Go boldly: From world mission to out-of-this-world mission...
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 1 Dec 2025
With billionaires racing to colonise Mars and build orbital resorts, one theologian is asking: “Who will bring the gospel to outer space?”
Stephen Stallard is author of “The Final Frontier of Mission: Space Tourism, Lunar Colonies, and the Future of Interplanetary Mission” – a chapter in the book New Frontiers in Missiology (2025).
Sporting boost for uni missions
Brian Glynn
Date posted: 27 Apr 2025
Christian students are sharing encouragements following on from university missions which were supported by the organisation Christians in Sport (CiS).
Grace, a student leader at Exeter, reflected on the joy of seeing her peers engage with the message of Jesus. “We’ve loved having Graham Daniels [General Director of CiS] opening up the book of Luke during our evening events,” she said. “It’s been a real encouragement seeing many students come along to hear the gospel for the first time, through an invite from Christian friends or just by picking up a flyer.”
Gospel makes waves by the sea: United Beach Missions
en staff
Date posted: 28 Sep 2025
Beach missions are alive and well – at least if these photos are anything to go by!
Some of the UBM (United Beach Missions) team can be seen getting ready for outreach as the summer season hit its peak.
140th anniversary of the Cambridge Seven's mission to China
OMF
Date posted: 4 Jul 2025
This year marks the 140th anniversary of the Cambridge Seven sailing for China in February 1885.
The OMF website explains: “This group of seven Christians from Britain caught the imagination of the church and the nation as they gave up riches, fame and comfortable lives to go and share the good news of Jesus in China through the China Inland Mission (CIM), now OMF International.
Brighton beach 1865: When evangelical global mission changed forever
OMF UK
Date posted: 27 Jun 2025
It is now 160 years since Hudson Taylor launched his famous and transformative missionary movement.
It was on 25 June 1865 that he prayed on Brighton beach for 24 “willing, skillful workers” to take the gospel to those with the fewest opportunities to hear it in the inland provinces of China.
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’.
Blackpool: FIEC leaders meet
John Woods
Date posted: 20 Nov 2025
More than 1,100 church leaders, missionaries, and gospel workers gathered in Blackpool for the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches' (FIEC) Leaders’ Conference to consider mission in the UK and to the ends of the earth.
While the church can sometimes pay only lip service to mission, this conference provided a substantial rather than perfunctory engagement with the theme. The main plenary sessions were rooted in a proclamation of the first two chapters of Acts. There was a welcome emphasis on the fact that the mission is God’s mission, that it has the gospel at its core, has the local church at its heart, and flows out of our weakness, enabled by the power of the Spirit.
‘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.
New life in Christ for Sally, one of London’s many homeless
London City Mission
Date posted: 11 Dec 2025
New data from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) shows a sharp rise in street homelessness in London.
There were 3,028 people living on the streets between April 2024 and March 2025 – a 27% increase from the previous year and a 90% rise over the past decade.
King Charles honours Christian mission organisation MAF
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 25 Apr 2025
The humanitarian work of Christian mission organisation Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been honoured by King Charles.
Representing MAF, CEO Donovan Palmer (pictured left), Trustee Max Gove, Deputy Country Director in Uganda Sam Baguma, and Becky Waterman attended a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the King, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne, where the “exceptional” work of approximately 100 humanitarian charities was recognised.
Bradford as 2025 City of Culture – opportunities for mission
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 11 Feb 2025
Bradford 2025 has kicked off the New Year as the UK’s City of Culture, providing a perfect opportunity for gospel-focused churches to reach a wider audience.
The West Yorkshire city was announced as 2025’s UK City of Culture in May 2022 but has since been maligned by many (for reasons ranging from its gloomy weather to economic decline and racial problems). Almost a third of Bradford’s population is under the age of 20; and according to the 2021 census, four in ten people identified as being from an ethnic minority across Bradford District as a whole (significantly higher in the city centre).
From Russia to Wales: ‘The ministry is God’s, not mine’
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 10 Mar 2025
You almost couldn’t get two more different places than the bustling metropolis of Moscow and what Ricky Wilhelm describes as the ‘sleepy seaside town’ of Penarth, Wales. Yet, married missionaries Ricky and Brandy have seen the gospel powerfully at work in both.
Ricky and Brandy grew up in Oklahoma and were married at age 19. Inspired by a visit to their campus from missionaries in Russia, the couple decided to enter the mission field and spent the next eight years of their life working with the Udmurt people in the Volga region of Russia. ‘Love for the people came quite slowly,’ Ricky explained. ‘It was hard … Americans are admired in many ways but not necessarily loved by other cultures.’
Mission offers ‘home away from home’
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 31 Jul 2025
At 82-years-old, Roeli Elbers is still going strong spreading the gospel and serving weary travellers through her work with the Norway Seaman’s Mission.
“It’s the Lord!” said Elbers of her ability to coordinate the work of the ministry, which provides a home away from home for cruise workers and seafarers while their ships dock at Norwegian ports.
‘Exciting’ London Gospel launch
en staff
Date posted: 29 Mar 2025
A galaxy of leading evangelical organisations is supporting what is described as an “exciting” new edition of Mark’s Gospel for mass distribution across London.
The giveaway Gospel is soon to be published by Grace Publications, in collaboration with Holman/Lifeway and London City Mission. Designed in what is described as “a contemporary zine format”, it combines “keen affordability with compelling graphics and design.”
Mission Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: GBM day
Naresh Mistry
Date posted: 23 Nov 2025
Grace Baptist Mission’s (GBM) Annual Mission Day had as its theme “Mission Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”.
Attendees gathered to celebrate 164 years of dedicated service by missionaries supported by the churches. Missionaries from diverse regions shared stories of encouragement and challenges. Ray Evans from Grace Community Church, Bedford delivered a compelling closing message drawing from Acts 16.
The Church Mission Society's new CEO
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 1 Oct 2025
Andy Roberts has been appointed as the new CEO of the Church Mission Society (CMS).
Roberts – a former mission partner and CMS director of mission – is originally from York and has lived much of his life in Brazil. There, he spent several years serving vulnerable children and young people, alongside his wife, Rose. The couple launched ReVive – a charity providing shelter and holistic support for girls affected by abuse, exploitation and neglect. In 2021, Roberts was awarded an MBE for his work with vulnerable children in Brazil.
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”.
1,500 attend teen mission event in Germany
Luke Randall
Date posted: 3 Aug 2025
About 1,500 people attended the 51st Teen Mission Meeting in Monbachtal, in the northern Black Forest in Germany.
The event, organised by the Liebenzellar Mission, Christian guest houses in Monbachtal and Entschieden für Christus (Decided for Jesus), featured seminars and workshops alongside discussions with missionaries and praise.
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.
‘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.
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.
‘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?
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.”
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!