Cymru focus on mission

Nearly 400 church leaders and teams from across the denominations and networks in Wales recently gathered at Venue2 Swansea for the annual New Wine Cymru leaders conference.

In the light of the statistical and empirical evidence pointing to a significant spiritual openness in Wales and the UK, the conference theme was creating a Culture of Mission in the Local Church. Conference guest speakers were Paul Williams who is the Bible Societies CEO and research Professor of Marketplace Theology at Regents university Vancouver.

A church with a culture of mission could be described as one where its leaders and congregation have mission and the making of new disciples as a priority, whilst not neglecting the pastoring and teaching of established Christians. This would contrast with a Church model that in practice prioritises the pastoring and teaching of established Christians first, then engaging in mission occasionally resulting in discipling new Christians.

Various ‘Ephesians 4’ ministries including the Pastor, Teacher and Evangelist spoke from their own ministry perspective on the church with a culture of mission, helping those in attendance to gain a holistic and Biblically integrated understanding of Christ’s Mission and the Church.

The predominant conviction of the Conference was, to quote missiologist and theologian Christopher J. H. Wright: ‘It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission - God’s mission.’