From bird migration to Biblical mission

March is the month when flocks of overwintering birds begin to leave the UK. Bird migration is an incredible natural phenomenon that occurs around us, yet many of us do not notice it.

But each year, as many birds leave our relatively mild winters behind to breed further north, birders and conservationists wonder how many will return. Those who dedicate their lives to this work are acutely aware that all is not well. The decline in numbers of once-common garden birds, such as sparrows and starlings, is drastic. It is easy to miss until someone tells you: “House sparrow populations in the UK have declined by approximately 60 –70% since the 1970s, with nearly 30 million vanishing from the countryside and cities.” The biggest problems most declining species face are habitat destruction, food availability, and disease.

When we have a busy church life with some growth, it is easy to miss the bigger picture. It is really comforting to hear about a “quiet revival” and a joy to hear of church plants springing up. We imagine that all is well and fail to notice the decline around us. Why do I talk about decline at a time when many are excitedly witnessing people coming to faith, particularly among the younger generation? Am I just a glass half empty person? Where is the decline? Surely things are getting better? The answer is possibly, but we need to take care of our habitats, food availability, and prevent disease.

There are large swathes of the UK where there is no evangelical church. In some of those places there are a few faithful believers seeking to serve, but feeling very alone. They would love a church planter to come and help them. There are churches which are looking for a pastor and receive no applicants. There are churches advertising for assistants, women workers, children’s workers and youth leaders, and no one applies. There are churches that are struggling along without a full-time gospel worker or any expectation of getting one. Will this mean we lose “habitats” that were once places where the gospel flourished? Is this a sign of decline?

Back in the 1990s, I was part of a church in London where I was taught and nourished in the gospel. The expectation was that most of us wouldn’t stay at that church but would migrate to other places to serve the Lord. I remember in particular one event in which we had an evening to think about the gospel call on our lives: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph.4v1). The challenge was straightforward; we were all called to live for Christ. We were encouraged to consider what that meant for us and to wisely think through the good works the Lord wanted us to do, depending on our gifts. As I try to remember who was in that room, I know that most went on to serve wholeheartedly. A few stayed and supported the ministry in that church, continuing to work in their secular jobs. Others used their jobs to become significant funders of gospel work both in the UK and globally. Others moved out of London and supported smaller churches in various roles, from Sunday School teaching to serving on PCCs and in eldership. Many, many others went into full-time Christian work. From the group that evening came pastors, vicars, women’s workers, children’s workers, student workers, missionaries, one director of training, and a theological principal.

This March, many of us are joining the nationwide mission Passion for Life. We need to proclaim the gospel to our nation. But Jesus called us to make disciples. It will not be enough if new believers are not nourished and taught. We pray that new believers will grow and be protected from the destructive disease of false teaching, which is ever-present.

In the face of declining bird populations, I heard a Scottish volunteer say: “There is not a great deal that we can do”. He had, however, been involved in helping make the Slamannan Plateau a Special Protection Area (SPA), and every year a rare flock of Taiga Bean Geese have a home to come back to. We can feel overwhelmed by the task before us, yet the Lord has told us what to do: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matt.9v37-38). We have much greater hope than the RSPB conservationists, who face an uphill battle. We have something we can do – commit ourselves to pray. Never underestimate the importance of prayer. The Lord is the lord of the harvest.