Stories
Building Churches that Change Communities
When Jesus read from what we now know as Isaiah 61, in the Nazareth synagogue, he powerfully defined the three-fold purpose of his ministry: Preaching the Good News, miraculous healing and deliverance, and the raising up of the oppressed and the poor.
Any Jew listening to that would have immediately thought of the year of Jubilee – a command in Jewish law (Leviticus 25) that every 50th year all debts were to be cancelled, land returned to its original owners and slaves set free. Jesus said “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”. In other words, the time is now. The old Jubilee was a temporary and partial one. The Jubilee Jesus was proclaiming – the one we are called to participate in - was all-embracing and everlasting. Martin Charlesworth, leader of the Newfrontiers social action task team set up in late 2010, calls it Jubilee+.
One of the key objectives for the Jubilee+ team’s first year was to conduct a survey in our UK churches to find out what social action programmes were already taking place. 111 churches responded, giving details of over 700 ministries across 40 different types of social action. From the data collected, we estimate that Newfrontiers UK churches contribute approximately 500,000 volunteer hours and resources worth £10 million to social action initiatives. The survey report, entitled “Churches that Change Communities”, was published in August and is available to download from the right hand column..
We also committed ourselves to envisioning and equipping churches and individuals across the nation. Under the heading of “Building Churches that Change Communities”, Martin addressed eight very successful regional gatherings of church leaders on the biblical mandate for social action, the current picture in the UK and the opportunities we now have. The Jubilee+ Conference, attended by some 400 people from across the UK, again saw Martin lay a clear theological basis for the biblical imperative to “remember the poor”. Seminars developed the themes of community engagement, evangelism, and being equipped for the practicalities, and a full session was given over to networking around common ministry themes.
The feedback from all these events was very positive, expressing particular appreciation of Martin’s clear theological exposition and his passion for social justice. Many indicated a need for more help in finding resources and information on how to handle political engagement and social enterprises. Comments included: “The most helpful thing was seeing the bigger picture of what is happening, and seeing our essential role as leaders,” and “I will lead stronger on Social Action following the day”.
Resources and talks are available from this website, which is developing into an invaluable resource for all those seeking to start or develop social action ministries. It showcases and inspires through stories and case studies, and provides links to helpful organisations, resources and people.
In addition to the website, Martin’s blog, is unmissable! It brings Martin’s theological insights and his commitment to social justice to current events and issues, with insightful, profound and sometimes provocative comments.
Looking ahead, we have some exciting opportunities: Martin met with Andrew Stunell MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government earlier in the year as one of a group of leaders from the ‘New Churches’. It was clear that the government is very open to recognising that the Church is a vital player in the Big Society and wants to involve us much more in its strategy.
We will also be responding to the priorities arising from the social action survey, including building links with specialist organisations, and we have arranged a 1/2 day conference on 16th March 2012 for those interested in developing Social Enterprise initiatives. Click here for details.
The Jubilee+ Conference will be held on 6 October 2012 in Bedford. Details are now available on the website.
2011 has been a great year of progress in growing in our capacity and competence to demonstrate God’s heart for the poor. 2012 is full of fresh opportunity. Let’s seize the day!
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Reproduced from Connect Magazine, Spring 2012.
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