Is Britain Finished?

A praying friend sent me an article that asked the question, ‘Is Britain Finished?’ The author certainly has a point in that the Church continues to decline and its message is muddied by many in what is called ‘the Church’.

It is true that Islam has been targeting the United Kingdom for a long time. The population of Islamic people here has been steadily growing for the last 30 years. The Church, on the other hand, has been dying for 50 years. The article is right.

In the midst of this decline, though, comes a reawakening of new parts of the Church. While the dross of the dead institution is washed away more and more, the evangelical living church is getting stronger. Many small house churches have begun and some of them have grown to be leaders in the Christian community. There are strong brothers and sisters here having gone through the pain of loss. Perhaps we have something to share with our brothers and sisters in the United States.

Years ago as the British Empire expanded across the world the gospel went with it. The great missionary force brought the church to India, China, Africa, Australia and many corners of the world. While it makes sad reading that the empire crumbled and the powerful British force of missions also crumbled it left its mark all around the world.

Now the world comes to the United Kingdom. We here in Birmingham are in the most ethnically diverse city in the country. The challenge is to bring the gospel to the world at our door. Now that we have transitioned out of the leadership of our first church plant and our team-mates have established a second the other side of town we are looking to see what the Lord has for us next.

The question we should be asking is, how do we reach the many people groups that need the gospel right here on our door step? The Lord loves those who we see as a threat to our culture and society. How can we reach the world starting here at home in the United Kingdom?

As Beckie and I have been stepping back from the leadership of Grace Church in Shirley we have been asking the Lord to show us our next steps. (We will continue to be a part of this wonderful church, and we want to see it flourish reaching the world around it.)

Here is what we see on the horizon. We have been reaching out for the last 20 years through a group of Speakers Clubs. I was a member at one then started another. It is still a great outreach point for Malcolm and me. This past experience has prepared me to take the next step. We really want to share the gospel widely and see what the Lord does in establishing new points of light (infant churches). Our question has been, how can we meet the most people in a natural way in order to share the gospel in a meaningful way?

We are making plans to start English as a second language clubs. I will be taking a course in teaching English as a second language when I get back from ‘home ministries’. The teachers of this course and wider in the language school, ‘The Brass House’, can put us in contact with many in our city who wish to work on their English. We already have plans to start a club with some Iranian friends. Many have basic vocabulary and are able to get what the want, but struggle with fluency. We would take up where the introductory courses leave off. We would love to see many such groups started in the Birmingham area. We would hope to use Church buildings in which to meet and involve some of the church people in reaching out with the gospel with us. We have learned that it takes relationship building to bring opportunities to share the gospel in a meaningful way.

Britian is not finished. While there is still a lot of bad news coming from this place, the Lord has not quit! With your help, together will share the gospel to the world come to us in Birmingham.

The Christian Institute: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/

Latest UK Church Survey: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/03_04_07_tearfundchurch.pdf

Who are Birmingham’s contemporary refugees?

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=13345&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=5359