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Waves of Influence
Photo credits: Waves Crashing On Lumaha'i Beach By The Shifted Librarian
The most effective moves of God never end after a single generation. The Wesleyan Revival in eighteenth century Britain is a great example of this: John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield and others dug the foundations and formed the identity of the movement, but it was the generation that came after them that saw exponential growth in people finding faith. The third generation – including the likes of Lord Shaftesbury and William Wilberforce – then worked to bring about lasting change through social and political action.
Like waves on a beach, these generations overlap and intermingle, the one taking its place while the other is still in evidence. Newfrontiers is currently in a similar context. The first wave is on the shore and the second is rising up behind it. The first generation laid firm foundations and gathered over 230 churches. In the second, we are already beginning to see significant numerical growth, with five churches now seeing around 1000 attendees each Sunday, and other churches holding multiple services, often on different sites, as numbers grow.
On top of this, many people are seeking to contribute to overcoming issues of poverty, family breakdown and social justice. As a team of apostles, we are also moving into the second generation, with each of us bringing our own passions and gifts, but committed to working together to serve and support the churches and individuals in our movement. As we have talked and prayed together at various times over the last year, we have found that our passions align more closely than we had imagined, and five important themes have emerged.
First, we are committed to a broad understanding of the mission of God. The story of the Bible, when read from start to finish, is that God intends to renew all of creation, and He invites us to be partners in His great plan. This means that our mission is not simply to help people find faith, but also to live fully alive in every area of life in which God has placed us – our homes, our workplaces, our leisure activities and our communities.
Second, we want to build churches that are shaped by their desire to express this whole mission of God to the community they are part of. This mission should shape every part of church life. Amongst other things, this will involve thinking carefully about our language so that we speak in a way that is understandable and compelling to those outside the church, while not compromising the orthodoxy of our message.
Third, we want our churches to be places which are equally affirming for both genders. We believe that men and women are equal but different, and we want to ensure that we put as much emphasis on the former as we do the latter.
Fourth, we want to play our role as mainstream evangelicals. We honour the whole body of Christ, not just our own part of it. This does not mean that we get involved with every project that is proposed (though on occasion we may choose to engage simply for the relational benefit it provides), but it does mean that we continue to honour and pray for God’s blessing on others who follow Him.
Finally, we are committed to building churches which move in the power of the Spirit, but do so in a way that is very natural and accessible. With these five core principles in place, we will honour the generation which has gone before us, and build on the foundations they laid, as we continue to serve our nation for Christ’s sake. Over the next few weeks we will be featuring articles across this site from each of the apostolic leaders in the UK and the different ministry areas we are working in. These articles first appeared in the Newfrontiers Connect magazine in Spring 2012. As you read them, you will see how God has drawn together different individuals with complementary passions and gifts who can, I believe, lead many to make a great impact in this nation and around the world.
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Reproduced from Connect Magazine, Spring 2012.
About the author
David leads ChristChurch London & the work of Newfrontiers in the UK. He is passionate about building churches that engage effectively with the surrounding culture and equipping Christians to have a positive influence in shaping society. He is the author of Planting Churches, Changing Communities.
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