‘The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning’.
We are all privileged to play our part in the mission of God, wherever God has placed us, so join in. To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God’s love toward people, since God is a fountain of sending love.
‘As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you’ is the mandate Jesus has given us. If we are followers of Jesus, we shall by definition be those who are sent by him. We strongly advocate everyone being a committed contributor to the life of a local church, yet we recognise some churches provide a greater encouragement for individuals to be all Jesus Christ calls them to be in their own context and circumstances, than others. Seventy-two exists to be a network and a catalyst for us all to be those missional disciples we are called to be.
Igniting Mission Articles and Resources
Marks of a Growing Church: Preaching
Part 2 in our series from Alex Harris in which he helps us to explore the seven marks common to churches experiencing growth. Preaching Missed the first one? Catch up here.
Marks of a Growing Church: Prayer
We are delighted that from now onwards, we'll be sharing a monthly series of seven video blogs from Alex Harris, in which he shares with us seven marks of growing baptist churches. Here is a short introduction: ...and here is the first in the series Prayer
Marks of a Growing Church: Introduction
We are delighted that from April onwards, we'll be sharing a series of seven video blogs from Alex Harris, in which he shares with us seven marks of growing baptist churches. Here is a short introduction:
Seeds Of Hope: Adventures In Abbotswood
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11. This was the verse which was sent to me from a trusted Christian friend just before I made the bold decision to step...
Not A Target
Do you ever feel like a failure when it comes to sharing your faith? That you really ‘should’ mention Jesus or prayer to every stranger you meet? And if you don’t, you have kind of… failed? That you ‘ought to’ mention Jesus more to your family members who don’t follow...
A Journey in Missional Leadership: Herding Cats
I love that saying, “It’s like herding cats!” It makes me smile and it reminds me of when I was a child going on church walks known as ‘rambles’. I think they must have been called ‘rambles’ because the title described the nature of the walk, i.e. you rambled (to walk...
What about the one?
I wonder how you measure a successful event. For many it's when 'lots of people attended', but how many did you get to know, really get to know, sit, listen, really spend time together, and connect with? There are a number of stories in the gospels where Jesus spends...
Mission: Only by Prayer
Intercessory prayer sometimes gets a bad press. People say things like, ‘It’s telling God what he already knows’ or ‘There’s no point if God is in control.’ But we are in a spiritual battle as we engage in God’s mission to a hurting and sometimes hostile world. We can...
Learning in the Mission of God
I was part of a conversation recently when someone said that a church had baptised five people soon after they’d worked through the Re:Imagine process. This clearly heightened the interest of everyone else in the room! Unfortunately, I felt as if I was the person with...
Stepping out into the Fog
‘Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 Life has thrown me a few curve balls and sometimes it’s hard to know what the next steps in God's mission should be. I get confused! Sometimes, I confess, it’s hard...