Barriers to church renewal were considered by Grace Baptists when they gathered for their latest Association Day at All Souls Langham Place, in London.
Speaker Phil Newton, Director of Pastoral Care and Mentoring for Pillar International, a worldwide network of churches emanating from the US, identified eight such possible hindrances, including cooled devotion to Jesus, worship “that slides into a ditch”, and a person’s pride in their own abilities.
He also gave positive strategies for renewal, exhorting those present to make sure that their agenda for change flowed from the gospel itself. “Are we preaching ‘synagogue sermons’, or do people see the gospel foundations of what we are preaching?” he asked.
