Ever since I started this journey towards sharing the
Gospel with young people in the UK (and even before that), I've noticed
something interesting about mission work in Europe: mainly that it is almost
non-existent. Perhaps non-existent is
too strong a term, but in comparison to the vast numbers of missionaries and
resources being expended to win people to Christ in places like Africa, India,
and Central America, non-existent seems an appropriate word (I do know of a handful of people and Churches from the States working in the UK and Europe). I believe there is a general
assumption
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| St. Woolos Cathedral in Newport, Wales |
Unfortunately, the sponsorship certificate has not yet
been approved for the Newport Church of Christ.
I heard recently from them that they continue to go back and forth with
the immigration folks, particularly in the areas of hierarchy (which Churches
of Christ are suspiciously lacking in the eyes of the UK government) and
accounts. Please continue to pray for me
and for the Church in Newport as they try to sort things out and as they
struggle with the financial burden of this process.
One of the things recently which inspired me to share
these five reasons was a reflective piece in the Christian Chronicle newspaper
entitled “The Faith I Have Found in ‘Post-Christian’ Europe” by Erik Tryggestad
(check it out by clicking on the article title). He speaks about a recent trip he made to
1. Christianity is not dead, yet. I am reminded of a quote from the very silly
Monty Python’s “The Holy Grail” in which a character yells: “I’m not dead, yet!” This is also true of Christianity in the
UK. It’s true that the Church has fallen
on hard times here, but it’s not done-for yet.
I have been amazed by the resiliency of Churches in the UK and the way
that they “soldier on” despite great adversity.
2. There is
enormous potential for rebirth. I
believe that the Church in the UK shares a good deal of the blame for where it
finds itself now. Too many times
throughout history the Church (I speak generally of the Christian Church) has
chosen power over love, money over service, and cultural conformity over
counter-cultural living. Perhaps it is
good that the Church here has been so humbled, because now it has the opportunity to become again what it is supposed to be.
God, I believe, wants to renew the Church in the UK if we will let
Him. It is from this place of deep humility that God will lift us up (the American Church has yet to learn this).
3. The world is
coming here. If you want to reach those from the Middle East with the Gospel, come to the UK.
If you want to reach those from South and Central Asia, come to the UK. If you want to reach those from Africa, come to the UK. This may seem counter-intuitive, but so many
immigrants are coming to the UK every day from these regions that the UK is becoming a great place to reach them. Not only is the UK closer and safer than many
of these countries, but you have the opportunity to share the Gospel openly
with them instead of in secret (as you would have to in many countries). And not
only is this true in London, but more and more cities like Cardiff and Newport
are receiving large numbers of immigrants.
The world is coming to the UK.
4. If we give up on the UK, we give up on the next
generation in the US. It is
true that Europe and the US are two very different places and the US will
probably not exactly follow the path that Europe has taken. However, there are just too many
similarities between the way teens and young adults in America are thinking and
the general thought processes that dominate Europe to ignore. The Church in the US needs to engage the very
significant conversations going on in the UK right now (like “what is true?”, “who is God and what really matters to Him?”, “what does my faith have to do with my
everyday life?”, and "why does the Church matter?" for example) so that it has something to say to teens and
twenty-somethings in the States. The
Church can’t ignore this group forever and the UK has plenty to teach us about
how to engage with our ever more post-modern culture.
5. God has not
given up on the UK. If ever there was a nation God
should have given up on it was Israel.
Yet we find these words of God spoken through Hosea to God’s people: “How
can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I
hand you over, Israel?... My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is
aroused. I will not carry out my fierce
anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you” (Hosea 11:8a, 8c-9). God's heart is turned to compassion when He sees the brokenness of the people He loves (that is not to say that God's love excludes His judgment at times). And God sees things that we don't see. Again and
again throughout history He turns evil into good, and the impossible into
possible for the glory of His name. I
believe that God wants to do this in the UK, and His Spirit is at work if we will trust Him and seek Him.
Hope these five reasons encourage you not to give up on the UK either. I don’t know what will ultimately come of my pursuit of doing youth ministry in the UK, but I am hopeful
that God is at work there. Next time I
blog I hope to offer a few practical ways you can help the Church grow and
thrive in the UK and Europe. Until then…
Sincerely in Christ,
Chris
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