Henry Olonga, Blood, Sweat and Treason

Something is happening in Shrewsbury.

On Wednesday night over 300 people attended an event at Shrewsbury Abbey, the thousand year old Church building just around the corner from our Church centre.

Five Churches had chipped in some money to invite Henry Olonga to Shrewsbury, for a joint event that was a pre-alpha social.

He was outstanding. He shared his story of how his faith encouraged him to stand up to Robert Mugabe by wearing a balck armband in the cricket world cup.

He was funny, engaging, humble, honest, and my goodness the man can sing.

Guests were invited to receive an Alpha invitation to one of the courses at one of seven participating Churches, who are running courses this Autumn.

One of those courses is a joint course between Shrewsbury Baptist Church and Shrewsbury Abbey's sister Church St Peter's, the first such collaboration between the two Churches.

The vicar of the Abbey made that point in his welcome on the night to spontaneous applause.

Joint events. Joint publicity. Joint introductory courses.

In Psalm 133 King David asserts

" 1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore. "

There is still further to travel on this journey, but step by step we will reach our town with one voice.

I am excited!

And if you ever get the chance to go and hear Henry Olonga, grab it with both hands.

A Grand Day Out

Yesterday I had a brilliant day out taking the chance to swing by Soul Survivor A in Stafford for their final night.

I have always loved Soul Survivor.

I went there as a teenager several times, and I still see many hallmarks of that foundation in my Christian walk today.

Mike Pilavachi is an absolute legend and I had the privieldge of telling him that a while back.

The day was great. For several reasons.

If evangelical charismatic Christianity in the UK is a river then to my mind Soul Survivor is plumb centre of the river.

In the middle you get quite deep water. You see some slightly weird looking fish from the other side of the river that you don't normally see (which is probably why they look weird to you).

It was refreshing to sit in the middle of the river. To see the vitality and the variety of what God is doing amongst different groups, movements and organisations across the country.

The language is of what unites us, not of our distinctives. Our distinctives are what make us who we are, yet I wonder what the Church would look like if we were distinctive by what unites us?

This means they basically just talk about Jesus. Lots and lots of Jesus. Come and follow Jesus. Day by day, response after response. Hundreds and hundreds of teenagers.

The atmosphere was great. The worship was great. The talks really seemed to engage the youth.

That evening there was fancy dress as disney characters and literally hundreds had dressed up. Watching Mike Pilavachi conduct a whole meeting dressed as Buzz Lightyear is one of the most surreal, humorous, and engaging things I have ever seen.

No-one else on this earth that I know of could maintain a level of spiritual oversight and gently lead a public gathering of thousands while dressed as a cartoon character.


In many ways they have been instrumental in bringing us Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and others. They have also shown how you can do "youth" well. The whole event is a million times cooler than anything the Churches in our town can manage.

They just seem to "get" it, and in turn thousands of young people across 19 years have "got" Christ, and I stand in that number.

Street Pastors

66 people came to a launch evening for the Street Pastors project in our town.

6 Churches are already signed up: 1 Baptist, 2 Anglican, 2 Newfrontiers and 1 Elim pentecostal.

Next week I have been invited to speak about the project at the meeting of Churches Together in Shrewsbury.

The gathered crowd at the launch were from a very wide section of the wider Church, and over 30 people signed up to show their desire to be considered as a Street Pastor in the future.

I have blogged about unity quite a bit on this blog.

Now we are putting it into practice.

Evangelists Summit 2011: Richard Cunningham, UCCF

If you had told me ten years ago that the head of the UCCF would come to a newfrontiers conference I would not have believed you. I may even have contacted your psychiatrist.

If you have read this blog over time you will know of my mixed experiences in the university days that left me both greatly blessed and carrying bitterness, which I have had to repent of.

He started with an excellent session looking at Paul's intereactions through the book of Acts and how that can help equip us to make our message relevant to those we encounter. It was meaty, funny, and relevant. Then came the big moment, an open Q&A.

It is fair to say that newfrontiers with its very high regard for the local Church has not always found it's interaction with the CU movement on the ground very easy due to the level of time pressure the Christian Union can put on students, alongside it's role as the "only" missional group on campus. Add in the charismatic / non charismatic dynamic and attempted shared witness, and sometimes it can be hard.

Nor have newfrontiers Churches always got it right from our end, at all. Richard's clear definition of why UCCF is not actually a "parachurch" movement was deliberate, and required.

It also appears that through Terry Virgo's attendance at New Word Alive and becoming part of the advisory council of UCCF, that things might be changing.

So the first thing I want to say about Richard Cunningham is that I think the guy has got guts and I respect him for that. Yet as he came, he was not coming into the lion's den to be quizzed on this and that, what he found was a group of evangelical, conservative, missional Churches wanting to know how best to make it work.

The questions flowed, the answers flowed, all very straight, full of grace and a seminal moment in the ongoing relationship between these two bodies, a line was being drawn in the sand and new opportunity opening up.

And then I asked my question. I had been considering it well in advance. I had the paragraph that had so offended me printed out should I need it. I wanted closure. The hands continued to rise and so I waited, and waited, then he pointed at me and said "I will finish with this one".

Oh no; you don't want to be the angry guy at the end who throws in a googly when everything thus far has been brilliant. Ah well, I am here now. The time has come.

My question was fairly straightforward: my time in the CU movement was good at a local level but the UCCF stuff I experienced was very difficult because of the opposition I faced as a Charismatic. When my wife went to Uni the situation there was even more of a war zone and I had to counsel several people who had been caught in the cross fire. Now a girl from our Church is going to that university and asked me about the CU and I felt I had to tell her to not get involved but to just find a Church for her own protection. I don't want that to be the case, so I am asking have things really changed and can I recommend the CU movement to people.

It was one of those agonising moments when you realise that your question says more about you than it does about anything else, and my voice went half way through, meaning I sounded both confused and emotionally vulnerable. At least there was a level of authenticity in that because I was confused and emotionally vulnerable!

And then he answered.

Firstly, he did not fudge anything. It does not always work out and he cannot do a "Tony Blair" and offer to solve everything.

Secondly things are changing, several UCCF relay workers are based in newfrontiers Churches, as an example.

Thirdly, he expressed his own opinions on certain things which resonated greatly with how I felt.

So he did not blag an answer. He did not apologise for something which is nothing to do with him. He just shared his heart. Of what it could look like if it did work. We all want it to work.

And then just slipped into a sentence, while looking at me, referring directly to me, in answer to my question, he said "brother".

That was the head of UCCF calling me brother.

That was my answer.

In the documentary about Take That getting back together Robbie Williams makes an astonishing admission when discussing the ongoing difficulties between him and Gary Barlow. He basically said; all the hurt and rejection he had held onto, and the way he allowed it to shape him negatively, was basically because above all else he just wanted his approval. He wanted to know he respected his contribution. He wanted to make him proud. And feeling the lack of that was what pushed them apart.

That resonates with me.

I don't want a political answer. I don't want an apology, or a false promise. I just want to know I am not left on this side of the drawbridge and that you approve of me.

He called me brother. And so it is as brothers that we will face the future.

And that changes everything.

Without wishing to plagiarise Rob Bell, love wins.

Welcome to, Hope Church...

Well, Hope Church has launched in Shrewsbury, well done!

150 Christians from all sections of the Christian Church met together for what was the Churches Together in Shrewsbury United Service to mark the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and also a Mission Shrewsbury United Service.

I went too, and sat at the back. Where someone took a photo of my backside.


Interesting stuff. There is me, a newfrontiers elder, sat behind a catholic priest, up the row from the local Christian Aid co-ordinator, with a prominent local orthodox member, nestled in behind a Baptist minister and a row of funky looking Anglicans including a lady curate who is a great friend, all celebrating the merger of an FIEC Church with a Newfrontiers Church, to create a dual site Church reaching two major communities in the North of Shrewsbury, who are also working in partnership with two local Anglican / Methodist ecumencial partnerships on the ground.

If that is not enough to make your ecumenical eyes pop out, then I am not sure what is!

Church Together

Every 8 weeks all our midweek small groups don't meet and we have a larger meeting altogether with extended worship and intercession.

I led part of the meeting praying for a move of the Holy Spirit in our Church.

We started by praying together, calling on God.

Then we prayed for one another, with the people sitting near us, for God to move in our lives.

I looked out from the front and saw people arm in arm.

Some were lined up in rows. Others in more of a huddle. Some looking like they were about to "scrum" down.

It really was a sight to behold.

We are in this with one another, all of us, seeking God, as a Church Together.

5 things I love about Baptists

I was challenged with tongue firmly in cheek by a local Baptist minister why my series had yet to include them. With much hilarity and banter it was agreed that I would "do my best" to see if I could come up with something.

BAPTISM
I do think that Baptism matters. In that sense I am a baptist. Were I looking at labelling myself correctly I don't think I would be all that comfortable with the term "reformed charismatic" because of some of the implications of it. I would be more comfortable to be known as a "Charismatic baptist", because that is probably closer to my experiences, friendships and aspirations. In a culture where infant baptism has through many generations caused complete confusion I think that Baptists have got a whopping thing right.

MISSION
Go anywhere in the world and look for the missionaries. Almost always there will be some Americans, and they will be Baptists. And these days, maybe some pentecostal Koreans will be working alongside them. William Carey and (in some way) the Baptist Mission Society forged a way countless thousands have followed.

HEROES
Looking through a list of eminent Baptists is a bit like looking through a "Who is who" of evangelical heroes of the faith. Spurgeon alone would this point valid, as would William Carey. Chuck in Billy Graham and you've nailed preaching, evangelism and missions in just three men of God. Looking around people like Oswald Chambers, and several eminent US politicians all feature. These days Piper and MacArthur stand at the top table of people worth reading and listening to.

GOSPEL
In some denominations I see a bit of confusion. What is preached as "Gospel" changes church to church, minister to minister. Some of what is presented as Gospel really does not bear much resemblance to the "good news" as I know it. I know if you move to a place and you find a Baptist Church, along with all sorts of quirks and differences that any Church has you will certainly hear the gospel.

HOLDING FIRM
Of all the denominations I think the Baptists have done pretty well at holding firm to what they believe and not moving ground with the pervading mood of culture. I look at some churches and what you now see now is so utterly different from what it was, and yet what a Baptist is compared to what a Baptist was does not seem a dramatic journey. "Traditional Baptist" can have a whole load of negative connotations and yet I imagine some of those Churches will remain active in generations to come where newer models and movements have disappeared altogether.

All in all, being a British non conformist I was always going to identify strongly to the Bapstist Church, which is a bit odd really as I have never been a part of one.

5 things I love about Rob Bell

Rob Bell is an anathema to some Conservative evangelicals and yet a hero to many Christians in the UK. Here are some of the positives I can see.

1) COOL
Everything from his DVDs to his book covers to his glasses screams "Cool". It is not often you get a Christian speaker / preacher / writer who looks like they just stepped out of an art workshop in some trendy corner of London. I don't think "cool" always means good, but we definitely need less "uncool" in the way some things are presented.

2) ENGAGEMENT
Rob is a fantastic writer. His books are real "page turners". Even if you don't agree with a considerable amount of it, you can't help enjoy reading it. He is a great speaker. His speaking tours sell out and his DVDs shift by the tens of thousands. "Everything is spiritual" is worth an hour of anyone's time, if only to marvel at that amount of knowledge being divested from one brain in an hour while still be interesting!

3) DOUBT
His Church have "Doubt nights" where you can go an ask questions. I like that. Sometimes evangelicals have everything wrapped up in a way that means if you still have a question hanging over you feel second class. Or in a pastoral setting a tightly packed theological proposition regarding the circumstances you face sounds very hollow and doesn't empathise with the fact it just hurts. I think we could learn something by allowing the defence of truth also recognise and edify the doubts that the Truth came to overcome. The Alpha Course has this in its DNA, but I wonder if some of our other settings could benefit from an approach that allows some answers to not yet be found.

4) CHURCH BUILDING
If people like Tim Keller or Mark Driscoll get some limelight because of their ability to grow larger Churches then 10,000 people on a Sunday and 50,000 downloads a week also suggests there is something about Rob Bell that is scratching where people are itching. I think this presents something to learn from those who appreciate his style and also presents a challenge to those who dislike it. Bums on seats don't vindicate a ministry and I would struggle to find 5 things I love about Joel Osteen, pastor of the largest Church in America. That said it does prove that Rob's ministry and style resonates with a wide array of people which is something we can learn from. His ministry is reaching certain people in a way ours is not and that leaves us with questions and a bit of soul searching as to why.

5) MEDIA
Downloads & DVDs are the main way I know most people have been introduced to Rob Bell. Even his best selling books come second. I often see people exchanging Nooma DVDs, or when something happens or the face a difficulty then something in a Nooma DVD comes back as an encouragement.

Our young people faced a very real tragedy 18 months ago. 20 years ago they may have read a poster with the poem "Footprints on". Instead they watched this.


I would not agree with plenty of things he says, but I can see plenty of fruit from his ministry, plenty of challenge to take on board and actually wonder if some of the criticism of him is "guilt by association" with other elements of the emerging Church rather than what he has actually said.

5 things I love about Steve Chalke

Just a spot of housekeeping before I start this one to frame what I am saying.

I don't agree with him on the subject of penal substitutionary atonement. Not only do I disagree with what he thinks, I also regret deeply the manner in which he expressed it in his book "The Lost Message of Jesus".

That said, I do agree with him on other ways of viewing the atonement, which have a clear biblical basis and pastoral validity.

When all else is stripped away we both believe that Jesus "died for our sins".

We are brothers who will enjoy eternity together.

With that housekeeping done here are 5 things I love about his ministry.

1) ACTIVISM
Steve Chalke is an activist who has managed to fit in a bewildering array of activity! Some Christians can be accused of naval gazing. Others of having a "small God" mentality. Still others are risk averse. Steve has channelled righteous anger into activity, and has reached for the stars for the sake of his Lord. As I have said before, if some of his critics had a tenth of his track record the criticism would sound less hollow. I think James (faith without works is dead) would love him.

2) KINGDOM
The "Kingdom" of God is a bigger than us. The extension of the Kingdom reaches beyond our ecclesiastical wineskins and touches all from the rulers and leaders to the oppressed and needy. Steve's ministry with Schools, Stop the Traffik, and all that has been in between takes a wide definition of the Kingdom of God and seeks to bring it about. His focus is not about bums on seats on a Sunday or other things that can deflect a pastor from seeking after the Kingdom of God. No, it is bigger than that, and has led him everywhere from the sofa of GMTV to the negotiating table at the UN.

3) CULTURE
Before Keller et al made "changing culture" a cool thing to get passionate about Steve Chalke was campaigning, organising and launching all manner of initiatives. The gospel, and the works of the those who bear the gospel should be good news to people. Those people may be in bondage to people traffickers or Aids victims in Bombay or living in a shanty town in Rio or prostitutes in Peckham. We have political freedom which we can use. We can affect the arts and media. We can challenge politicians. We can shape education. We can work together and showpiece all the ways the Church is blessing its local community. Well when I say "We", Steve seems to have.

4) VISION
People I know who have worked for Oasis Trust, or volunteered with Oasis trust, know for certain the value of what they are doing. Steve has an ability to impart vision and get people moving with him in an extraordinary way. It is not a personality cult: because it is not just about him. It is about the kingdom, and action, to shape culture.

5) THE NATIONS
I know loads of people who have been abroad with Oasis Trust. For my age group it was a real badge of honour: part of your Christian upbringing. 6 months in Zimbabwe, 12 months in Brazil, forget Thailand or picking fruit in Australia, there is a world out there that needs the love of Jesus being shared with them and your time matters.

All in all, there is much to love and honour about Steve's ministry. "Stop the Traffik" may yet mean his legacy within the UK Church scene is similar to that of Wilberforce or Shaftesbury. Can we actually change a generation? Can we shake off the yoke of oppression? Can we mould the view of society from lack of understanding to visible opposition to human exploitation?

Let's hope so.

5 things I love about the Vineyard

I spent three years in Vineyard Churches in both Birmingham and Nottingham as a student. Naturally I will always have a soft spot for them.

1) WORSHIP
For several years it felt like Charismatic worship was either Kendrick or Vineyard. It is not overstating it to say that the Vineyard movement had (and in some ways still has) a huge impact on much of what we know as modern worship. It is part of their legacy to the whole Church that needs to be really honoured.

2) JOHN WIMBER
You cannot go far in the UK Church before you bump into someone who was deeply affected by the ministry of John Wimber. If you look at massive success stories like Holy Trinity Brompton or St Andrew's Chorley Wood somewhere along the line a bearded preacher from California with a desire to experience the power of the Holy Spirit had influenced them. You can see hallmarks of his ministry right the way across the Charismatic wing of the Church in all denominations.

3) CARING FOR THE POOR
Every Vineyard Church I know have mercy ministries right at their heart. Trent Vineyard in Nottingham has grown from a small group to a Church of over 1500 in 15 years, and right the way through they have been loving people Jesus loves, through ministry to the poor. What a fantastic witness The Arches is. I think that makes God smile.

4) CREATIVITY
I like their risk taking. I like the way creativity is encouraged. I like the way arty types can express themselves. The boxes of what evangelical worship and interaction looks like have smoother walls in the Vineyard.

5) RELAX
I like going to Vineyard Churches. The atmosphere is relaxed. You get american style "Donuts and Coffee". You don't feel judged. Somewhere in the value system of the movement is a desire to chill out and enjoy God. That sparks something in me. A busy meeting can involve resting in God. I like that. Spiritual gifts happen but nothing is forced. It is all quite calm, quite reflective. If I ever burn out and need a place to relax and get myself together and be with God I would probably look for a Vineyard.

As an aside, and cheekily hiding number 6 in a footnote: their conferences tend to be brilliant, and at times have been very important for me.

All in all, the Vineyard have an important legacy, and a key role to play in the future of the "New Church" scene in the UK. Beyond their boundaries the blessing they have been to the Church is far bigger than they are as a movement, including their involvement with stuff like New Wine.

Sharing the love...

Late last year I did a series on what I love about other elements of the Church in the UK.

You can find the posts here:

5 things I love about Anglicans

5 things I love about Methodists

5 things I love about Spring Harvest

5 things I love about Holy Trinity Brompton

5 things I love about the Para Church

I had quite a positive response, including comments from two people involved in the running of Spring Harvest. The intention was to encourage, so I am delighted that it did. The post on methodism sparked a few Methodists to consider the same question, like Micky, Richard and Dave. Although with tongue firmly in cheek I am still waiting for Dave's "5 things I love about Newfrontiers" post!

Anyhow: time for a new series, over the next few days I will consider what I love about other parts of the UK Church scene and maybe even venture overseas. Some of it will be fairly obvious and some of it will be building a bridge of grace.

Lunch

Yesterday I had lunch with several Christian leaders and staff teams from across the town invited by Mission Shrewsbury.

It was great.

I got to sit by one of my favourite people in the group, a female curate from a local Anglican Church who is real quality. We had a brilliant discussion and it is really interesting how a different Church set up faces pretty well all the same issues we do. People are people, after all.

Then today I was invited to lunch by an Anglican vicar from a local Church, and we discussed a bit about local mission and got to know each other personally a bit better. It was great. it was really interesting to just chat about life a bit and find out what makes him tick.

I do wonder sometimes, whether away from all the disagreements, differing views and problems* we would do better if we just had a bit more lunch.

That is not to undermine our differences, but to secure our unity.

* I have not experienced any of those three within Mission Shrewsbury

5 things I love about the para-church...

I have a fairly high view of Church. I come from essentially "restorationist" stock. I believe in the local Church. I want to see a beautiful bride. I give priority to the local Church in my time, effort and finances (even before my employment). I believe the Church is what God has instituted to be an agent of mission, justice, and a community for believers to belong. So I am 100% for the Church. I do also think there are some issues with para-church organisations. But equally there are issues with Churches, all Churches.

In some cases, I think criticisms of the "para-church" have been exaggerated, and I think a high view of the "Church" has been extrapolated to be a criticism of the para-church which ceases to be helpful.

Here are five things I love about the para-church.

1) INTERNATIONAL AID: Look at what Tearfund, World Vision, Christian Aid and Cafod have achieved on behalf of the Church. The DEC appeal happens and amongst the biggest hitters are the Christian relief agencies. The climate change march happens in London and the first two banners I see on the main 6 o'clock news? Tearfund and Christian Aid! Now there is a great place for Churches to make offerings to be administered by local Churches, like Newfrontiers have done with Zimbabwe and Kenya recently. That is great, but what about the Pakistan Earthquake or the Tsunami? Experienced, relevant, well organised and resourced agencies are well placed to give the poor and oppressed food, shelter, medical aid and the like. Those are all kingdom values, and if there is not the church there to do it (or the church is not able to do it efficiently) then sending an agency is the only option.

2) PUBLISHING AND THE BIBLE: The editing committees of the bibles we read are essentially para-church bodies. They have to be to avoid sectarian bias. The translation organisations like Wycliffe are essentially para-church not local church. The bible distribution agencies like The Bible Society and Gideons are essentially para-church. So if I am a good evangelical and love the word of God, I am reliant on a para-church bodies to translate, produce and distribute the Bible for me. Lots of christian publishing is effectively "para-church". My local Christian bookshop is "para-church" by some definitions. It suits me when I need a Christian book...

3) EQUIPPING LOCAL CHURCH MINISTRY: Organisations like Care for the Family, Zacharius Trust or Freedom in Christ Ministries etc produce resources and events which help to resource, network, encourage and equip Churches in their mission.

4) CAMPS AND FESTIVALS: Several of the major camps and festivals have become "para-church", or maybe "inter-church". The blessing these provide is evident. I believe in the Church and so I love things that build up the Church.

5) RESPONSIVENESS: Lots of the para-church organisations that have sprung up which do functions which could (or should!) be done by the local church tend to exist because the local church in that place or in that denomination or in that generation or in that nation did not do it. The church was failing due to lack of understanding, resistance to change, lack of resources, whatever, but there was a gap. Christians saw the gap and sought to fill it. Now I may well still hold the view that the Church is the priority, and that these things should be undertaken within a local church context, but I still have to admire and appreciate people who took huge risks, stepped out of the boat and filled a void because of the call of God.

Add it all up, and I want to hold a very high priority of the local church within a framework of a very high priority of the kingdom of God. I don't see that the two should ever compete, so if it feels like they are, I probably need to look in my own heart first.

More to the point, I don't want to become the person speaking at a para-church christian event, recommending a resource from a para-church organisation which is sold by another para-church organisation, who expresses a priority of the local Church that excludes all the people who have given me that opportunity in the first place. That would seem a little redundant.

I do believe in the local Church, which is why in some cases, I need the para-church.

5 things I love about Holy Trinity Brompton...

In my recent post about Anglicans I found myself rather overwhelmed with warm and fuzzy feelings towards Holy Trinity Brompton. So much so it warranted its own post. Here are five things I really want to love and honour about HTB.

PROCESS EVANGELISM: UK evangelicalism got stuck in a Billy Graham crusade mindset of "hands up and follow Jesus" being what evangelism was. Making a one off call for salvation is still completely valid but Alpha put the gospel into bite sized chunks, and gave an increasingly postmodern culture time to engage with it. It also added in food and friendship and made it relational. It actually turned a mindset from a "get them in the door and hit them with it" kind of sales technique usually preserved for timeshares, and made it 10-15 weeks of friendship and discussion. Two weeks ago there were over 10 people at our Sunday morning meeting who came to faith via our September Alpha Course. Alpha is like the muscle helping to empower that side of Church life.

RESOURCES: The resources you need to run Alpha are available, good value, and well presented. Alpha is not just a good idea, it is an "of the shelf" suite of resources to help to actually make your vision a reality. Their national advertising, in the press and in cinemas, has been the largest scale Christian publicity I can remember. The excellent "Alpha Friends" website is full of ideas and resources. Recently, when churches in Shrewsbury decided to advertise our Alpha Courses together, the resources available to us, including print ready leaflets, were excellent.

TRAINING & RELATIONSHIPS: One of the greatest decisions HTB made was when they started running training courses, training weekends and then local training days. That meant two things. Firstly, people starting out heard what it was like from the coal face, not just the text book. Secondly, HTB engaged itself in a consistent review process of the Alpha materials because they had produced them, and now they were having constant contact with people actually using them. Alpha has since developed shorter sessions, the course has fewer sessions, new ways of approaching subjects and Churches have been given freedom to juggle the course a bit within parameters to make it "work" for them. HTB has entered into a relationship with those who run Alpha on a local level, and in doing so have improved the course greatly and have really kept their finger on the pulse.

BEING YOURSELVES: The HTB crowd are a definition of white middle class Britishness. They look, sound, and do things all the time that reinforce this. An Alpha "Supper" kicks things off. Supper for me is biscuits and hot chocolate before bed, not a meal! I have never been to a school, college, workplace, or even restaurant where it would be called "supper". They developed the course to reach people around them and they were just being themselves. Unashamedly themselves. That is why it works. I think it gives the whole thing much more credibility. They have not hammed it up to try and make it all hip and down with it. And you know what? We have seen ex-drug addicts and university lecturers, alcoholics and senior managers all come to faith through Alpha. With Nicky's story of a "Nicky party" away at University somehow reaching across all demographic indicators. I love them for being themselves. For not faking anything. For being faithful.

UNITY: Alpha for Catholics is a seminal point in the development of the course. HTB have gone further than many evangelicals would fear to tread, and received some serious criticism for it. Yet this is part of their calling. Alpha is not just an evangelism tool, it is a renewal movement with Anglicanism and to a smaller extent, now within Catholicism. Now that really pushes back the boundaries of where and how evangelicals function and how an essentially evangelical gospel presentation fits into the wider body of Christ. Rather than retreat into their own enclave HTB have built bridges and burst through preconceptions, without changing the message. And I think God honours that kind of borderless love of the body of Christ that has taken them into rarely chartered waters.

And now HTB is moving into Church planting outside London, developing stronger international links and massively empowering the UK worship scene, within five years this juggernaut of a move of God will have probably earned another five points!

5 things I love about Spring Harvest...

Here are 5 things I want to love and honour about the Spring Harvest movement.

1) THE GOSPEL: I gave my life to Jesus at Spring Harvest. Well, growing up in a Christian home I "responded" a few times to be fair, but this is the time it changed everything. I was asked, aged 11 or so, to come forward, if I wanted to turn away from my old life, follow Jesus, and receive forgiveness from Him through his finished work on the cross. I went forward. That was my moment. Nothing could ever be the same. Jesus HAD actually conquered my sin, had redeemed me, I was adopted, into relationship with God, a ransom had been paid, my punishment settled, I was free, my chains were broken, I moved from slavery into sonship. And I knew all these things because they had done a very good job at explaining exactly what Jesus had done and exactly what I was responding too and exactly what I would need to do about it in the future. This was not an over-hyped, over-emotional youth meeting, this was the scales falling from my eyes and being beckoned by Jesus.

.

2) THE WORSHIP: Over the last twenty years or so Spring Harvest has essentially been a melting pot out of which the best of British worship music rises to the surface. Spring Harvest worship albums and resources have helped shape the worship across a wide spectrum of the Church. They really, really, love Jesus. And in the moment, with thousands gathered, that is probably where I started to really unearth my own heart and desire to worship God. Worse still, they even got away with songs I don't even like, and God still moved!

3) THE UNITY: Spring Harvest is a really mixed bunch. If British evangelicalism has a spectrum then Spring Harvest is a rainbow! Broadly Charismatic although not crazy, staunchly evangelical although not narrow, somehow Spring Harvest manages to break down denominational barriers and not be some box ticking exercise of unity but actually be people together. It is a source of immense sadness that Word Alive did not stay within the wider Spring Harvest movement, but even so, Spring Harvest will remain a key component of the calendar of many British evangelicals, and a continued blessing from God to His Church

4) YOUTH: Spring Harvest youth was the first "youth" I saw being done really, really well. When I think of the influence of stuff like Soul Survivor and other ministries since then I remember Spring Harvest, the "Big Toaster" youth meetings, the noise, the lights, the energy and see where much of it was birthed. Spring Harvest did "youth" well, and was part of what made the Church in the UK wake up and start to do "youth" well.

5) THE ORGANISATION: Spring Harvest was big, resourced, well planned and accessible. The scale of meetings, scale of sites used and reputation of platform speakers really set a trend for what has followed. Suddenly Christian festivals are now a genuine marketing opportunity for showgrounds and holiday camps, and Spring Harvest was part of that growth. The success of other camps and movements since then is partly building on the fact stuff like Spring Harvest made it "normal" to go away with a few families from your Church and meet with Jesus.

Time for another bold statement: Spring Harvest has been, and will continue to be, a major blessing to UK evangelicalism. Turning the "gathering" into hands on "activism" and "mission" is the trajectory they are on, which is incredibly exciting to watch, and perhaps even, be part of.

Further discussion on Methodism

Dave Warnock commented to my first post in this series:
I do have a small concern though. I recently heard a mostly excellent talk by someone from New Frontiers who talked about the Methodist tradition, it was good except that it attempted to claim the heritage while totally ignoring the present. To a conference with a lot of Methodists it was not exactly helpful to look at current Methodism as just a source of heritage and buildings for New Frontiers.

I obviously cannot comment fully on that talk or that event as I was not there.

Areas of social justice, social activism and the environment would be where I see modern Methodism as being strong and having a track record with which they can influence and encourage the wider body of Christ. For example our local Methodist Church was the second in the town to gain the eco-congregation status. I think this is a good thing, and a provocation. If we go down that route in the future the Methodists (and the URC) paved the way.

This Christmas our local area the Churches, including us and the Methodists are giving out 4,000 Christmas cards and inviting our community to our various Christmas events, together.

Last year I served on the Hope 08 planning group which included a local methodist minister and we did large scale bit of publicity to 54,000 homes, together.

But Dave poses a very interesting question. I think many people don't know much about modern Methodism, or what they do know about feels confused. It does for me.

You would be left with big questions if you spoke to one of the thousands in the membership of many evangelical churches in the UK, in the newer churches or in the older denominations, a whole generation of Methodist evangelicals, including former Church leaders, who feel they have been "driven out" of Methodism over the last 40 years. "Methodism" does not present itself as being an evangelical movement now, but it was. And that is where I, as an evangelical, feel my strongest connection with Methodism lies, at the point we were closest. Or with the parts of Methodism that still hold that ethos.

I would also suggest it depends mostly on people's experiences on a local level, and the methodists they know, those whose blogs they read etc. In the same way people's view of newfrontiers is shaped by which bits they have or have not seen or who they think speaks for all. The local experience often changed every five years with the minister, who for other Church leaders is their primary contact with the Church. The spectrum is so wide, and changes so regularly, that commenting on "Methodism" becomes a bit difficult.

Evangelical representation within the "Churches Together" movement is sketchy in places, so the connections are limited. I would imagine local Methodists consider our church (and others in the town) to be distant because we are not fully engaged with Churches Together locally.

I also think Methodism nationally has had something of a self-depricating public face which means as an evangelical growing up and going to university from the 1980s onwards it has not been on the radar, at all.

I knew about New Wine, Fusion, UCCF, Soul Survivor, Alpha, YWAM, OM, Youth for Christ etc. they were well marketed to me. I had friends from Elim, AOG, Vineyard, the C of E etc. My walk with God as an evangelical Christian meant I barely ever rubbed shoulders with Methodism except when we had refreshments after a Fairtrade march in Birmingham city centre once.

I would not deliberately "ignore" modern Methodism as such but rather would not know enough about it to comment, and frankly, am a bit weary of hearing how bad things are from Methodists themselves. I don't know what to say, or even sometimes where to look. I remember a Methodist preacher speaking at a united service here about ten years ago who was so disparaging about his Church it made me really uncomfortable. If newfrontiers is accused of arrogance then Methodism must be accused of and unhelpful level of self-deprecation.

With all that said, if I lived in Market Drayton in Shropshire, and wanted a local Church, this is the Church I would go to, without question. Some of their people have visited us to share ideas and learn from each other, and none of them fit into the critical category I have outlined above. As I read their "about us" section it ticks many of the boxes I would look for in a Church. There are hundreds of Methodist Churches like it all over the country, and they remain true to the heart of Methodism that I see as my heritage too.

5 things I love about Methodists...

These are some things I want to honour Methodism in the UK for. These are more to do with legacy rather than my personal experiences of Methodism (which are limited) and so is much further from the current coal face than my previous post on Anglicanism.

1) HERITAGE: I am a British non-conformist. Therefore Wesley & Whitefield are in some sense my "Church Fathers" and everything else follows that. OK, maybe that is slightly over-egged, but even so. I can't get away from the fact I am heavily influenced by this heritage. Neither can the Church in the UK. If there was just one time we could go back to. If there was one movement we could choose. If their was one evangelist. If there was one revival. John Wesley, the birth of Methodism, is almost always in our minds when we start praying for revival now.

2) SMALL GROUP: Methodism helped pioneer laity involvement, smaller group structures, discipleship groups, small groups. Much of what you read in a 1990s American "Cell group" textbook was happening in 1820s Bristol with a few updates for the charismatic renewal and a postmodern culture. The priesthood of all believers, an engaged and active laity, Methodism broke down barriers and we live in the good of it.

3) MISSION: The Wesleys were about Mission. Self-sacrificing-travelling- miles-to-explain-the-gospel-to-people-who-did-not-follow-Christ kind of mission. Nation changing mission. Local mission, national mission, international mission. Building missional communities on the back of public preaching of the gospel: sound familiar? The way some within methodism have grasped the "fresh expressions" concept recently shows a desire for mission still burns strong.

4) JUSTICE: Methodism has always had a big heart for the poor, the outcast, the oppressed. Modern day Methodism has in some ways helped lead the way on issues such as the environment, fairtrade, social justice. While newer Churches have been getting excited about lighting rigs and decibels the Methodists have been engaging with the marginalised and oppressed both in the UK and overseas. They are a provocation to the rest of the body of Christ in this area and are to be commended for it.

5) HYMNS!: Charles Wesley is the greatest hymn writer of all time. That is it really. Methodism helped give UK protestantism boldness to use contemporary (for then) music to engage the culture with robust biblical truth through worship songs. The ripples are still being felt today. More of our Church worship culture is shaped by this than almost anything else. Throw in a Charismatic renewal and here we are. If anything, I desire a return to some of the robustness of the old hymns, in terms of biblical truth and not just "Jesus is my cuddle buddy" sort of stuff.

Some of the Methodists I know say freely and openly "Methodism in the UK is dying." Denominationally speaking that may or may not be the case. It is not my place to judge. But I do see that missional, worshipful, gospel declaring, justice seeking activism are in the DNA of much of UK evangelicalism.

Because of this DNA "Methodism" will never "die" because there is a little bit of "Methodist" in all of us.

5 things I love about Anglicans...

Ready for a bold statement? I believe evangelicalism in the UK in the last century would be a pale shadow of what it is without the Anglican Church. Or rather, without the evangelical wing of the Anglican Church.

Here is why:

1) SCHOLARSHIP: Many of the heavyweights of British evangelicalism, McGrath, Stott, Wenham, Wright, and on and on and on come from and work(ed) within the Anglican communion. Remove them from the scholarly record of the last 50 years and life would be so different. Evangelicalism cannot stand firm in 21st century Britain without the scholarship of the Anglicans. Period.

2) THE ALPHA COURSE: Far and away the greatest evangelistic breakthrough in the last twenty years is the Alpha Course. Not just the Alpha Course, the resources, the training, the encouragement, the national initiatives, the local initiatives. I think HTB just earned their own post in this series!

3) NEW WINE NETWORK: Another bold claim. If revival falls upon the UK I believe the movement currently best placed to resource, administer and share it will be some of the movers and shakers within New Wine. People like Mark Bailey in Cheltenham are on the absolute cusp of something which could change a generation.

4) DETERMINATION: Evangelical Anglicans are a determined bunch. They have to be. Their willingness to not reject, but to renew, an institution like the Church of England, with all its history, merits, quirks and frustrations, is to be applauded, supported, and honoured. I actually think it is a harder calling than just starting from scratch like so many "new Churches" have.

5) ESTABLISHMENT: The continued establishment of the Church of England gives them opportunities within our nation almost unrivalled across the globe. "Hatch, Match and Dispatch" is used as a derogatory term, and yet what if by a great move of the Spirit Churches were empowered to use these connections to bring people to Christ? The constitutional postion of the Anglicans gives them opportunities we can only dream of, and challenges we can only pray we never have. We must stand with our brothers and sisters and pray God empowers them to use these opportunities for the growth of the kingdom.

Just five, I could go on. This list is personal, speculative, and may just contain enough truth to mean people think twice when being derogatory about the Anglican Church.

Distinctives

I am part of the body of Christ. That is much bigger than me, my family, my church, my town, my church family, my nation, in fact, it is bigger than my mind can comprehend as only God truly understands the magnitude, variety and importance of it.

One thing I see/hear newfrontiers being accused of is being too focussed on its "distinctives". In the wikipedia entry for newfrontiers there is a seperate section on the accusation of "exclusiveness".

I think being clear about who you are or where you are headed is certainly a strength, but not at the cost of a perceived undervaluing of our links, our connections, our unions, our heart joined, value shared "part of the body of christ"ness.

So I am going to blog about what I value about other traditions / groups / movements that I have experienced. What I love, honour and aspire to from other parts of this wonderful body we are priviledged to be part of.

My experiences are limited, my knowledge incomplete and my history sketchy in places, but here are a few thoughts for your perusal.

Mission Shrewsbury

This organisation has been commented on before here and here.

Yesterday I attended a meeting and lunch hosted by "Mission Shrewsbury"

We represented 4 Anglican Churches, 1 Baptist, 1 Newfrontiers (and apologies from others).

There were 5 Church leaders, a couple of team elders and 4 curates, and lots of Church staff.

We heard Martin Charlesworth, who leads our Church in Shrewsbury talk about building missional Churches. We had lunch together. We then shared prayer needs in our various Churches and prayed for one another.

It was a great meeting with a lovely atmosphere. Staff teams had been invited so administrators got to chat together and share ideas too.

I do believe unity is relational as much as anything else, which is why meetings like this are just so positive.