Major consultation event addresses ‘recruitment crisis’
9:38
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
Where is the next generation of church leaders coming from? Is there really a crisis in ministry recruitment? And if so, how can we work together to address it? This was the theme of a major consultation day held just recently.
The National Consultation Day organised by 9:38 – which serves local churches as they envision people in gospel ministry and raise up the next generation of gospel workers – was held at Yarnton Manor in Oxfordshire.
New role for Tom Creedy
IVP
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
Tom Creedy is taking up a new role as Publishing Director at IVP. Evangelical publisher IVP counts Amy Orr-Ewing, John Stott and Tim Chester among its authors, and says it is ‘committed to producing books that are faithful to the Bible, share the gospel with the world, and equip the church for mission and discipleship’.
IVP also produces books for an academic audience under its Apollos imprint, and has a global impact and reach through worldwide distribution licensing and partnerships.
Tom Houston: Gifted leader with huge global influence
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
Tom Houston was one of the most highly-gifted leaders of his generation. He led three movements of global reach, bringing a fine mind to analysis and strategy, and an unusual gift in preaching.
Tom grew up in Dumbarton, on the Clyde, and read Classics at Glasgow University. From teenage years he was a keen member of Glasgow Youth for Christ, and through YFC he met his future wife, Hazel Findlay. At the age of 23 he was appointed pastor of Johnstone Baptist Church, while completing a BD, and teaching Greek to undergraduates. From there he became Chaplain of Quarriers Homes in Bridge of Weir, ministering to 500 deprived children, as well as 150 epileptic patients, and 250 staff.
‘Your money & your life’ – but he lived
Gary Clayton
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
Although John thought they only wanted his goods, they also wanted to take his life.
Early one morning, John was walking back from the market to his home in Habai village, in Papua New Guinea’s isolated Highlands. He was carrying three bags of flour and eight litres of oil, which he was hoping to sell so he could pay for his sons’ school fees.
Joy at Co-Mission’s ‘Revive’
Adam Malooly writes: Praise God! 23–25
June was a fantastic weekend away as people
from 29 Co-Mission
churches
around
London gathered on a field in Canterbury
to worship, pray, learn from God’s word
and enjoy fellowship.
The occasion was the Co-Mission REVIVE
festival, with this being its 19th year running.
We were
so grateful
to have over 2,000
people come together at the University of
Kent. Being Christians
in our corners of
London sometimes leaves us feeling isolated,
so to be reminded of God’s goodness
in
growing His church here in London for His
glory was a real encouragement. The theme
of the weekend was ‘Faithful through the
Storm’. We reflected on this topic and heard
from our main speakers: Matt Fuller (Pastor,
Christ Church Mayfair), Ray Galea (Pastor, Fellowship Dubai) and Jack Sara (President,
Bethlehem Bible College).
UCCF appoints new CEO
UCCF
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
A new CEO, Matt Lillicrap, is heading to Christian student organisation UCCF.
He will begin his role at the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) in the Autumn.
EMA: remaining ‘rugged’
Kate Peters
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
The recent Evangelical Ministry Assembly (EMA) 2024 brought together evangelicals from across different spheres to encourage and strengthen those involved in Bible ministry.
Under the theme of ‘Steady’, EMA urged attendees to hold fast to evangelical convictions as they grapple over critical decisions facing their churches. The focus on steadiness was not only a theme but a call to action, encouraging all attendees to remain unwavering in their mission despite the challenges of our times. During the three days, the stage was shared by leaders from across the evangelical world: Kevin DeYoung, Michael Reeves, Conrad Mbewe, Andrew Sach, Jason Roach, and James Robson. Speakers challenged those present to remain rugged in faith, to stay true to evangelical history, and to rely on the power of God’s word in our proclamation.
East Midlands event unites
Pete Harrison
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
More than 350 people of all ages, and from many different churches, gathered together at Brockington College in Leicestershire on Saturday 29 June to enjoy East Midlands Churches Day.
The speaker was Paul Mallard, there was a children’s and youth meeting, plus hog roast, Indian street food, ice cream and various mission exhibitions. There was also an ‘It’s a knockout’ event, five-a-side football, film, bouncy castle, face painting and crafts, and a Q&A session with Paul Mallard.
Church of Scotland continues freefall
Luke Randall
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
The Church of Scotland (Cof S) has announced it is selling around 100 buildings following a period of drastic decline in worshippers and ministers. Buildings on sale range from churches to houses, some dating back to the 1800s – and it has described the decision as a ‘difficult’ and ‘painful’ move.
The news comes after the denomination recently announced at its General Assembly that it is set to close hundreds of churches in the coming years due to a large fall in membership, and that it was ‘unsustainable’ to keep over 1,000 churches open for the number of people attending services.
Keswick 24: God is at work today in the least expected places
Femi Adeleye
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
Two years ago, I was invited by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, to speak at the Joshua Generation International Youth Conference (JGIYC). It was to take place at the National Stadium in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.
When I was told 30,000 young people were expected at the five-day event, I had some reservations. To my pleasant surprise, there were about 33,000 young people in attendance, and they were all irrepressible in their response. At least one third committed their lives to serving God’s purpose in their generation.
Change of leadership for Bury Street Community Church
Luke Randall
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
Jake Tasker has been inducted as the pastor of Bury Street Community Church, Enfield, London.
He has spent much of the past year serving as Pastor Designate and takes on the role having studied at Oak Hill Theological College. Formed in 2017, the church is a member of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and Together for Mission (TFM).
Warm-hearted and influential pastor dies
en staff
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
The former pastor of one of the largest evangelical churches on the south coast of England has died.
Tony Sargent, who helped Worthing Tabernacle Church flourish into an even more thriving church, died aged 83. He had an extensive ministry across UK evangelicalism and was previously a director of Evangelicals Now.
Albania: 3,000 people hear the gospel
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
Over 3,000 people have heard the gospel in Tirana, Albania, at a major event organised by evangelicals in the country.
Before the mission, about 800 evangelicals met to focus on the church’s evangelistic imperative and to remember that ‘Jesus teaches us that we as a church should be lifted as a city up on the mountain top,’ Evangelical Focus reported.
A life of dedicated, humble service changing many lives
Jeremy Weightman
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
Celebrating the life of Margaret Hill (1941–2024).
Veteran missionary and Bible translator Margaret Hill has died aged 82 after almost 60 years in service with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
You’re the only Christian: what next?
UCCF
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
Imagine you arrived at university to discover that you are the only Christian on campus: what would you do?
This is the reality for student Emily who studies at the Northern School of Art in Hartlepool, an institution of around 500 students.
A Nationalist election view: God’s workmanship
John Mason
Date posted: 1 Jul 2024
In Ephesians 2:10, the apostle Paul tells us: ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ That is both encouraging and challenging!
Encouraging – because each of us has a specific task to do that is unique for us. Challenging – because we need to find what that task is and then follow it through. For me that has previously meant being an accountant with Operation Mobilisation in London; and later, with Interserve/United Mission to Nepal (UMN).
In the rainforest, something is stirring... the gospel
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 May 2024
Spiritual battles continue day and night across the globe, including in the heart of the remote rainforest. The following example was featured in The Washington Post recently.
Rupert Shelley, Director of Mission Partnerships at international mission agency Crosslinks, says it reminds us how ‘the gospel is indeed growing and bearing fruit in extraordinary ways across many parts of South America’.
Highfields Cardiff – welcoming internationals
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 May 2024
Newcomers from across 10 nations were recently hosted by Highfields Church, Cardiff with a membership dinner for people to get to know each other.
The church runs a quarterly membership evening at Highfields where, explained lead minister Dave Gobbett, they ‘share the vision and values of Highfields, and why we encourage those who see us as their spiritual home, to formally join as church members’.
Churches destroyed, thousands displaced
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 May 2024
Christians working in Mozambique are becoming increasingly concerned about the human cost of the wave of violence now sweeping south across the country.
The persecuted-church agency Open Doors reports that over 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have been displaced from their homes in northern Mozambique following a sharp rise in attacks by Islamist militants.
Craigavon: Gospel unity
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Jun 2024
In a powerful display of unity, the four main evangelical groups within the Church of Ireland (COI) came together in April for a day of worship, teaching and prayer.
Ministry collective First Things hosted the gathering, inviting evangelicals from New Wine, Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship, Southern Anglican Fellowship of Evangelicals and Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy to St Johns Parish Centre in Moira, Craigavon on 27 April. They were thrilled to see over 350 people from across the groups come along.
Nicky Cruz: Keeping on keeping on at 85
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Jun 2024
Nicky Cruz has revealed that his ongoing mission at the age of 85 is to bring people to Jesus in a world which sees many young people harmed by ‘loneliness’ and a ‘lack of ethics’.
In an interview with Evangelical Focus before he attended the ‘Fire in Your Bones’ conference in Madrid in early May, he spoke about how today’s world seems to have prompted an increasing number of young people to consider suicide as an option, as he did aged nine following a traumatic childhood, but that ‘transformation is in Christ.’
TGCUK idea gains momentum
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Jun 2024
The idea of a UK ‘Gospel Coalition’ is continuing to receive varying degrees of support.
At the start of April, evangelical umbrella group Affinity announced it was entering discussions to form such a new body – and that it might even ‘replace’ their own organisation (see May issue of en).
Tearfund accused of treating Wales ‘as a colony’
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Jun 2024
Evangelical charity Tearfund is being urged to reconsider a decision to axe its final paid employee in Wales and oversee ministry there from London – prompting a former director to accuse it of treating the country like ‘a colony’.
This year, for the first time since 1987, the organisation won’t have a staff member promoting their mission in the nation. It is the fourth and final role to be cut from Tearfund Wales in the last three years.
European Mission Fellowship at Ballymoney Baptist
Dan & Sara Downey
Date posted: 1 Jul 2023
European Mission Fellowship held its annual Ballymoney conference in Ballymoney Baptist Church, NI, on 20 May 2023.
With approximately 130 people filling the church, Phil Dunn (EMF’s NI Representative) introduced the theme of the event: ‘Here we stand! Not ashamed of the gospel’. In a world that we all know is changing rapidly, Phil reminded us that we are called to stand firm, courageously contending for the truth of the gospel. This set the tone for the morning, which was to include mission news, panel discussions and book reviews.