Linda Allcock on the mixed emotions experienced in a mobile congregation
‘People come. People go.’ That was the phrase repeated in The Globe Church original promotional video at our launch in 2015.
We knew from the outset that planting a church in Central London would mean that the congregation would be fairly transient. By God’s grace we are seeking to turn this ‘problem’ into an opportunity for the spread of the gospel, through our core values: relational; missional; discipling and generous.
The photograph shown here is an illustration of what this looks like in practice. This is The Globe Church staff team, Summer 2018. Within the next two years it will be very different.
Church plant
We are saying goodbye to Sam (far left) and his wife Charlie, as they leave to head up Hope Church Vauxhall (www.hopevaux-hall.co.uk), a church plant building on work already started in the community there.
Our desire is to be a generous church, so we are sad to see them go, yet thrilled to be sending a team with them to reach out into Vauxhall in partnership with London City Mission.
First trainee
Alice (second from left) was our first Ministry Trainee – and what a blessing she has been. Her appointment greatly increased our capacity to disciple people one-to-one. As one of our core values, we are encouraged that discipling opportunities will grow as we welcome into the team two new Ministry Trainees in the year ahead.
South East Asia
We are excited to be supporting Phil and Vicki (second and third from right) as they explore moving to South East Asia to take the gospel there, but at the moment we can’t bear to think of being without them! We appointed them deliberately, knowing this was on their hearts, in order to further our aim of being a missional church.
James (far right) has joined us this year as our Digital Ministry Developer and has greatly improved our website and communications. A speculative estimate suggests that one third of the 80 who came in the last year and asked to join our mailing list, found us on the Internet.
James has also made a huge difference to our sermon engagement through the development of the One21 app (www.globe. church/one21). Through the app, users can access the sermon, Bible passage and application questions and are encouraged to do this over one meal per week with another person. We are excited to see gospel-driven deep relationships growing as a result of this within the church.
Losing people this summer
This movement within the team is a visual aid of the movement within the whole church. At the last count we will lose over 30 people this summer as they move on – some to new church plants, others to existing churches and some overseas. Some have got married, others changed jobs, and a number are moving due to finishing or transitioning in their studies.
Opera singer & the psychologist
One21 will facilitate us supporting those going out from us into difficult contexts. A couple of real-life examples illustrate the power of this tool: an opera singer moving from country to country with her work can continue to engage with the sermon in relationship through the app. A psychologist, going to Democratic Republic of the Congo to work with former child soldiers, will be able to continue to listen to God’s Word preached and be accountable to friends, even though she is not sure that there will be a gospel church where she is located.
Hurting and rejoicing
While it hurts to look at this photo, seeing people come and people go, we rejoice that in this we are fulfilling our core values to be relational, discipling, missional and generous, so that the problem of transience would be an opportunity for the spread of the gospel.
