Download - Progress, Opportunities and Challenges
Progress, Opportunities and Challenges
Our context
• The gospel need in the UK is greater than it has ever been in the last 450 years
• Conservative evangelicalism is stronger than it has ever been in the last 50 years
thegospelpartnerships.org.uk
...the gracious handof our God...
Ezra 9:18
goals for the next years7 42011
To extend the Partnership– from 40+ to 60+ churches in year four
35 Partner churches30 Individual Partners55 churches represented overall
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To extend the Partnership– from 40+ to 60+ churches in year four
Who could join?1
To deepen our partnership
Warmth of Partnership Meetings Relationships/Trust Cluster Groups (geographical/common
situation) Prayer together; preaching groups Eating together; consulting one another Shared evangelism and training
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To deepen our partnership
Can we do more? In cluster groups Praying/working together Pulpits swaps Avoiding isolation Expertise sharing/mentoring/work shadowing
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To develop and extend training across the Partnership
Development of SMTC (Haywards Heath) Four Saturday Courses (various locations) 250 students
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To develop and extend training across the Partnership
Saturday CourseSept 2014 – EAST: Eastbourne
3rd year option for former studentsSept 2015 – WEST: Angmering/Chichester?Sept 2016 – CENTRAL: Lindfield/Brighton?
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To develop and extend training across the Partnership
How can we make sure people benefit? Don’t give up promoting the courses! Personal encouragement; Use former students Encourage former students to take up further
training Spread the word Use the short courses
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To multiply the number of ministry trainees
Currently 15 individuals in 14 churchesA further 14 churches have had trainees
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Workers for the harvest field
To multiply the number of ministry trainees
Recruiting trainees? Year out for God Developing student work/links Thinking outside the box
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To develop Youthwork across the partnership
Come and See Training Programme
Sorted by the seaLovewise teamNetworking paid youthworkers (Revive)
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To develop Youthwork across the partnership
Continue Come and See?Replicate Sorted by the sea?Expand the Lovewise work?Repeat Revive?What else?
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To increase cooperation in evangelism– Extend effective cooperation in Evangelism across
the Partnership building up to A Passion for Life 2014 6
To increase cooperation in evangelism
Work together more effectively? Sharing resources Working together locally Opening up events Making use of Glen and Martin
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To plant and revitalise churches– 10 churches planted or revitalised
over four years
Challenges and disappointments Perseverance being rewarded Congregations multiplying A long way to go
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To plant and revitalise churches
Openness to a variety of approaches Starting brand new churches Multiplying congregations Breathing new life into churches in decline Restoring a gospel ministry to a gospel-less church
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To plant and revitalise churches 7
Questions and comment
The next four years?
Challenges and Encouragements in the local church
Three Bridges Free ChurchCrawley
Colin Jones
Emmanuel ChurchHastings
Martin Lane
Calvary Church Brighton (1m)Phil Wells•Formerly Brighton Railway Mission – to reach
working people•Morning congregation ~ 60 including kids•Committed membership of 27+ ,12 of whom are
wage-earners•Three full-time workers•Situated at the end of a shopping street moving
from street-drinking to cocktail drinking
Biggest challenge (2m)● Is actually (for me) just to keep going in a
godly way● For the church – to raise enough money to
buy the freehold of the building● £162,500 = £40k+£40k+£80k(loan)● Via gift day #1 … = £74.2k ● Gift day #2 = £50.6k ● Leaving £37.4k to find● =challenge and encouragement
Biggest encouragements (2m)● N.B. encouragement <> progress● N.B. encouragement ~~ significance● Passion4Life / out on London Road for an hour
each morning offering Word-1-2-1 = Read John's gospel for 1 hour
● 2 friends came the previous Sunday, various readings also occurred beforehand
Biggest encouragements (2m)● Good conversations during the week
(e.g. Eddy at Kodak Shop; Ami at the “Hempworks” Shop )
● One contact and one family the next Sunday ● One request to do 1-2-1
(never yet made good)