Africa Inland Mission completes merger
James Patterson
Date posted: 29 Jun 2025
Africa Inland Mission (AIM), an evangelical missionary agency, has merged its South Africa Mobilizing Office and Southern Region receiving office, forming a new ministry called AIM Southern Africa Region.
Tshepang Basupi has been appointed Director of AIM Southern Africa Region, consolidating the processes of sending and receiving missionaries, training leaders and sharing the gospel. The merger is intended to “better reflect the current and future realities of global missions” and will “enhance efforts to minister to the unreached peoples of Southern Africa”.
1,100 attend Pentecostal rally in Bradford
Luke Randall
Date posted: 2 Sep 2024
In a show of unity 'not seen for over 20 years', 1,100 people attended a Pentecostal rally in what was the culmination of a 10-day mission event in Bradford.
The event, run by Sharing of Ministries Abroad, (SOMA) saw missioners descend on the West Yorkshire city, specifically focusing on reaching people within the BD7 postcode, with various outreach events staged with the help of St John’s Great Horton, St Wilfrid’s and St Columba’s churches.
Tributes paid for Daniel Bourdanné
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Nov 2024
Daniel Bourdanné, former General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), has died from cancer, aged 64.
Born in Chad, Bourdanné moved to Oxford in 2007 to lead IFES for 12 years – and from then to his death he worked with charity Africa Speaks to promote publishing Christian books across the continent. IFES Chair Michel Kenmogne said: ‘The history of the advance of the gospel throughout the world over the last four decades cannot be written without mentioning Daniel Bourdanné.’
The battle in Benidorm
Trevor Ramsey
Date posted: 29 Oct 2024
In the first week of October, the bars and restaurants of Benidorm’s busy beachfront and area known as 'The Strip' were bustling and alive with many UK holidaymakers, enjoying some autumnal sunshine before returning to the harsh rigours of a British winter.
There was noise and colour, raucous laughter and angry exchanges on the streets and the walkways. The bouncers and security personnel were earning their money! Groups of Stag Dos and Hen Parties roamed the streets in packs searching out the next place of entertainment.
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.
Missionary family escape Amazon riverboat disaster
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 22 Aug 2024
An American missionary and his wife who escaped a burning boat on the Amazon river with their young family have spoken about their incident, in which several died.
Ezra Brainard, a distant relative of 18th century missionary to the Native Americans David Brainard, was on the boat with wife Joanna and four children, including a young baby, on 29 July when it caught fire, exploded and sank. The couple’s two-and-a-half year old slipped away from Ezra after they jumped into the water, but someone pulled her into a canoe and took her to shore.
Ben Stansfield to lead Global Connections
Luke Randall
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
Ben Stansfield has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Global Connections, (GC) replacing Chris Wigram who had served in an interim capacity in recent months.
GC exists to equip the UK church and mission community in the world. Ben has spent over 25 years working for international charities, church ministries and discipleship ministries, so has helpful experience ahead of taking on the role.
Faith in the ring: Wrestling fans hear the gospel
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 23 Dec 2024
Certain things just make sense together. Batman and Robin. Tea and biscuits. But, church and wrestling?
‘Wrestling and faith evolved alongside each other for me,’ explains Gareth ‘Angel’ Thompson, founder of Kingdom Wrestling, a ministry that combines throwing down in the ring with sharing the gospel – all for the glory of God.
Evangelicals in Europe
Date posted: 20 Dec 2024
Dear Editor,
Please forgive a note to clarify some potentially damaging confusion in recommending churches for people moving abroad.
‘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.
Church Mission Society CEO resigns after six years
en staff
Date posted: 29 May 2025
Alastair Bateman, CEO of Church Mission Society (CMS), has resigned from his post and announced he will step down at the end of July 2025 after six years, saying: “I believe the time is right.”
Reflecting on his time at CMS, Alastair said: “Serving in this community – so deeply committed to following Jesus, rooted in prayer, and bearing the fruits of the Spirit – has been the privilege of a lifetime.”
Lausanne: Mission, unity, joy – and controversy
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 24 Oct 2024
More than 5,200 delegates from 202 countries shared bread and wine in a powerful display of evangelical unity at the end of the 2024 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation held in South Korea.
The informal Lord’s Supper was led by Korean and Japanese individuals as an example of how reconciliation in Christ brings different individuals and nations together.
CU mission encouragements
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Apr 2024
Christian Unions (CUs) have seen an increase in the number of students professing faith during their mission weeks.
In February, as they do each Spring, nearly 100 CUs across the UK held mission weeks on university campuses – a series of themed evangelistic events spread out over five days. While CUs have often seen students profess faith in the days and months following mission weeks, this year they saw many make a commitment during the weeks themselves.
The Keswick Convention’s repeated transformation
Philip Sowerbutts
Date posted: 23 Jul 2025
Keswick has always been about transformation.
The Convention’s founder Thomas Dundas Harford-Battersby, Vicar of St John’s Keswick, was a man troubled by a lack of holiness in his own walk with God. It was while on holiday on the Cumbrian coast at Silloth that he was first introduced to a new teaching that would lead to a personal transformation by a work of God’s Holy Spirit. In just three weeks, he and his friend Robert Wilson organised their own “Holiness Convention” in June 1875 using a tent in the garden of Harford-Battersby’s Keswick vicarage (see photo of the 150th anniversary book cover*). Hundreds attended, and such was the success it was decided to hold another the following year, and so it has continued for 150 years.
the Bible in action
If you could travel in time...
Martin Horton
Date posted: 28 Jul 2025
If you could travel back in time, where would you go? The parting of the Red Sea? Jesus feeding the 5,000? How about the day of Pentecost?
You arrive in Jerusalem – and you can’t understand a word! You reach the upper room just before it happens. The violent rush of wind, the tongues of fire and, in a moment of astonishing lucidity you realise you can hear someone speaking your language.
a Jewish Christian perspective
Encouragements in Jewish evangelism
Joseph Steinberg
Date posted: 27 Jul 2025
I am encouraged by so many good news stories coming from the world of Jewish evangelism.
In my role as the International Coordinator of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism, I have the privilege of interacting with evangelistic organisations and missionaries to Jewish people from all over the world and hearing all the good that the Lord is doing right now among Jewish people.
Mission among Welsh speakers: an urgent need
Gwilym Tudur
Date posted: 13 Nov 2024
In mid-October, Wales held its annual Shwmae Su’mae Day. Translated roughly as ‘hi there’, both shwmae (pronounced shoe-mai) in south Wales and su’mae (pronounced see-mai) in north Wales are colloquial greetings used to start a conversation.
Held since 2013, the purpose of Shwmae Su’mae Day is to encourage people to begin conversations in Welsh and promote its use in everyday discussions. Now in its 11th year, Shwmae Su’mae Day has become a national occasion as businesses, workplaces, and universities host events to motivate employees and students to practice the language.
earth watch
Is real change possible in stewarding God’s earth?
Paul Kunert
Date posted: 2 Aug 2025
Is real change possible? That, for those who watch closely our heating world, is the crucial question. If we’re to avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown, we need actual real change.
Or to bring it into the Biblical narrative, if we’re to fulfil our first calling to rule and care for all creation as God’s agents, we’ll need actual real change. It sounds obvious but it’s not always easy to see.
Shock as Spurgeon's College closes
en staff
Date posted: 31 Jul 2025
Spurgeon's College, London, is to close with immediate effect.
The evangelical Baptist College was set up in 1856 by famous Victorian preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Italy: Thousands march for Jesus
Luke Randall
Date posted: 24 Jul 2025
Thousands of Christians have marched through Milan’s city centre carrying banners exclaiming that “Jesus is the light”, and “Jesus gives you freedom”.
The “March for Jesus” event, attended by about 5,000 people, proceeded through some of the city’s most famous streets and ended outside Milan Cathedral, where groups performed dances and songs. The event, dubbed by many as a “Joy March”, was organised by the Evangelistic Network in Mission (REM) in collaboration with churches and mission organisations, according to Evangelical Focus.
After Lausanne
Amid many bleak and discouraging items in the news of late, the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation can bring us both some joy and hope.
Apart from its more major achievements, the Congress produced a staggering number of photographs chronicling the event, and browsing through them it is hard not to be encouraged by the sheer breadth of those attending and the evident joy. It is worth taking a moment to flick through some of those pictures online.