After the resurrection, Jesus taught his disciples about God’s kingdom for forty days (Acts 1:3) and then he was “taken up” to heaven (Acts 1:2, 11). The cross and empty tomb are at the very heart of the gospel message proclaimed by Jesus’s followers throughout history (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). However, for many evangelical Christians and churches, Jesus’s ascension is simply an afterthought to Easter and Good Friday.

We believe church planters must see and preach Jesus’s ascension and exaltation with the firm confidence that this significant and climactic event in Jesus’s life really and truly matters. The ascension is of massive importance for understanding the gospel today.

This is why we are excited about the new West Porterbrook book series and encourage you to watch this video of Jonny Woodrow and Tim Chester talk about their new work on the Ascension.

Is Europe in need of the gospel?

Europe is where the reformation was unleashed, where the doctrines of grace exploded onto the public arena where revival after revival broke out. From this continent ships sailed carrying men and women with their Bibles and the faith that the Lord would reach the nations. They saw bold daring gospel expansion across the world.

But now Europe finds itself spiritually dark and cold with church attendance dramatically falling. Secularism has a far greater influence than the gospel. Now Europe is a context of pressing need, massive opportunities and urgent, gospel importance.

In this sorry situation the gracious Lord has not stopped his work. We see and hear stories of the gospel growing and going out, stories of hope and inspiration, stories of churches taking risks for the gospel and stories of people coming to Christ.

Acts 29 Europe is all about planting churches, planting communities of light right across the continent of Europe to see many more people come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. All for the fame and glory of Jesus.

To make this happen we need to create awareness of the need and opportunities that exist within Europe. Perhaps you are feeling led to pray and support the mission of God in Europe, perhaps you are exploring opportunities to serve current Acts29 churches through our internship programme, to be apart of a church planting team or to lead a church plant.

If that is you, then this is for you…

The Acts 29 Europe Discovery Team Programme

This programme will run from 1st July – 22nd July 2013.

This new initiative is open to all who want to understand the European context and  to explore opportunities to better support, pray and resource Acts 29 churches in Europe.  We hope it will be valuable also for those who are considering moving to Europe to plant churches to understand, test their calling and explore the where, how and when.

Through our Discovery Team Programme you will be exposed to what is happening in Europe by experiencing an urban church plant and a rural church plant in the UK, as well as the mainland Europe context. This will ensure you leave well informed about the European situation as a whole while gleaning a vast range of experiences and knowledge from planters on the ground.

Acts 29 Europe is eager to train and equip men to be able to plant more churches that will plant more churches. We also want to raise people up to be part of church planting core teams in the future. We need more people to help resource this mission and vision and this is why we are investing in the Discovery Team Programme. We view this as a key part of our vision to see Jesus proclaimed in all the villages, towns and cities of Europe.

For more information and to receive an information pack that details the cost and practical information please contact:

Josh Walsh via josh@cornerstonechurchliverpool.org

John Hindley via john@broadgrace.org.uk

Steve Robinson via steve@cornerstonechurchliverpool.org

– Josh Walsh, Steve Robinson and John Hindley

Part I of this series can be found here.

Part II of this series can be found here.

Key Principle #5: Think Strategy

In Acts, Luke gives us an insight into what we might call, Paul’s pragmatic strategy. Take a look at his first missionary journey. He and Barnabas travel from Antioch to the port of Seleucia from which they sail to the island of Cyprus. There they preach the gospel in the principal city of Salamis, before travelling through the island to Paphos, the centre of the provincial government. They then land on the coast of Asia Minor and visit Perga, the chief city of the region of Pamphylia. From there they went on to Pisidian Antioch, a military centre for the surrounding territory.

Paul had spoken of Christ to those who would listen, both Jew and Gentile, and established churches in strategic locations around the eastern Mediterranean, his assumption being that the gospel would radiate from these centres to the outlying regions. This sort of strategy was so effective that Paul could say that “from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ” (Rom 15.19).

Paul was also driven by a principled strategy, which was his resolve “to preach the gospel where Christ was not known” (Rom 15.20). He was only interested in virgin territory. He wasn’t inclined to ride on the back of someone else. Reaching the lost at whatever cost was his passion, and the strategic gospel choices he made related to that end.

Now if church planting is seen primarily as a gospel initiative, then we would do well to target areas of great influence and great need. Paul’s pragmatic strategy should prove helpful in this regard. Planting churches in cities, while not an exclusive activity, is certainly a sensible one because city dweller are more likely to mobilize and take the gospel with them, and along with it a vision for church planting and gospel outreach!

And for those on the margins, who have largely rejected traditional church as irrelevant and anachronistic, the principled strategy would apply. Church planting offers an opportunity to do church in a new and pertinent way. Of course, it needs to be biblically faithful, but it also needs to be culturally relevant. The attitude of many is that the gospel is irrelevant to who they are and the church has absolutely nothing to offer them. Strategic church planting offers us the opportunity to take a look at our area and think about how we can “become all things to all men so that by all possible means we might save some” (cf. 1 Cor 9.22).

Key Principle #6: Think Creative

If we plan to plant churches amongst those who have already dismissed church and Christianity, then we have to think creatively about how we do church. Our world is changing the way we think, absorb new information, and process new ideas. Social media has revolutionized the way we view the world in such a way that many of our tried and trusted methods of communicating the truth of the gospel hold no attraction or relevance to modern audiences.

The sermon is a case in point. There are few contemporary situations where people sit and listen to an extended monologue. Interaction, dialogue, and self-discovery are the preferred models of learning today. Yet we expect our neighbors to leave that all behind and sit quietly, listening intently for forty or so minutes to a sermon whose content is likely just as alien. We must think creatively about how we present the truth of the gospel to those around us.

What does this mean? Does it mean that we reject the idea of the sermon? Are discussion groups to be the primary means of “discovering” truth? Certainly not! But neither should we ignore the fact that over 60% of the Bible is narrative, and a surprisingly low percentage is propositional. This is not an argument for the abolition of proclamation, but a request for us to be prepared to work a lot harder at how we do it. We must learn afresh what it means and what it looks like to tell a great story–the greatest story.

Another area where we need to think creatively is in our leadership. Relationships are possibly the most important aspect of our culture, and the current generation is looking for authentic relationships and individuals with integrity. The challenge of this generation is how to be open and accessible, and yet to maintain a position from which the gospel can be brought to bear on someone’s life with authority and credibility. Getting close is not an option, it is an absolute necessity. But we must do so with humility and gospel-intentionality.

So many unchallenged assumptions need to be challenged. Content of meetings, place of communal singing, weekly prayer meetings, church membership, confessional stance, issues of baptism, can all be legitimately scrutinised and reassessed. Think creatively.

Key Principle #7: Think Long-Term

There are no quick answers in church planting. It is not a panacea for the ills of the modern church, and it carries with it no guarantees of success. Church planting requires determination, vision and a willingness to pay the price of ministry. Church planting is a long-term initiative, and that ought to be written into the contract.

On a human level, this is particularly so when trying to plant amongst those who have no interest whatsoever in organised religion. It can take years of building a relationship with such people before there is even a willingness to listen to an explanation of the gospel. From then it can take up to two years before there is a readiness to respond, primarily because they are so ignorant of what the Bible teaches, and therefore of what the gospel actually is.

This ignorance is not a mere echo of the situation the early church found itself in as it expanded into Gentile territory, it is in fact rather different. Today the ignorance is compounded by prejudice. Then Christianity was new. Today is is “old hat”. People think they know what it is and have usually dismissed you before they truly understand. In a sense, they’ve inoculated themselves against the gospel word. This is not an insurmountable problem, but it will only be countered effectively by patient godliness and a commitment to an authentic Christian lifestyle.

By Steve Timmis

We believe targeting GPA’s is the way to get the gospel out into the everyday lives of those living around us. Listen in as Steve elaborates.

Got a question?
Do you have a question that you’d like to ask Acts 29 Europe Director Steve Timmis? If so, we’d love to hear it. While we don’t anticipate being able to get to them all, we’ll grab selected questions each week and see what he has to say. The more your question asks for principles (rather than situation specific advice), the more helpful it will be to a broad audience and therefore the more likely we are to throw it at him. So go ahead, ask by submitting a comment to this post.

Follow @ValleyCommandos on twitter.

You can view the A29E country profile for Wales here.

And while you’re at it, visit Hill City Church in South Wales.

You will receive training and mentoring in an Acts 29 Europe church plant. This will equip you for a life of unknown, unsung, heart-wrenching and often unfruitful ministry. And an undying joy and wonder in the presence of Jesus Christ.

You will be a nobody who has nothing to offer. But you will follow Jesus, and you will know you need nothing else.

Are you one of the men or women who we are looking for to take up an internship in September 2013 to serve and be served in one of the Acts29 Europe church plants?

As a network we long to see the whole of Europe (and beyond!) reached with the Gospel of Jesus by planting communities of light planted across the continent. To facilitate this we begun an internship programme in September 2012. After a successful pilot this year, we are hoping to expand the programme in 2013.

We have a robust application assessment process for church planters. We are keen, though, to help people test out at an earlier stager as well whether this is the calling Christ has for them. We also want to raise people up to be part of church planting core teams in the future. This is why we are investing in this internship programme. We see it as a key part of our vision to see Jesus proclaimed in all the villages, towns and cities of Europe.

We are a network of churches and church plants, and so we are not looking to take on interns to serve Acts 29 Europe. Rather, we want to put men and women in contact with one of our church plants that is offering an internship. We want you to join a church plant oriented to reaching its local community, making disciples and planting more churches. We want you to join a Christ-loving church plant, not just a network.

The internship programme is designed so that the relationship between the church and the individual can flourish in the church’s particular context and that individuals can be best equipped to “go and do likewise”. We recognise that for each person and church context the training, investment and service needs will be different. There are some common factors that we have put in place, though, to make sure this scheme is a blessing for the individuals and churches involved. These principles are seen in the frequently asked questions below.

Frequently Asked Questions about A29 Europe Internships

What Type of Church and Where?
Acts 29 Europe is a network of churches and pastors from different cultural backgrounds but who are thoroughly:

• Christian
• Evangelical
• Missional
• Gospel centred

These pastors have planted and are planting churches in urban centres, rural villages and council estates. A number of our men have planted as overseas missionaries, however their heart is to see local indigenous people saved, discipled and trained to lead future church plants in those countries. With that in mind potential interns will be introduced to churches from their own country (if available), in contexts where they would like to gain experience. We do recognise that God calls people to other countries so if there is a long term desire to serve in a particular country this can be discussed at the application stage.

What kind of training will I receive?
Each Intern will be encouraged to do some structured training. As a network, we work closely with Porterbrook Learning – a distance learning course provided by the Porterbrook Network (www.porterbrooknetwork.org). We also recognise the high quality of other training courses that serve well in an internship context, such as the Ministry Training courses, provided by the regional Gospel Partnerships in the UK. We have had Interns do either Porterbrook, local courses or both. The church and the intern will decide which training route will be of most benefit. Interns will receive one to one coaching from the pastor and/or another qualified member of the church as well as the experience that will be gained from serving day to day in the church.

Will I be paid?
Church planters need to be able to raise funds and find their own support, so as a training tool and a taste of the reality of what it costs to be involved in church planting the intern will usually be required to raise funds in order to take part in the internship, with the church sacrificially sharing some of these costs (to be discussed and arranged between the church and intern). A common model is for the church to provide the costs of training and accommodation and the intern raising money for living costs. The churches are aware that some interns will need to work part time to do this. This is a common pattern, though, and we do not want to prescribe how this will work for churches or interns, so you will need to discuss this with the church you are put in touch with for interview, should you reach that stage.

Who can be an intern?
Internships are open to men and women age 18 and over who hold to the doctrine and vision of Acts 29 Europe. We welcome interns from within and outside Europe, and will do our best to help with visas where necessary.

How long is an Acts 29 Europe internship?
1 or 2 years (at the discretion of the church and intern)

In summary what will an Acts 29 Europe intern year look like?

• Working in an Acts 29 Europe church
• Being coached by the pastor or another qualified member
• Formal theological training
• Attending Acts 29 Europe conferences and serving there.
• Attending one or two residential weekends specifically for the Act 29 Europe church planting interns to set your hearts on fire for church planting.
• If possible, taking part in a mission trip to serve an Acts 29 Europe church in another country. If not, then visiting another Acts 29 Europe church in a different situation to gain experience there.

How do I apply?
Contact us (details below). We will then send you an initial application form and handle the first part of the process. Once we have discovered if you are a suitable candidate and the sort of church you would like to do an internship with, we will then put you in touch with a church in the network that would like an intern and matches your needs. It is then up to you and the church to decide if this is right – we are acting as a facilitator for churches and potential interns, your internship will be with the Acts 29 Europe church, not Acts 29 Europe.

We have been piloting this programme for the past 12 months and are now excited to be formally offering this opportunity to men and women who have a desire to see the Gospel advance across our continent.

If you would like to know more about the Acts 29 Europe internship programme or would like to receive an application to start this coming September please contact us, Steve Robinson (steve@cornerstonechurchlivepool.org) and John Hindley (john@broadgrace.org.uk).

Every man is tempted toward greatness, greatness in his own eyes, the eyes of his peers, and the eyes of history. Yet the Lord has called us to live for his glory. Let us not trade loving his glory for craving a name for ourselves here on earth. Be encouraged as Steve exposes some lies that tempt us and redirects our hearts toward God’s glory.

Got a question?
Do you have a question that you’d like to ask Acts 29 Europe Director Steve Timmis? If so, we’d love to hear it. While we don’t anticipate being able to get to them all, we’ll grab selected questions each week and see what he has to say. The more your question asks for principles (rather than situation specific advice), the more helpful it will be to a broad audience and therefore the more likely we are to throw it at him. So go ahead, ask by submitting a comment to this post.

Food has a profound capacity for fostering community. Why is this? Steve answers the question and points us toward God’s grace in our shared meals together.

Got a question?
Do you have a question that you’d like to ask Acts 29 Europe Director Steve Timmis? If so, we’d love to hear it. While we don’t anticipate being able to get to them all, we’ll grab selected questions each week and see what he has to say. The more your question asks for principles (rather than situation specific advice), the more helpful it will be to a broad audience and therefore the more likely we are to throw it at him. So go ahead, ask by submitting a comment to this post.

Acts 29 Europe Explicit Conference from Acts 29 Europe on Vimeo.

Many of us are serving, and feel like we’re sinking. We feel joyless, weary and burdened.

In his new book, Acts 29 Europe church planter, John Hindley, shows how Jesus was telling the truth when he offered people an “easy yoke”—a way of serving him that is joyful and liberating. He explains why serving is so often joyless—and how our identity in Christ changes everything.

If you are serving, but sometimes feel as though you’re sinking… you need this book!

If you know someone who has burn out, or is heading in that direction…they need this book too.