Reaching the UnreachedAn annual conference for churches trying to reach out in the hard places of our land

So here’s where I’m coming from. At New Inn Church (www.newinnchapel.co.uk) we’d been running a youth group for a couple of years, with secondary-school-aged kids coming, mainly from nearby council houses, and almost entirely not Christians.

We’d started with simple talks based on their hardest questions (‘Why does God take good people and leave bad people?’ ‘Did God make dinosaurs?’ and ‘When Jesus comes back, will he be wearing old clothes, modern clothes, or will he be… naked?’ – ok, we didn’t do a whole week on the last question!). Then we began doing some narrative sections in the gospels, but still without directly engaging with the Bible text. Then this last year, we began by looking at the promises made to Adam, Noah and Abraham, all pointing forward to Jesus, and we used the Bible passages for that.

By this point, we had a consistent group of about ten teens, and were gradually piecing together the gospel with them. Ok, so most weeks we still had to send home a couple for bad behaviour, but the routine had been set – half an hour of Bible study, followed by half an hour of dodgeball (always, every week, without fail – their request! My knees have never been the same since…)

So I felt they were about ready for something like the Soul DVD – a nicely repackaged form of the youth Christianity Explored course (buy it from the Good Book Company here). How did it go down? (continue reading…)

Watch the third of the sessions from this year’s conference, by Duncan Forbes.

To watch the rest of the videos from the weekend, go to the 2011 conference page.

Watch the second of the sessions from this year’s conference, by Tim Chester.

To watch the rest of the videos from the weekend, go to the 2011 conference page.

Watch the first of the sessions from this year’s conference, by Andy Mason.

To watch the rest of the videos from the weekend, go to the 2011 conference page.

“People used to think of me as Jim the Marine – it gave me that sense of recognition. And yet… there was something still missing.”

James Richards talks with me about his experience serving with the Royal Marines, and his search for belonging in the battle of life.

Please share this video with those you know (the link is youtube.com/watch?v=kEjkTMVRRO8), and use it in your churches or ministry work.

Video and soundtrack produced by 2Vdesign

Guest post by Neil Robbie

In a setting where reading and study are not the norm, how do we encourage young Christians or unbelievers to engage with God’s Word? Neil Robbie (blogging at transforminggrace.wordpress.com) shares his experience of something called the Swedish Bible Study Method…

We’re launching a network of small groups at Holy Trinity West Bromwich with God’s word at the centre in a way which suits the learning and devotional style of our people. We’ve chosen the Swedish Bible Study Method which appeared in this article in The Briefing a few years ago.

What is this Swedish thing?

The Swedish Bible Study Method, in a nutshell, is self-directed study of a passage with four simple questions:

• Light. What light does this passage shine on God, the world, the church, or me?
• Questions. What questions do I have?
• Change. What should I do or change as a result of reading this passage?
• Speech Bubble. What could I say to someone from this passage? Who will I say it to?

There are several advantages to this method of Bible study. (continue reading…)

In September, along with another couple, my wife Sophie and I are hoping, by God’s grace, to plant a church on an unreached estate nearby to where we’re living (more info at http://www.hillcitychurch.org/garn). So I was pretty keen to read Graham Beynon’s new book, ‘Planting for the Gospel: A Hands-on Guide to Church Planting’.

I’ve got admit, as I read the introduction, my heart sank. Graham describes the first Sunday service of a church plant he was involved in: “About fifty adults and twenty children from a nearby church were meeting together” (p9). And my first thought was, “That’s more people than at my current church! I thought this was a book about church planting, not church transplanting!”

But pretty soon, as he examines some Bible basics concerning church planting, it becomes clear that he’s not putting forward a ‘bigger is better’ approach. In fact the book as a whole is very broad, with a good focus on the necessity to plant where there is need, rather than just ease. Like a good game of football, it’s split into two halves of more-or-less equal length – the first outlining church planting principles, and the second providing case studies from a wide variety of church plants (including contributions from RTU bloggers Andy Mason, Dai Hankey, Steve Casey and Tim Chester!)

(continue reading…)

Gospel discipleship over the long haul

Council estates, urban priority areas, low income households: the gospel is powerful to save anyone, from anywhere, but what does making disciples look like in the ‘hard places’ of our country, where progress can seem heartbreakingly slow?

For more details and to book click here, or watch the conference trailer below.