All articles in category General

By ASR Lee McDade

November 2016

News > General

Thoughts on Remembrance

As far back as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the military, and especially the army. Both my grandfathers fought in the Second World War (WW2). My nan watched the Battle of Britain from Wimbledon, and my father served in the Parachute Regiment. I was always fascinated by their stories and, even from a young age, knew the importance of remembrance for all those remotely connected with the military. I enlisted into the army in 1991, not just because I needed a job, but because it’s all I had ever wanted to do — to serve Queen and country and be part of an organisation I had always admired. For me, joining the army was like putting cream with strawberries — the perfect match — and I was...

By Kevin Bidwell

April 2013

General

Missionalism

Have you noticed that the word ‘missional’ has recently entered the evangelical world? But what exactly does it mean? Put simply, ‘missionalism’ means adopting missionary thinking and practices, in order to bring the gospel to contemporary society. It especially requires new ways of ‘doing church’ to facilitate this outreach.

Contextualisation

By Don Haddleton

September 2011

General

Contextualisation

Contextualisation What exactly is contextualisation? This article seeks to explain, in simple terms, to non-missionary readers what contextualisation involves and the aims of those missionaries who recommend contextualisation methods. As we do so, we will begin to understand why there is such acrimonious debate for and against contextualisation. Although this article relates to mission to Muslims, the principles and conclusions involved are applicable for any use of contextualisation in a cross-cultural environment. We shall also seek to evaluate what is called the ‘C1–C6 contextualisation spectrum’. John Travis writes: ‘The purpose of [this] spectrum is to assist church planters and Muslim-background believers in ascertaining...

The global slave trade today

By Doug Nichols

August 2011

General

The global slave trade today

The global slave trade today 1. Slavery today is defined as forced labour without pay under threat of violence. 2. 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked internationally every year; about 80 per cent are women and children. 3. Slavery was officially abolished worldwide at the 1972 Slavery Convention, yet it continues to thrive because of the complicity of some governments and ignorance of much of the world. 4. In the 2000 Refugee Report, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright calls human trafficking ‘the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world’. 5. Slavery is an extremely profitable, international industry. Experts estimate trafficking in the US yields $9 billion...

Grace Baptist Mission – 150 years of God’s faithfulness

By John McDonald

July 2011

General

Grace Baptist Mission – 150 years of God’s faithfulness

Grace Baptist Mission — 150 years of God’s faithfulness In the Sunday school room of the church then meeting in Keppel Street, London, the Strict Baptist Mission (SBM) began its life! It arose out of a young men’s auxiliary of the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) that became dissatisfied with the doctrine and practical organisation of the BMS. Few involved then could have expected the SBM would still be in existence 150 years later! For the first 34 years, it was a mission without missionaries, but the number of churches supporting it grew yearly! In that period, it supported people already serving God in...

World Mission – In Russia too, you are what you read

By Slava Viazovski

January 2011

General

World Mission – In Russia too, you are what you read

In Russia too, you are what you read Books are nearly as important for the spiritual development of a believer as listening to preaching. Being raised in an atheistic home, I was converted to the Christian faith in 1992 in a Baptist church in Minsk, Belarus. In the first year of my Christian life I was influenced exclusively by what I heard in church from the pulpit, and also in less formal church settings. The existence of God, the truthfulness of Scripture, free will, repentance, forgiveness in Christ and the centrality of prayer were matters deeply impressed on my mind. Later, in...

Utah outreach

By Bobby Gilpin

November 2010

General

Utah outreach

Utah outreach I’m sure many of us think much the same when we hear the phrase ‘mission trip’. Understandably, we think of many places in this world where the poorest and most needy, both spiritually and materially, live. In my case, about ten years ago at a Bible conference, God directed me to go to Utah. I knew this was a different call to that which many receive. My name is Bobby. I am 27, live in Middlesbrough and am an area director for the Reachout Trust – a UK ministry that equips Christians to reach out to members of cults and those...

World Mission – Reaching street children

By Doug Nichols

October 2010

General

World Mission – Reaching street children

Reaching street children ACTION is making a special effort in its ministry of the gospel and of compassionate care, during 2010 and 2011, to street children. The following are seven points of emphasis for its ministry: 1. Make direct contacts with street children, using teams of three or more street missionaries (never working alone). Men are to work with street boys; women with street girls. Counselling is always to be done in twos; and teams on the street to work in teams of at least three. 2. Work with and train churches to put teams reaching street children on the street, and...

World Mission – ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them’ (Mark 10:14)

By Doug Nichols

October 2010

General

World Mission – ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them’ (Mark 10:14)

‘Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them’ (Mark 10:14) Doug Nichols, founder and director emeritus of compassionate ministry Action International Ministries (ACTION), recently wrote: Today is my 68th birthday. What better way to celebrate than to send out a special plea for the gospel and compassionate care to be brought to the needy children of the world. There are some 160 million street children throughout the world, including 1.5 million children on the streets in the Philippines, up to 40 million in Latin America, and 18 million in India alone. There are also an estimated 145...

World Mission – We cannot stay out of prison!

By Gerard Chrispin

August 2010

General

World Mission – We cannot stay out of prison!

We cannot stay out of prison! ‘Hi Tim. What on earth are you doing in here again?’ ‘Breach of licence. This geezer said I had threatened him, and I’m back inside. You know me, Gerard. He was lying’. Tim smiled wryly and looked knowingly at me. At previous prisons he was known as the gentlest prisoner on the block. Some chaplains wondered if his proneness to suggestibility produced a wrong conviction for his original crime. His unusually long recorded police interview is to interviews what Wimbledon’s recent marathon first round match between Isner and Mahut is to tennis. After it, he confessed...

Pastor Training International

By Paul Brunning

August 2010

General

Pastor Training International

Pastor Training International Churches across the world, especially in developing countries, need godly, well-taught pastors, who preach clear, biblical, Spirit-empowered sermons. Pastor Training International (PTI) assists pastors and preachers in some of the poorest areas of the world by providing training conferences, reformed books and correspondence mentoring. PTI conferences have grown from four across Zambia and Malawi in 2005, to 16 across Africa, Asia and Europe this year. In January, Ken Brownell returned to Yangon in Myanmar (Burma), where he led a conference on expository preaching for 60 pastors. Ken also visited Thailand and met with Christians training and church planting in the...

Worship and the Great Commission (2)

By Edgar Andrews

August 2010

General

Worship and the Great Commission (2)

Worship and the Great Commission (2) Edgar Andrews Worship and evangelism are more closely linked than is often appreciated, as we saw last month in considering Joshua’s encounter with the Commander of the army of the Lord (Joshua 5:13 – 6:5). What is the link? It is that only those who are members of a worshipping community are properly equipped (both personally and corporately) to fulfil the Great Commission. The present article is intended to draw out more fully the lessons implicit in this passage in Joshua and apply them to ourselves. 1. God retains control Although Joshua was the...