The suggestion that there might be a Gospel Coalition UK (see article here) – just as there is in the US and elsewhere – is worth serious consideration.
It is particularly impressive to hear the words of Graham Nicholls, director of Affinity (from which this idea originates), that Affinity might even be prepared, possibly, to subsume itself into such a new grouping. This is bold, humble and Godly it seems to us.
Many en readers will be greatly blessed by the US Gospel Coalition website, which contains an enormously helpful range of resources, including by some UK contributors.
That said, the US is – as we are all well aware – very different from the UK. Affinity, of course, arose out of the old British Evangelical Council, which was founded in 1953. It foundered somewhat after the death of Martyn Lloyd-Jones but has been fruitfully revived in more recent years and does much excellent work.
At the same time, the Evangelical Alliance, under the dynamic leadership of Gavin Calver, has recently seen its membership grow substantially. And the UK already has numerous conferences – the EMA, Ligonier, Banner of Truth, Keswick, Word Alive, Bible By The Beach, ReNew etc – plus well-established local Gospel Partnerships and other groupings such as the Evangelical Movement of Wales.
en is a reformed, conservative, complementarian publication. We welcome the possibility of a TGC UK. But there are questions: How would it complement – rather than duplicate – all that is already happening? And could it – while being distinctive from the EA – have a useful partnership with it? What might a fruitful conversation between potential TGC UK leaders and EA leaders – even at this exploratory stage – look like? We watch with interest.
