The first week of November saw over 460 delegates meeting on the Norfolk coast for what is fast-becoming a key gathering for gospel-focused leaders in the free churches. It was this year’s FIEC Leaders’ Conference. Julian Hardyman (Eden Baptist, Cambridge) described it as ‘unmissable’ and ‘one of the highlights of my year’!
By any standards it was an outstanding time with spiritually nourishing, expository preaching, excellent seminars, encouraging reports of developments within the FIEC family of churches, well-led corporate worship and many informal opportunities to encourage one another in ministry. In the final session, John Stevens (FIEC national director) said simply: ‘I think we met the Lord Jesus together’. It would be hard to find a better or truer description of the week.
‘In_dependence’
The theme was ‘In Dependence’ – a deliberate echo of the FIEC’s commitment to be a Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. The programme included a stimulating overview of the theology and history of Independency, from Robert Strivens (London Theological Seminary), who argued that Scripture uses the word ‘church’ only to describe ‘the church universal in every age’ and the ‘individual local congregation’. Nonetheless, he emphasised that independent churches should cultivate healthy, appropriate relationships with the state, other churches and their local community.
