A life faithfully given: The funeral of Richard Turnbull
Chris Sugden
Date posted: 5 Jan 2026
A packed and full-throated congregation of family, colleagues and friends of Rev Dr Richard Turnbull (who died on 26 November 2025) gathered at his funeral service at St Mary Magdalene, Woodstock on a very wet Friday 18 December.
Richard had known for some weeks that the recurrence of his breast cancer was terminal. His mother had died from the same condition when he was 18. He had carefully planned the details of the service.
everyday theology
A melting heart
Michael Reeves
Date posted: 7 Feb 2026
Today, many rightly bemoan the lovelessness, superficiality, and spiritual hollowness they see spread all too widely across the church. Yet in our longing for a cure, we must not be seduced into thinking that superficial, pragmatic answers are the solution. A moral campaign for better Christian behaviour will not touch the roots of the problem.
The church today is surely in great need of reformation, but reformation of lives happens from the inside out as the Spirit heals hearts with the balm of the gospel. The gospel of Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s regeneration is not just a message for outsiders: it is our only hope if we are to see the renewal and reformation of the church in our day.
Mixed response to Gospel Coalition UK announcements
en staff
Date posted: 18 Dec 2025
Evangelicals in the UK are reacting to the news that the launch of a Gospel Coalition in the UK is definitely going ahead. (See existing en coverage here and here.)
Plans for “TGC-UK” had previously been put forward for discussion and consultation, but have now been firmed up, with a launch planned sometime in 2026. The story was broken exclusively on the en website on 9 December 2025.
Nick Williams
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 3 Feb 2026
Anglican evangelical mission agency CPAS (Church Pastoral Aid Society) has appointed Nick Williams as its Patronage Development Officer. His work in CPAS’ Patronage Team will commence in April.
Williams has been the vicar of Christ Church, Guildford, since 2011. He is “passionate about helping people discover who Jesus is and the difference He makes to their lives,” CPAS said. “He will bring his wealth of experience in church leadership and ministry to the role.”
Ukrainian soldiers reached with the gospel
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 3 Feb 2026
A day after I wrote this article, en was informed that Andrew Killick had died. This article has been amended accordingly. It is a great privilege to tell the story of his desire for Ukrainian soldiers to hear of God’s love. (Written by Lydia Houghton.)
What began as a quiet conversation over church coffee has ended with 1,000 Christian books being distributed to Ukrainian soldiers.
The little-known women who changed hundreds of army lives in Aldershot
Adrian Russell
Date posted: 29 Dec 2025
Amongst the tens of thousands of service personnel buried in the Aldershot military cemetery are the graves of the soldiers from the First and Second World Wars, the Boer War, the Battle of Rorke’s Drift in the Zulu War, and the Falklands War. Amongst the dead are recipients of the Victoria Cross and World War One flying aces. Alongside these brave service personnel is a civilian, an orphaned widow, a woman who suffered with sickness for most of her life, and yet she was given the honour of being the first civilian to be buried there. Her name is Louisa Daniell.
The name Louisa Daniell might be unfamiliar to you, but to many of the soldiers and officers of the British army her work was as important as the weapons they carried. Her care and compassion for individual soldiers was renowned throughout the land. Her Christian witness and love was enjoyed by all who visited the Miss Daniell’s Soldiers’ Home in Aldershot – a place visited by two British Queens.
the Bible in action
Death and money
Martin Horton
Date posted: 1 Feb 2026
“When he’d died, I didn’t like people saying ‘Oh, he’s passed’. Or ‘You’ve lost your dad,’ as though I’d let go of his hand in the supermarket.”
That was Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, speaking on Radio 4 about the sudden death of his father.
'A joyful Christmas is not a consumerist Christmas'
James Burnett
Date posted: 26 Dec 2025
My best Christmas Day celebration was a present-less gathering in Malawi.
The worship was full of percussion, al fresco, around a log fire, and everyone shared in the gift of Jesus.
FIEC and Wycliffe partner for vital African initiative
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 28 Jan 2026
The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) is partnering with Wycliffe Bible Translators to support an Africa Bible translation project.
The country in question can’t be named, to protect the Bible translators and church leaders involved, but it’s a war-torn country in Africa where new church leaders don’t have a Bible in their language. FIEC got involved at its November leaders’ conference, where £7,000 was raised for the project; Wycliffe speakers got invited to 120 churches to share about the need for Bible translation. The goal is to raise £70,000 – with matched funding – to help unlock the Scriptures in 11 languages spoken by 850,000 people.
Jamie Grant
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 28 Jan 2026
Highland Theological College (HTC), Dingwall, Scotland, has welcomed Dr Jamie Grant as its new Principal.
“With decades of experience in [Biblical] studies – particularly his renowned work on the Psalms – Dr Grant is well placed to lead HTC into its next chapter while keeping our mission at the centre: providing high-quality theological education rooted in the life of the church and engaged with the world,” HTC writes. His main teaching responsibilities are in the OT poetic texts, Biblical languages and hermeneutics.
Learning from Martyn Lloyd-Jones: a Biblical synthesis of Reformed and Charismatic faith for today?
Adam Ramsey
Date posted: 26 Jan 2026
Over the next few months, en will be running a series of articles written by Adam Ramsey, of Liberti Church, Gold Coast, Australia, exploring what we can learn from Martyn Lloyd-Jones today about the questions set out in the headline. The essays, of which there are five in total, need to be taken together. They are taken from original, yet-to-be published research undertaken by Ramsey for his Doctor of Philosophy thesis. They also, we hope, represent something of the generous-hearted, thoughtful, Biblical approach that en was founded 40 years ago in 1986 to embody.
Introduction
During the 20th century, it was no secret that Calvinists and Charismatics frequently viewed one another with mutual suspicion. Rarely would those who affirmed a high view of God’s sovereignty in salvation in the Reformed tradition, and those with a high experiential expectation of the Holy Spirit’s direct and supernatural activity, find themselves worshipping in the same church. Or, for that matter, even cooperating outside of their respective churches.
‘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.
Should we have an evangelism target?
David Robertson
Date posted: 19 Dec 2025
Remember the old adage – if you don’t have a target, you will miss it? Or, if you aim at nothing you will hit nothing? It’s an interesting feature of many contemporary evangelical churches that they have strategies, plans, goals and mission statements. And some have even adopted specific percentage goals.
When I first came to Australia to work in evangelism, I was asked to state what my “KPIs” were. This was somewhat difficult, given that I didn’t know what a KPI was! I know now. Key Performance Indicators. I didn’t know what to say. More people praying? People becoming Christians? Preaching the word faithfully. What were they looking for? They wanted facts. Percentages. Measurable outcomes. Figures. Apparently, this is what funders look for.
news in brief
‘Turn the Battle’
A number of Christian organisations in the UK have been seeking to mobilise people to pray and fast for three days.
The “Turn the Battle” campaign has been aiming to see “the whole body humbling itself under God’s mighty hand and a committing to three days of contending prayer and fasting” from 21 to 23 January.
Graham Rowles
Paul Eddy / en staff
Date posted: 30 Nov 2025
One of Bristol's most loved and respect Baptist Lay Pastors has died, aged 89. Graham Rowles played a pivotal role in churches and mission for over 50 years.
Among other things, he arranged for satellite broadcasts of Billy Graham missions elsewhere in the UK to be beamed live to audiences in Bristol. He was also greatly involved with a Luis Palau mission. Rowles was instrumental in bringing into being the South Bristol Christian Centre, was a lay preacher at East Street Baptist Church, and Lay Pastor at Dundry Baptist Chapel.
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!
Exclusive: Gospel Coalition UK set to go ahead
en staff
Date posted: 9 Dec 2025
A UK Gospel Coalition is set to launch in 2026, Evangelicals Now can exclusively reveal today.
Speaking to en, some of the organisers outlined their vision, passion and plans for the organisation, which will aim to bring together Reformed, complementarian evangelicals from the four home-nations and from across denominational groupings.
Terry Puttick
en staff
Date posted: 9 Dec 2025
Tributes have been paid to Terry Puttick, a London City Missioner, who has died.
Writing on X, Graham Miller, LCM CEO, wrote: “Loyalty, love, selflessness, good news, humour and perseverance were visible in all that Terry did.
Review: 'Blue Letter Bible' versus 'Logos'
Paul Jackson
Date posted: 12 Jan 2026
I was inspired by Jordan Brown’s round-up of Bible apps (see en article here) and wanted to make a further, more specific, contribution to the debate in terms of Logos and Blue Letter Bible.
As a middle-aged Christian, I have been using Bible software since the days of CD-ROMs! Bible software has helped me craft numerous Bible studies and sermons.
news in brief
Taiwan: Leaders unite
The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) was one of several religious groups represented by faith leaders at a pro-freedom event in Taipei. Representatives from several religious groups convened in the Taiwanese capital to consider the role of faith groups when it comes to “security and resilience”, according to China Aid News.
The event, co-hosted by the PCT, alongside China Aid and the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), took place against a backdrop of a recent crackdown on Christianity, and featured contributions from representatives from Lithuania, Singapore and the IGE, amongst others, calling for freedom and democracy to be protected.
Reading the Bible, with no fuss, bells or whistles
Jordan Brown
Date posted: 7 Jan 2026
Website Review
Zero Bible is a refreshingly simple, no-fuss online Bible website that’s perfect for anyone wanting quick access to Scripture. The website feels clean and minimalist: you pick a book, chapter and verse, then dive straight into the text. It doesn’t overwhelm you with flashy features or ads – just the Bible, plain and clear.
Read review
Smartphones, social media and parental responsibility
It seems that the topic of smartphones and social media for children is now part of the cultural conversation.
The UK government recently announced a consultation on banning social media for all children under 16 – something already happening in Australia.