Overall, the Church in England remains in significant decline.Īs the water table of faith dropped in the population at large, the Church of England set itself to become a missionary church once again. But, if anything, secularization was as rapid in England as in much of Northern Europe. The reasons for that are complex and will be familiar. Through most of the twentieth century, the predominant culture in England has been a secularizing culture. Please hold that story in your mind as we explore together some of the lessons derived from the experience of the Church of England. What has happened in the Church of England? “…they associated with the Church and taught a great many people and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians”” (Acts 11.19-29). A new church has been created by the Word and by the Spirit and has been discerned, recognized and connected to the rest of the Body of Christ. “…with the Church” – ecclesia with the definite article. So it was that for an entire year they associated with….” With what? What do you think is the next word in the text? “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus and looked for Saul and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. Luke singles Barnabas out as exceptional even among the apostles. These are rare qualities among those called to senior church leadership (according to Acts). Goodness, the Holy Spirit and faith are needed. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”īarnabas is here exercising discernment – seeing that what is happening is of God. They ask the question: “Whom shall we send to explore what is happening?” They looked round the room and, in a moment of inspiration, they chose to send Barnabas, the son of encouragement. “News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem….” I wonder if you can imagine yourself present at that meeting as the apostles debate this development. We are reading here of a spontaneous movement of mission, inspired by the Spirit. ![]() The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord.” But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution….travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch and they spoke the word to no-one except Jews. It occurs in Acts 11 and arises from a time of great difficulty, a period of persecution which followed the martyrdom of Stephen. There is a key moment in the Acts of the Apostles I would like to share with you. ![]() I pray that all of us may gain a wiser heart in every way as a result of this conference. It is good to be with you both to teach and to learn today. ![]() It is an honour to take part in the Kirchentag and thank you for your welcome. There is a growing interest in the German Church in new forms of church for a changing culture and many in Germany are keen to learn lessons from the experience of the Church of England. The address was part of a workshop stream exploring Fresh Expressions of Church. In early June, 2015 I was invited to give an address to the Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag in Stuttgart.
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