Around 45 people (including 35 church leaders) gathered together at Jubilee Central church in Hull on 9 October for the launch of Hull 2030.
Hull 2030 is a new movement to pray for, facilitate and encourage the planting of 20 new gospel-centred churches in Hull by the year 2030. It came about through a partnership between the Anglican ReNew and New Frontiers churches of Hull because of the massive need for new gospel-centred churches to reach those currently unreached, and therefore the need to work together wherever possible.
Compassion of the Lord Jesus
Steve Wilcox, vicar of the Anlaby Churches, used Matthew 9.35-38 to encourage all to have the compassion of the Lord Jesus as the hundreds of thousands of harassed and helpless sheep without a shepherd are all around.
He showed the extent of the need: in 13 of the Anglican parishes within Hull, church attendance is between one and eight people for every 1,000 head of population. Positively, the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the harvest. There’s a need to pray for workers; and then following the example of the apostles (Matthew 10.1-4) there is a need to be willing to be sent/to send others; and to work together.
To give an indication of the size of the task, Steve pointed out that for 10% of the population of Hull to be in a gospel-centred church, there would need to be 128 churches of 200 people or 256 churches of 100 people. Including the areas surrounding the city boundary, the figures are increased significantly.
Steve Whittington of Jubilee Central, New Frontiers–Regions Beyond then spoke about the importance of church planting in the mission of God, before introducing John Walley, pastor of Christ Church Longbridge in Birmingham.
Towards a common vision
John spoke powerfully about the impact of 2020 Birmingham on the city, and on his own church and ministry. He explained that 2020, pioneered by FIEC and New Frontiers pastors nearly ten years ago, has enabled different gospel-centred churches to work towards a common vision. There is an awareness that, in a city of millions, there is plenty of room for lots of different gospel-centred churches. 2020 has helped to facilitate the planting of 16 churches, and is well on target for 20 to be planted by 2020. He explained that 2020 has worked in Birmingham for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it has operated as a banner. If it hadn’t been for the 2020 banner, trained gospel workers might have left the city and not returned; 2020 has brought them back.
Secondly, it has helped to create a culture that planting is normal. Churches have said: ‘We thought we couldn’t afford to plant, but we’ve discovered that we can.’ They’ve found that God has provided. He also explained that the vision of 2020 wasn’t just that 20 churches would be planted, but that 20 churches with planting in their DNA would be planted, so that they themselves will go on to plant other churches.
Thirdly, leaders of gospel-centred churches have been willing to work together and to put the advance of the kingdom and the salvation of souls before everything else.
Finally, it has enabled a co-ordinated approach to planting, so that church leaders talk together about which areas most need new churches, and which are relatively ‘over-churched’ already.
Daunting and exciting
The prospect of 20 gospel-centred churches being planted in Hull in the next 11 years is both daunting and exciting. Please pray for co-operation among gospel-centred churches; for workers to be raised up; for churches to be planted and ultimately for people to be saved.
