After 30 years of working in mission both in the UK and across the globe, Mark Ellis became Ministry Director for Keswick Ministries in September 2023.
Six months into the role, he talks to en about how things are going, what’s new at the convention this year, and the future of Keswick Ministries.
en: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Ministry Director is a relatively new role for you – how have you been finding it?
Mark: I’ve absolutely loved it. I love the compelling vision Keswick has to unite believers across the evangelical spectrum around the gospel of Jesus – to see us becoming like Jesus, but also to see us sent out into the rest of the world.
en: Is there anything new happening at Keswick in 2024?
Mark: We’ve recently completed a £10 million project to buy the local pencil factory to establish a whole campus of buildings and land. We’re still trying to bed in what that feels and looks like. But what it’s meant is that we can have everything on one site – it’s been a massive blessing.
We’ve also seen the demographic of the convention change over the years. It’s become younger, with a great growth in the number of parents and children coming – there are now 2,500 children and youth coming across the weeks. This is something we want to continue to expand and develop. We are looking at how we can increase the size of the marquee and capacity of how many can come, and are seeking more volunteers to help with the work.
We’re thinking about how we can invest in the next generation and, crucially, how we can support families. I think they’re on the forefront of where the battle is in their schools, for the gospel, in our current culture. So how we support and strengthen them is something vital we can contribute to the UK church.
en: The theme of the convention this year is Resurrection’ – how did you arrive at that?
Mark: The theme is looking back to Jesus’ resurrection and the heart of the gospel, but it’s mainly looking forward to our reunion with Christ and renewal of all things. It’s focussing on that solid hope.
Gen Z have been quoted as the most hopeless generation, and the news is pretty dire at the moment. We live in a climate of hopelessness. There’s an anxiety that pervades our culture. But actually, how do we lift our heads and see what are we heading for?
Because Jesus is not going to chuck everything He’s made; the new creation will be a physically renewed earth with Him. So, what does that mean for us being involved in politics, rather than pulling back, being involved in the environment, playing sport or doing creative arts – what does it mean that it isn’t all going to be burned up? Seeing the goodness of the new creation and our own resurrection that’s quite subversive. It changes everything in the way that you live, the way you work, parent, and everything else. I think it’s a thrilling topic.
en: Do you anticipate catering for more people, in light of Word Alive sadly being unable to go ahead this year?
Mark: We as a family went to Word Alive for over a decade, and I used to serve on the ‘Just Looking’ track. I am heartsore for Nigel [Beynon, director of Word Alive] and the trustees planning the way forward. It’s a massive part of my family’s story and my own story. We’ve been praying for them in the Keswick office as well.
As conferences, we have such common values and convictions – but there’s a slight difference in the way it’s delivered, and the time of year it takes place. We want to be welcoming, but we’re not expecting a huge impact.
en: There’s been some tension with Keswick town in the past – what’s the relationship like now?
Mark: There has been, but by God’s grace we’re in a very good position now. We meet regularly with quite a few leaders – there’s an open forum for townspeople. We’re so dependent on good relations in the town, but it’s not merely for our own sake: we want to be a massive blessing for them. We want to bless them by being at the heart of what they’re doing, whether that’s bringing people for the year-round training and convention, or simply if we can use local contractors and treat them with integrity. So, we want to be really good citizens within the town, and by God’s grace that’s been the case in recent years. And there are a lot of people in the town who are really for us – it’s not just neutral.
en: What are your hopes for the future of Keswick, five or ten years from now?
Mark: What I’d long for is to see Keswick make a vital contribution to the life of the church. I think that the church across the UK is fragmenting; many who come to our teaching or the convention are in isolated places – schools, homes, workplaces, churches. Our vision is to be a rallying point for people to be refreshed in Christ and sent back out.
And as I’ve mentioned before, we want to see that next generation thrilled with the goodness of the gospel – not just kept safe, but able to reach out with it.
In five or ten years, we’d also want our key distinctive of being free and available to all remaining at the core of what we do.
en: Keswick’s 150th anniversary is coming up next year. Any plans in the making to celebrate?
Mark: We’re in the early stages of planning that and celebrating God’s faithfulness over so many years. The heritage of Keswick includes many who’ve been sent in mission overseas, such as Amy Carmichael who was sent from Keswick (and including others like Hudson Taylor who were affected by or affected Keswick over the years). But an untold story is that there are about 90 Keswicks around the UK and the world that owe their heritage to Keswick. We’re looking to see how we can bring together some of those international representatives so we can be thrilled with what God has done, what He continues to do and how we can support that, and continue to have an outward focus.
