Local and Global
15 Sep 2011
New Community Church belongs to a worldwide family of churches called Newfrontiers. Currently, Newfrontiers represents some 850 churches working in 60 nations and we have been part of this ever expanding story for over 30 years now and we are just as excited, no, even more excited about all that lies ahead. It’s both a privilege and a responsibility to belong to a family of churches like this. We receive so much, but we have our own part to play as well. Having apostolic ministry shape our church is not primarily so we can do church better; but rather results in catching us up in local and global mission. Over the years we have sent literally hundreds of people to serve in other churches in the UK, to plant churches, to lead other churches, and, increasingly, to work into situations overseas. Also, NCC supports teams and ministries that travel and especially supports me as I work alongside both established and emerging apostolic ministries both in the UK and across the world. We are not passive receivers. We are active participants and will continue to be so in the years ahead.
As people join NCC we want them to feel that they are in a family that they can genuinely belong to. A church that is doing all it can to meet one another’s needs, whilst at the same time continue to make an impact on every part of wider community. They should also see that we are not inward looking or only concerned with our ‘local parish’, but working to play our part in seeking to bring the gospel to all nations. We are a Word and Spirit, grace-filled church with a focus on our local community, but we are also an increasingly evangelistic, outward looking people on world mission.
Sadly, many churches in the UK struggle to catch this vision. The reason, I believe, has to do with their foundations. Many are built fundamentally on pastoral foundations. This means that the leaders of these churches see it as their duty to only care for ‘their people’, not necessarily to be released to go and reach new people. Members of this kind of church see having their needs met as the primary reason for being in the church. If this doesn’t happen then they become easily disappointed. They may well even leave and go and find another church in the hope that they might do a better job! They may even object when the church starts to grow, realising that the more people there are, the less likely it is that attention will be given to them!
If, however, your church is built on apostolic, prophetic foundations as described for example in Ephesians 2:19-22, your church has at its very root a passion to be sent and to send. In other words, we exist not only to meet the needs of our existing members, but to constantly desire to go and meet the needs of those who are not yet a part of us.
Apostolically founded churches do not neglect to pastor people. They just do it in the right context, which is one of mission. We pastor people on the move and we equip them to go and reach others. This kind of church will never become bogged down with small vision, it will always keep moving and will have a big picture mentality. Newfrontiers is going through a remarkable time of transition right now. What has thus far been essentially one team leading one sphere is moving into many teams leading many spheres. Why? Because through this transition many new nations will be reached, with thousands of churches planted and thousands of people coming to know Jesus.
I love being in a family of churches like this. It constantly provokes me not to settle for what I have thus far experienced and to lift my eyes to see what God is doing around the world.
I also love being a part of New Community Church. It’s not comfortable, it’s not passive, and it continues to embrace change, but there’s a reason. Our story is not finished. It’s hardly begun in many ways. We have a future. Come and join us, become part of the story. A family of churches, together on a mission, transforming our local community by proclaiming a gospel that has the power to change people completely, and fulfilling the commission of Jesus to go into all the nations of the world.
Join us this week for our 'Vision Sunday' as we look to the future and all that we believe God has for us in the next 5-10 years.
Dave
 
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