlike way to issues of immigration and integration?"
Tim is Head of Public Policy at Christian Concern, the campaigning evangelical organisation and author of The Challenge of Islam: Understanding and Responding to Islam’s Increasing Influence in the UK (Wilberforce Publications 2025). Krish is the Director of the Sanctuary Foundation, which supports vulnerable individuals, families and children including refugees and those seeking asylum. He is a regular advisor to government on refugee resettlement and child welfare reform.
everyday theology
The gospel, our anchor
Michael Reeves
Date posted: 2 Nov 2025
For people of the gospel, the gospel serves as our mooring anchor. An anchor stops a ship from drifting while allowing it a certain amount of movement on the surface of the water. Just so, the gospel holds us to Scripture’s matters of first importance while allowing some slack for differences of opinion on other matters.
As Paul called the Romans and Corinthians to unity in the gospel and liberty in what to eat, so the anchor keeps us from making shipwreck of our faith (1 Tim. 1v19) without making our every disagreement a cause for schism.
Evangelism without superhero capes
James Burnett
Date posted: 22 Sep 2025
The WhatsApp conversation went something like this:
Friend: Hey I need your help!
JB: Sure, what’s up?
Friend: Well, as a couple we’re not religious – in fact, we see religion as a spiritual crutch - no offence... 👊
JB: 🙉 None taken, but happy to explore this more later... So, what’s the problem?
Friend: Wife’s just given birth and says to me, "This is – SHE is! – not a cosmic fluke, she is... designed! I believe in God!”
JB: And?
Friend: Well, we were so happy! And now this. 😔 You’ve got to talk to her!
JB: Well, I’m hardly going to talk her out of it, I’m a vicar. 😂 Let’s have lunch first. 👊
history
Nicaea: The scene is set
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 24 Oct 2025
In the early 320s, the political relationship between the co-emperors of the Roman Empire, Constantine and Licinus, was falling apart.
Although he had been committed to a policy of religious toleration, Licinus had begun a limited persecution of Christians in 321 or 322, which became a pretext for war between himself and Constantine, a professing Christian.
Revival? Revolution? Or what?
Russell Moore
Date posted: 23 Oct 2025
"I saw on a news clip that Bible sales are up," a woman said to me this week. "Does that mean we are in a revival?"
The news reports this woman noticed are consistent with what Bob Smietana at Religion News Service cited from a new Pew Research Centre study: A growing number of Americans—almost a third—now believe religion’s influence is rising in America.
Addressing the 'sins' of segregation and nationalism
Neil Robbie
Date posted: 26 Aug 2025
As I drove from Sutton Coldfield to West Bromwich on Monday's bank holiday (a distance of eight miles) I passed dozens of Union Jacks and St George's Crosses fluttering on lampposts.
This phenomenon is not unique to the West Midlands. It’s spreading across England.
