Newfrontiers Younger Leaders Conference Part 1

NEWFRONTIERS YOUNGER LEADERS CONFERENCE

SPEAKER: DAVID STROUD, UK TEAM LEADER & CHRISTCHURCH LONDON

These are five key goals that the UK team is using to shape the direction of the movement.

The bullet points are explanations from my understanding or my reaction to hearing it expressed like this.

1. PLANT MORE CHURCHES

• No big surprise for anyone who has known anything of Newfrontiers in the last 15 years!
• Talk of some of the biggest cities in the UK, and also Scotland, Ireland & Wales.

2. GROW BIGGER CHURCHES

• I am pleased that this has started to become such a foundational value because most people will “go” by staying right where they are and building
• Also, if the movement gets too spread out too quickly we could have the danger of being top heavy on smaller churches with fewer resources. To successfully plant Churches I believe we need strong “mother” churches. We need both, bigger churches and more church plants.
  

3. CARE FOR THE POOR

• This is a value which needs to be given more attention once more
• This value is not for evangelistic purposes, even though we believe the best thing anyone can receive is Jesus. But rather before they are worth it, worth helping, because of their value in God’s sight, regardless of any response.
  

4. SHAPE SOCIETY

• Planting Churches and growing Churches is not just about “winning the lost” although that is obviously a primary goal.
• We have an opportunity to shape the society in which we are in, on a local, regional and national level. For example a lady from our Shrewsbury Church sits on various House of Lords panels for the problem of Debt. We can all stand up and use our voice.
  

5. GO TO THE NATIONS

• We want to send a huge swathe of new missionaries to the nations.
• This will include going to unreached people groups.
• This will include serving the poor.
• This will include going to the major cities of the developing world.
  

I found this part of the discussion really helpful because gives me vision to stay, serve the poor here, grow a large church which helps shape society in our town and through resourcing church planting we can help to see the growth of the kingdom, and help go to the nations through supporting the various Churches we have friendship with, such as in Ukraine.

One day I may actually be one of those who does “go” and do something else, but in the meantime I want to give my all to these things right here in Shrewsbury.