Articles Number Five

ARTICLES

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CONTENTS
2. The Power of the cross
Richard Coekin
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who
are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power
of God.”
Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians echo throughout this edition
of ARTICLES - as Christians our worldview is shaped by the
cross. We may feel that the opposition we face by holding on
to this message is something new, but the Apostle Paul was
preparing the first Christians for the same kind of hostility.
8. Serious youth violence
Jason Roach
12. Faithfulness in a sexually fluid world
Matt Fuller
16. Sexuality and the school run
Juliet Allcock
18. Workplace witness
In this edition we look at youth violence, medical ethics,
sexuality, money and workplace witness. Each issue is
explosive, and we are thankful to the writers for their prayerful
approach to each topic. None of these articles are the final
word, but they hold up the issue to the cross and look to the
wisdom of God, no matter how far it is from the wisdom of
the world.
20. Holding out Christian hope in controversial
healthcare issues
Felicia Wong & Rachel Owusu-Ankomah
24. Love and money
Alex Lyell
So please read, pray and talk about these ARTICLES - and as
you do, remember our brothers and sisters in Corinth, and our
brothers and sisters across the world today. As we contend
for the Gospel, and contend for the truth, remember that it
was God himself who chose the things the world thinks are
foolish to shame the wise. And God himself chose the things
that are weak to shame the strong. God chose the things that
people hate, the things they think are nothing, at all - and He
used them to bring to nothing things that seem so much.
28. How do we reach London for Christ?
Richard Perkins
31. North East London
Rick & Esther Raja
32. Queen’s Park
Thomas West & Daniel Evans
33. Midweek lunchtime workplace ministries
Jimmy Bell
34. When evangelism feels impossible
Jonty Allcock
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised Copyright © 1979, 1984,
2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved.
‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica UK trademark number 1448790.
ARTICLES 1

“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach
Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God”
1 COR.1:22-24

The Apostle Paul’s preaching and ministry were dominated by one theme:
CHRISTCRUCIFIED
In the first century, putting these two words
together sounded absurd: “Christ” (or “Messiah”)
means chosen one and refers to God’s chosen
saviour king, long promised by his Old Testament
prophets, and expected to arrive with irresistible
power and glory. But “crucified” refers to Jesus
suffering the Roman punishment of death by
crucifixion - designed to be the most hideously
cruel and obscenely humiliating death imaginable!
To proclaim “Christ crucified” was ridiculous: like
proclaiming “dry water” or “fried ice”.
Indeed, Paul says the message of the cross was a
“stumbling block” (something disgusting) to those
from his own Jewish background and “foolishness”
(something insane) to those from other nations.
You see back then, Paul says, “Jews demand
signs” because they respected impressive power
and influence – they longed for liberation from
Roman occupation and loved spectacular temple
religion. It’s similar in London today. We respect
impressive people who have wealth (people are
ranked by what they earn and own) and celebrity
(Graham Norton interviews people because
they’re famous not because they’re righteous).
Those from religious backgrounds will respect a
teacher who is powerful and popular – like the
Pope. But apart from Christians, no-one admires
Jesus for volunteering to suffer in such dreadful
agony, degradation and weakness on a cross.
Neither do they admire the churches who proclaim
him!
Moreover, Paul says, “Greeks look for wisdom” because they respected
impressive learning that resulted in successful living and religious
teachers who were entertaining orators and scholars. So, in London
today we’re obsessed with education and qualifications and prefer
our religious gurus to be witty writers of best-selling books that don’t
challenge our behaviour – like the Dalai Lama! We find it hard to respect
a despised tradesman from Galilee who challenged and offended
people. He said that we’re all so sinful that we deserve eternal torment
in the fires of hell. Yet he also proclaimed that he loves us enough to
suffer on the cross in our place, taking the pain and shame and hell
we deserve. In this way he saved his people to live in heaven with him
forever - if we turn from our sin and follow him. This sounds as foolish in
today’s world as it did then. In his best-selling book, The God Delusion
the secular atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote of Jesus’ death on the cross
in these scornful terms: “I’ve described atonement, the central doctrine
of Christianity, as vicious, sado-masochistic and repellent. We should
also dismiss it as barking mad.” He just couldn’t see that this divine
“madness” is really God’s passionate love – for us!
Paul goes on to explain that God has deliberately chosen the cross as
his means of salvation to contradict and shame worldly notions of power
and wisdom. He wanted to reveal his divine power and wisdom through
a salvation that seems weak and stupid to us. He did this so that we have
to abandon our confidence in human religious ideologies and trust him
instead.
For Christians, called to God by his Spirit speaking through his Word,
“Christ crucified” is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” for
our salvation – his effective and coherent way to save guilty sinners
without compromising his holy justice. Although the cross will always be
a “stumbling block” and “foolishness” to religious and secular Londoners
alike, scandalous and ridiculous to the wealthy and educated, pathetic
and stupid to our sceptical friends and family, this message of the cross
is what our city needs to hear more than anything else.
3

Our Co-Mission churches are united in our
determination to bring this message of “Christ
crucified” to as many communities in our city as
we can, by planting and strengthening churches
that proclaim this gospel. So this year, REVIVE
- Co-Mission’s annual festival - was dedicated
to exploring “the Power of the Cross” in the
Scriptures. Here we find that “Christ crucified”
is central to everything: the purpose of creation
and fulcrum of history, the climax of scripture and
heart of our faith, the highest revelation of God’s
glory and the deepest joy of eternity, forever our
tree of life and lamb of God. The cross is not just
important but central to the gospel that unites us.
The Bible reveals that to glorify his Father’s
sovereign grace Christ’s achievements in his
death include:
1. Completing an exemplary Christian life of
learned obedience in self-less love to qualify
us for heaven. Therefore we want to learn
from him to live in sacrificial holiness – not in
pointless self-denial but in becoming selfless
like Jesus, for the salvation of the lost.
2. Disarming Satan’s claims upon us under
God’s law, to ensure our resurrection from
the dead and so remove our fear of dying.
Therefore we want to learn from him to live
in confidence, unafraid of our vicious spiritual
enemy who fuels discouraging lies and
divisive slander, because his power over us
was broken on the cross
3. And, supremely, satisfying God’s holiness
to save sinners from all nations through the
gospel into a new humanity, which is being
gathered into his heavenly church as his
purified bride.
REDEMPTION
• From slavery to the sins of our flesh,
the lies of Satan and the judgement we
deserve
• by payment of a ransom in blood upon the
cross
• for the joy of freedom from the guilt and
power of sin
• to serve God as his purified people, eager
to do what is good
• as explained by the Passover sacrifice in
Exodus 12
The satisfying of God’s holiness was our particular
focus at REVIVE, where we studied Bible passages
that helped us to understand how the following
accomplishment is developed across scripture in
three crimson threads:
4

CLEANSING
• From the corruption of our sin
• By the propitiation (satisfaction) of
God’s holy wrath through the blood
of Jesus
• For the joy of access to the presence
of God in prayer now and in heaven
one day
• To enjoy the jaw-dropping glory of
God forever
• As explained by the Day of
Atonement sacrifice in Leviticus 16
JUSTIFICATION
• From guilt under God’s law
• By the righteousness of Jesus’ perfect
Christian life counted and imputed to us
• For the joy of being qualified already for
heaven
• To live with the Father as his beloved children
and with Jesus as his beloved bride
• As explained by the Suffering Servant sacrifice
in Isaiah 53
ARTICLES 5

CHRIST BECAME
ONE OF US
In all these aspects of satisfying God’s
holiness there’s a glorious exchange -
a simple swap: Christ became one of
us in order to swap places with us. He
was treated as if he were us, suffering
on the cross the punishment of pain,
shame and hell we deserve so that
we can be treated as if we were him,
acceptable in heaven as God’s holy
children.
Let me illustrate with the extraordinary
heroism of Bill Deacon, the winchman
of an Air-Sea Rescue helicopter
operating out of Bristow in the Shetland
Islands, northeast of the Scottish
mainland. In November 1997, the Green
Lily cargo vessel was grounded on
rocks and breaking up in mountainous
waves. The lifeboats could no longer
get to the stricken vessel to save the
crew trapped on board. Bill Deacon
realised the only hope of saving
the men was to descend from the
helicopter himself onto the ship. Once
on the deck, in cyclonic conditions,
he attached each of the ten crew to
his winch and, in his place, they were
raised to safety in the helicopter.
But as the last man was rescued,
Bill Deacon himself was swept
off the ship by a wave and his
body washed up a few days later.
He was posthumously awarded
the George Cross for his courage.
In the same way, Christ came down from
heaven to rescue his people in peril.
Why would he do such a crazy thing?
Because, despite everything, he loves
us! He LOVES you and he LOVES me. For
God to allow such a sacrifice is grace,
for God to provide such a sacrifice is
amazing grace, but for God to become
such a sacrifice is grace beyond our
wildest dreams.
As Christians we are seeking to love
the people of London in every way
we can - resisting injustice, prejudice
and ecological irresponsibility; seeking
relief for victims of knife crime, poverty,
homelessness, trafficking and mental
illness; contending for freedom of
speech, protection of the unborn and
the reformation of denominations. But
we know that the most precious gift we
have for London is the gospel of “Christ
crucified” - the power of God to save
sinners from the horrors of hell for the
happiness of heaven forever.
RICHARD COEKIN
is CEO of Co-Mission and Senior
Pastor of Dundonald Church, Raynes
Park. This article is adapted from
Richard’s opening talk at REVIVE 2019.
Listen to it on the Co-Mission podcast.
co-mission.org/podcast
IN ORDER TO
SWAP PLACES
WITH US
6

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-31
For the message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of
the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has
not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For since in the wisdom of God the world through
its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased
through the foolishness of what was preached
to save those who believe. Jews demand signs
and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach
Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God
has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God and the wisdom of God. For the
foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human
strength.
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when
you were called. Not many of you were wise by
human standards; not many were influential; not
many were of noble birth. But God chose the
foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God
chose the weak things of the world to shame the
strong. God chose the lowly things of this world
and the despised things – and the things that are
not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one
may boast before him. It is because of him that
you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us
wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness,
holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is
written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’
A film based on this passage was made for REVIVE 2019
- watch it online at facebook.com/comissionldn

In the last two years, two young people have been stabbed and killed on the Surrey
Lane Estate. Here is how the Bridge Battersea has been seeking to make a difference:
Seven years ago The Bridge Battersea, a church plant in partnership with London City
Mission, launched RISE Academy. The aim was to try and serve the young black boys
on the estate where I lived by providing after school tuition, mentoring and building
networks of support between families. Many of the young people involved with this
scheme have not been directly involved in serious youth violence. A few have. I want to
share what I’ve learnt about seeking to make an impact on this issue through the story
of RISE.
It would be easy to assume at this point that I think that youth violence is a “black” problem.
It isn’t. In fact in recent years, the highest rates of knife crime in the UK have been in
Glasgow. So high that the United Nations declared Scotland the most violent country in
the developed world. The significance of this is that only 2.4% of the population there is
black. This means that the causes of youth violence are not fundamentally about race.
Having said this, serious youth violence seems to disproportionately affect black and
minority ethnic background youth in London. In other words, the complex web of factors
that cause youth violence anywhere, disproportionately affect ethnic minority groups in
London. It is out of this sad reality that RISE was born.
8

Like all Co-Mission churches, we were keen to
love our neighbours the way that our Father in
heaven does. In part, that looked like finding
ways to show mercy in our community (Matthew
5:43-47). One of the groups most in need of
that mercy were our young people. Here’s how
that worked out for us:
INSTILLING PURPOSE
Our aim was to offer young people an
attractive new purpose - to be an ambassador
for God (Genesis 1:26-28). Unfortunately, the
circumstances, experiences and culture of the
boys who were referred to us through schools
and youth groups often nudged them in a very
different direction. Their life circumstances
were sometimes very stable but in other cases
explosive. Their experiences were sometimes
mostly of the Disney variety - being told “to
be true to what they feel.” For others, police
cordons were second nature and spoke of
troubling tension in their streets. Their cultural
influences sometimes included drill music but
for others just run of the mill, individualistic,
materialistic pop. All of these influences could
nudge them to rewrite the story of our lives
with God far from the centre. So in our weekly
evening meetings, we sought to communicate
something of the Bible’s big story - that we
were made to love, the way that God loves us.
TEACHING AMBASSADORS
With this as our aim, it was clear to
us that we would not excite the next
generation with this vision merely
through correction (e.g. the strict
code of respect in our meetings or
tougher sentencing in the courts). Nor
would mere containment do the job
(e.g. our programming skills courses
that kept them off the streets or more
council youth provision that did the
same). We knew that we needed to do
these things, but that they were never
designed to thrill us with new purpose.
They needed the story of the Bible.
The tough part was communicating
this story well. Often we spoke a
vastly different language to the young
people we served. So to communicate
this vision in language they could
understand, in ways that addressed
their questions and fears, we needed
to know where they are coming from.
This wasn’t about wearing the same
trainers but about taking the time to
listen to them. It’s been crucial. Eating
together every week meant that there
was really time to do that.
We listened to their music and
introduced them to some Christian
hip hop artists too. We heard about
the places in school and on the estate
where they feel scared. Because we
heard them, we could then begin to
communicate this new vision to them
in ways that connect and find practical
ways to support them. I wish I could
say we were now experts. It is still very
much a work in progress.
ARTICLES 9

LIVING AS AMBASSADORS
Perhaps the biggest challenge has been finding ways
of demonstrating that this new vision was a credible
alternative. In other words, showing what it actually looks
like in daily life. Just like putting on a new school uniform
doesn’t instantly transform a child, so being told that you
are made in the image of God does not instantly change
a child either.
We found that we could engagingly communicate a new
purpose during our two hours together during the week,
but as soon as they walked out the door they reverted
to street psychology. The fact was that some would walk
through the doors of their homes and be confronted with
scenarios that they found tough to reconcile with the neat
and tidy teaching that they’d just heard. Even for those
under the influence of Christ, old patterns of behaviour
could be difficult to shake. I remember one boy giving his
life to Christ on a weekend away, only to be arrested a few
days later for armed robbery.
This is not a new problem. Despite being under the
influence of Jesus for three years, Peter’s first instinct
in the Garden of Gethsemane was to wield a blade
inappropriately under pressure (John 18:10-11). To meet
violence with violence.
In school, how people behave around you begins to teach
you what it means to wear the uniform. In the same way,
we tried as a church to show what it means to live as
one of God’s children. We set up something called “RISE
Sunday” where every term, children and parents would
join our normal Sunday service to experience God’s new
community. More recently we have replaced this with
a termly dinner, where some of our congregation and
RISE parents meet and chat more informally, as well as
celebrating their children’s work and the work of Christ
that they have been hearing about.
We hope ideally to get the after-school element of
RISE running on more days during the week too. All
of this is about providing space for young people to
see this way of life as a credible alternative to the
sense of belonging and culture they get elsewhere.
To learn new ways to deal with images sent to their phones to
ridicule others in their class. A place where being a man doesn’t
simply mean being macho or a woman being a sex symbol. A
community where they can be honest and vulnerable without
being mocked. A community that embodies a new purpose.
WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
• What are the hopes and fears of young people in your
community? Where are the places that they feel fear?
• How could you find out and support them?
• How could you tell stories that show them how a Christian
worldview works out at street level?
• What could your Church do to demonstrate to young
people that it is a credible alternative community?
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP
We realised pretty quickly that we couldn’t do this alone. As
wonderful as this vision of purpose sounds, it was difficult to
put into practice as consistently or coherently as we would
like. It was resource intensive. Many young people were not
yet professing faith and there were few others their age that
they could connect with. There were also few older black
Christians who could mentor them. So we enrolled partners
from across our town and city.
I visited other churches, within our network and beyond, to
recruit mentors. I used my contacts in Westminster to organise
tours and audiences with MPs. I collared friends who were
teachers and consultants from anywhere I could. We worked
with another local youth club to facilitate trips to the country. In
other words, we realised that if we were serious about making
a difference, then we needed to explore how we could work
in partnership with other groups. We needed to harness the
resources of the whole city. Perhaps an advantage of being
a small church was that our inadequacy was obvious. But
whatever our church context, the challenge we face in our
city is too big for any one group to transform alone.
What could this mean for you?
• How could you support other churches or local groups in
envisioning young people?
• Is there someone you know who could train as an
Ascension Trust Schools Pastor?
• Could you arrange work experience or a tour of your
place of work to give some young people in London a
taste of different opportunities available to them?
10

LOOKING TO CHRIST’S POWER
Christine Goodall is a surgeon who founded “Medics
against violence” in 2008. They campaigned really hard to
get the legislation around knife crime changed so people
would be more likely to get a mandatory sentence. There
was also, at the outset, a lot of stop and search. But ten
years later she said: “You can arrest as many people as
you like. You can search as many people as you like. You
can throw away the key if you want to. It just won’t solve the
problem.” It takes something far more powerful. The great
thing is that God has given us two powerful weapons to
wage war with: prayer and the good news of Jesus Christ.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
Prayer can stop battles and change the outcome of
conflict. Asa prayed “Lord, there is no one like you to
help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our
God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come
against this vast army” (2 Chronicles 14:11). It can certainly
feel like we face a vast youth army issued with knives. We
have found ourselves sustained by God’s help.
We don’t presume to know the Lord’s will. But we realise
that it would be foolish not to trust the promise of Christ
that when we pray, he can change history. He can cause
the army of young people carrying knives to cease and
desist. Our experience is that we pray and plan. Then
people emerge to be part of RISE, keep coming back and
have been changed. Since we started RISE seven years
ago with three kids, two whole families have become part
of the church and ten teenagers went along to a Christian
summer camp last year. Only one boy, out of the many who
have been involved in the scheme, has been caught up in
serious youth violence. We are grateful for God’s mercy in
response to our prayers.
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL
It was as the gospel took deeper root in the Apostle Peter’s
life, that his attitude to conflict was transformed. He wrote:
“Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you
should follow in his steps. When they hurled their insults
at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no
threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges
justly.” (1 Peter 2:23-24)
We often want to talk about purely human solutions: Why
don’t the council keep them occupied? Why don’t the police
crack down? These are important questions. London youth
often believe that carrying a knife makes them safer. In fact
they need to know that the opposite is true. The bottom line,
however, is that more youth funding, more stop-and-search,
tougher sentencing or clearer statistics will never solve the
fundamental problem – that the “heart is deceitful above all
things” (Jeremiah 17:9). The problem is not merely social, it is
spiritual too.
The devil was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). So
he rejoices to see young people lashing out in anger and
death rates rising. Since he’s also a liar, it pleases him for
Christians to believe the lie that the weapons God gives us
are ineffective in the war against knife crime.
Only Christ transforms hearts from war makers to peace
makers, because it’s his gospel that “teaches us to say
“no” to ungodliness and worldly passions” (Titus 2:12). Only
Christ guarantees a day when swords will be beaten into
plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks (Isaiah 2:4). Only
Christ gives us the promise that he will relieve our mourning
and comfort us in our sorrow (Revelation 21:4).
WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
• Do you pray as a church pro-actively about the issue of
youth violence?
• Are you still convinced that the gospel can change
hearts?
• Are you equipping your children, godchildren and church
youth to share Christ with their friends?
WHERE NEXT?
I have only been able to scratch the surface of our journey
these last seven years. Instilling purpose and working in
partnership summarise the long term strategies that are
widely agreed necessary to stem the tide of serious youth
violence. I praise God for the hard-working volunteers who
have made it happen. But above all, we’ve learnt to keep
looking to Christ for help and hope.
If I were to point you to one resource to understand these
issues better, it would be the videos and training available
through powerthefight.org.uk
JASON ROACH
is the Pastor of The Bridge Church Battersea
(@bridgebattersea) and the Founder of
RISE Academy (@RISELeaders)
ARTICLES 11

Many will have noticed the media fuss caused by
an Instagram post by Israel Folau, the Australian
rugby international. He posted on his public
Instagram account:
You may well question the wisdom of posting something like that on social media,
but it was one word that caused him to be sacked. It was not the adulterers nor the
atheists who were outraged. It was his mentioning of homosexuality that was the
source of fury. Why is this?
ARTICLES 13

Being true to our feelings is viewed as essential to human
flourishing in the 21st century. Denying ourselves is seen as
bad. Looking within to discover who we are is good. This
is true even in the magical world. Back in 2007 the final
Harry Potter book was published and Harry’s heroism was
seen in dying at the hands of a dark lord in order to save
the lives of others. By 2018, in Fantastic Beasts and Where
to Find Them, the tragic boy, Credence, is forced by his
mother to deny who he is. Yet suppressing his true magical
self causes him and others devastating harm, in the form
of an ‘Obscurus’. It’s a very modern message – you have
to be true to your feelings; to deny them is outrageous!
Consequently, anyone who prevents someone expressing
themselves is evil. It’s important to recognise the power
of this message – to declare that people with same sex
attraction should not indulge in gay sex is now viewed as
an oppressive and evil opinion.
So, how can Christians speak about this topic? It’s no
good stating that “homosexual practice is wrong”. The
vast majority of a younger generation will think you’re
mad. Some will have friends who are same sex attracted
and enjoy committed and fulfilling relationships. I don’t
think communicating on this topic on social media enables
Christians to relate to others with kindness, dignity and
respect. I don’t think it’s wise or persuasive to a world
which assumes we must be bigots. However, we do need
to remember that for all his mistaken tone and poor use of
media, Israel Folau is theologically correct. He was only
paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Do not be deceived:
neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor men who have sex with men nor thieves, nor the
greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will
inherit the kingdom of God.”
This is an issue upon which salvation can turn. The apostle
Paul is clear that you cannot be a Christian and practice
unrepentant gay sex.
Now I think it unlikely that we would want to engage on
specific Bible passages, in an initial conversation with
an unbeliever, on issues of sexuality (even if we desire
to open a Bible with them at some stage). What can we
usefully say? Let me suggest three things:
The purpose of marriage
The Bible begins with a marriage in Genesis 2 and ends
with a marriage in Revelation 19. It is one of the dominant
metaphors of the Bible for how God relates to his people.
God loves us faithfully and will never let us go and human
marriage is meant to demonstrate that. This is why adultery
is viewed as the worst of sexual sins (it features in the 10
Commandments and in Deuteronomy 22 it is worse than sex
outside of marriage). Adultery is a denial that God is faithful
to us. The longest reflection on this theme is in Ephesians
5 where Paul declares that marriage between a man and a
woman is a picture of Christ and his church. But you cannot
replace husband-wife with husband-husband or wife-wife,
otherwise you’re saying that Christ is the same as his church
or that the two are interchangeable and we are the ones who
make him holy. You cannot swap them around!
I don’t think this will persuade a non-Christian to change their
mind, but it is perhaps an explanation, which can make sense
to people, of why it matters to us Christians.
The importance of sex
Perhaps we might ask a question: “Do you think someone can
only be fulfilled if they are sexually active?” Modern culture
is a little divided on how to view sex. For some it is a mere
appetite like hunger or a recreational activity like swimming.
Yet for others it can be exalted as the source of relational
intimacy. The assumption is that without consensual sex you
cannot be fulfilled. It’s worth questioning that. Does it mean
that every unmarried person is emotionally unfulfilled?
I don’t think many would put things that strongly. I would want
to talk about the church family and the quality of friendships
that people find there. In a healthy church there will be plenty
of single people – be they never-married, divorced or widows
– who can say that they have a number of fulfilling relationships
amongst their friends. In many of our churches will be people
who are same-sex attracted yet say they are not defined by
their sexual desires. They choose to follow Jesus and place
great value upon their friends. I would want to gently suggest
that the view that “You can only be happy if you’re having sex”
is a weird one. Hopefully our church families model that there
are plenty of people of different ages and sexual inclinations
who are very happy living celibate lives due to the friendship
of others.
14

Can our friends
and colleagues see
that we value the
friendship of Jesus
above all else?
The friendship of Jesus
I think it’s worth being frank and telling people that
they’re unlikely to understand the Bible’s view on this
unless they grasp how wonderful Christians think Jesus
is. A friend of mine is a senior executive in the fashion
industry. Many of the people he worked with and loved
described themselves as gay and sometimes would ask
him, as he was known as a Christian, what he thought
about their sexuality. He always answered the same way:
i) The Bible teaches that every man and woman is made
in God’s image and he loves all of us – whatever our age,
race, nationality and sexual inclination. He made us all and
he loves each one.
ii) Jesus is clear that marriage is designed to be between a
man and a woman. It’s meant to teach us of his commitment
to us.
iii) You know that I care for you as a friend, but if you think I
can’t work for this organisation holding the personal views
that I do then I shall have to resign. I don’t want to do that
because I love working here. But if I’m forced to resign,
I’ll do it because I don’t want to cause you distress and
it’s a faint echo of Jesus’ sacrificial love. He was willing to
die unjustly for the people he loved, so I think I can resign
so that you know that following Jesus is so great that it’s
worth giving up everything to know him.
He’s challenging, isn’t he? In the end, I wonder if what we
say may be less important than how we live, and what
people see that we love. Can our friends and colleagues
see that we value the friendship of Jesus above all else?
Standing firm in loyalty to Jesus, may cost us in a
world which is sexually confused. We must ensure that
our conversation is respectful, thoughtful and kind.
Communicating on this issue in emails, texts and on social
media is probably unwise. But if we treat all others with
respect and dignity in our personal conversations, yet still
suffer mockery, exclusion or a warning from HR, then we
need to remember that standing with Jesus is worth it. He
did warn us that we would not always be popular, but he
also tells us that we cannot really lose: “Whoever wants to
be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross
daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life
will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
Luke 9:23
MATT FULLER
is Senior Pastor at Christ Church Mayfair. Matt explores
these ideas in more detail in his forthcoming book Be
True To Yourself (The Good Book Company, January
2020).
having “the talk”
With sexuality and gender hitting the headlines on a
weekly basis, and with shifting attitudes towards people
who hold “traditional” and “progressive” views towards
these issues, we asked two members of Co-Mission
churches to write about what we can do to represent our
faith in a world that is ever increasingly hostile towards
Christianity and its social and moral implications.
These articles are a starting point. With all conversations
there is nuance, and there is a relationship behind it, but
we hope the following case studies will give us room to
think, pray, and encourage us to stand firm in our faith, and
speak out for Christ in our daily lives.
ARTICLES 15

SEXUALITY AND THE
SCHOOL RUN
From 2020, the government is proposing
compulsory ‘Relationships Education’ to be
taught in all primary schools. Children will
be taught a positive view of non-traditional
families, relationships and sexual identities.
Secondary school children will have compulsory
‘Relationships and Sexuality Education’. Parents
will not have the right to withdraw children and
may even be fined for keeping children off
school on days when these are taught.
Opposition from the world is normal for the
church and our children are not protected
from this. As parents, Sunday school teachers
and youth group leaders we can help children
to know truth in order to develop healthy
identities and relationships themselves. We
can also encourage and equip them to engage
compassionately and courageously in this world
and not retreat in fear from it.
First, we must build relationships with our
children in which we can discuss truth. There
are errors about God, his world and how we
are to live already ingrained within science,
geography, history, religious education and
English literature curriculums. Children primarily
go to school to learn how to think and we must
nurture in them the ability to critically question
the things that they are taught, in all subjects,
against the unchanging truths of the Bible. This
is harder when children become teenagers and
talk less with their parents, and so youth leaders
must serve families and help teens to question
and think deeply about what is true and wise,
versus what is popular and culturally accepted.
In doing so, we raise children to become adults
who will live as ‘sheep among wolves’, but who
are ‘wise as serpents and innocent as doves’.
Second, it is important that Christians have the
missionary vision to consider becoming part
of school communities. It is vital that Christians
join PTAs, attend Parent Forums and most
crucially, become governors; Christians who
will have a voice to influence schools and
build positive relationships with teachers that
will challenge their perception of Christians as
bigots and intolerant. It is crucial that Christian
teachers adopt PSHE leadership roles and so
shape the pastoral curriculum, and influence
which guest speakers and outside agencies
are coming into schools for PSHE lessons
and assemblies. Christian teachers should be
ambitious to become head teachers or join
senior leadership teams in order to be a voice
for gospel truth within schools and to protect
Christian freedoms.
Third, as parents, Sunday school teachers and
youth leaders, we must work hard to ensure
our children treat all other children with dignity
and kindness. Children use the word ‘gay’ as a
pejorative and we must teach against this. We
must encourage them to love the child who is
seen as ‘different’ or the teen who ‘comes out’
as homosexual. We must raise them to know
that Jesus has come so that all sinners, gay
16

and straight, can be his and can be forgiven to
love and enjoy God forever. We must also show
them how to discuss and disagree graciously
and not seek to win or put-down.
Finally, we must ourselves build friendships
with parents from all kinds of family set-ups. We
must open up our homes to welcome in those
who think very differently to us in all areas of
life, including sexual ethics, the people outside
our normal circle of friends. We should regularly
have people like this at our dinner tables. Our
children must see us welcome them in, listen
to them and love them well. This hospitality will
open doors to discipleship in a culture that is
hostile, intolerant and suspicious of Christians.
It reflects the truth that God is hospitable and
as image-bearers, we too are to seek out and
welcome in all people.
The gospel is still the power of God unto
salvation and people are still dying in their
sins and in desperate need of truth. No
matter the cultural pressures we feel, or
the labels of intolerance or bigotry that
get applied to us, we must not flinch at
proclaiming the absolutes of Scripture in a
way that is kind and apologetically winsome
but also faithful and confident; and we must
disciple our children to do likewise through
compassionate engagement, not fearful
withdrawal.
JULIETTE ALLCOCK
is part of Christ Church Mayfair
Schools are changing and it is easy to
become anxious for our children. However,
the greatest things have not changed. God
is still sovereign. Christ is still a reigning, allsufficient,
and global Saviour. The Holy Spirit
is still active, omnipotent, and faith-creating.
The Bible is still wholly true and ever relevant.
ARTICLES 17

WORKPLACE WITNESS
What does UK employment law say?
Jesus commands us to go and make disciples
of all nations. What an opportunity God has
given us to do this in our secular workplaces in
the diverse city of London. But what protections
and constraints does the law place on us as we
witness?
THE LAW
This is a complex area, and what follows is only
a high-level summary.
Article 9 of the European Convention on Human
Rights provides that everyone has the right to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
This includes the freedom to manifest that
religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice
and observance in the workplace. Good news
so far. However, this freedom is subject to
limitations including the protection of the rights
and freedoms of others. The upshot is that both
European and domestic UK caselaw make a
distinction between bearing Christian witness
and “improper proselytism”.
Things get more complicated because of the
UK’s definition of harassment. In the workplace
context harassment is: “unwanted conduct
which has the purpose or effect of violating a
person’s dignity or creating an intimidating,
hostile, degrading or humiliating environment”.
The unwanted conduct has to relate to a
protected characteristic. Any religion or belief,
including unbelief, is a protected characteristic.
There are broadly seven further protected
characteristics including sexual orientation.
Given this, it is relatively easy to inadvertently
trip into unwanted conduct territory with a
non-believing colleague, or a colleague of a
different religion or sexual orientation when
discussing religious belief. If a conversation
went badly wrong, this could result in being
on the wrong side of an internal grievance by
the colleague alleging they felt harassed by
the Christian colleague. It does not matter that
our intent was to lovingly hold out Jesus. What
matters is how our intended loving actions are
received.
If an internal grievance found that an
employee has harassed another, an employer
is likely to invoke their disciplinary policy. A
Christian employee could find themselves
subject to a disciplinary process for being in
breach of its employer’s equality and diversity
policy for “harassment”. Generally speaking,
if an employee has been employed for two
years they have protection from being unfairly
dismissed and it is likely to be unfair to dismiss
an employee for a first offence without
warning them first. Dismissing for a first
“offence” may well be religious discrimination
against a Christian employee if they have not
previously been told to stop their actions.
The test for justifying discrimination in these
circumstances is whether the employer is
following its legitimate aims proportionately
and it’s arguably not proportionate to dismiss
for a first offence.
18

However, the law is also clear that an
employee will not succeed in a claim for
religious discrimination where they have been
instructed to stop proselytising, but continue
to do so during their employment. What
constitutes during employment is very wide:
it includes work drinks, socials, conferences,
and social media usage (including on one’s
own device outside of working hours), where
the relationship has some connection to the
workplace. The suggestion you are friends, as
well as colleagues, and the conversation was in
that context is not a total defence.
PRACTICAL IDEAS
So where does this leave us? Should we stop
talking to our colleagues about Jesus? Of
course not! However, it’s wise to:
• Give colleagues a clear choice when
inviting them to events/into further
discussion about our beliefs: “You may/
may not wish to come/be interested in this
which is fine, but….” If they say no respect
that.
• Remember that a drink after work,
or a comment on a WhatsApp group
with colleagues, will be covered by an
employer’s equality and diversity policy: be
loving and careful in what you say.
• If following up on a conversation with a
link to an invite, use words like “here’s
the invite you wanted/asked me to
send on”.
• Claim the protection we are afforded
under our employer’s equality and
diversity policies. Ask colleagues not to
use Jesus Christ as swear words. Tell
them any other swear word is fine. They
might ask why
• Remember that if asked to participate
in “diversity” initiatives, such as LGBT
support days, you can say no: explain
your position carefully and lovingly.
• Think about how anything you write
down might be construed, without any
context, by a third party applying the
definition of harassment.
Finally: pray, pray, pray, being watchful and
thankful, that God may open a door for our
message so we may proclaim Christ.
ARTICLES 19

HOLDING OUT
CHRISTIAN HOPE
IN CONTROVERSIAL HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Almost every day in the media we hear of a
new and shiny medical development that
promises to bring hope and happiness to the
world we live in. From gene therapy to saviour
siblings, it can be easy to only see the end
result of these advances and the potential
alleviation of a particular form of human
suffering, but not look at how we got there or
the potential implications.
In 1 Corinthians 10:23, we read that many things
are possible but not everything is beneficial
and constructive. How do we navigate the
array of issues in a way that honours God and
his word and is worthy of the calling we have
received?
As Christians we need to be equipped to
engage well with medical ethical issues and
in so doing point to Christ.
A BIBLICAL FRAMEWORK
The morality behind our ethics is dependent
on our worldview. One helpful framework is
to look at an ethical issue through the lens
of the global story of the Bible - creation, fall,
redemption and restoration.
For instance, DNA is not specifically
mentioned in the pre-industrial, agricultural
narrative of the Bible. But understanding that
God is the creator and sustainer of all life may
help inform our response to new advances.
ABORTION
It is estimated that 1 in 4 women will undergo
an abortion in their lifetime. Abortion was
legalised in the UK in 1967 and is permitted
if two doctors agree that one of five specified
grounds have been met. For example, it is
legal if before 24 weeks, the risk of injury
to the mother’s physical or mental health is
greater than that of the abortion.
The main arguments for abortion are: ‘my
body, my choice’ (autonomy), ‘it’s just a
bunch of cells’ (what constitutes a person)
and preventing suffering of the child, mother
or family as a result of the pregnancy
(compassion).
There is evidence linking abortions with
detrimental mental health consequences and
prematurity in subsequent pregnancies.
The abortion debate is emotive and polarising
and we need to be aware that there are those
among us who may be personally affected.
Jesus was sent into this world through an
unmarried teenager. He was a 16-cell embryo
and a 12-week old foetus and even in this
small and vulnerable state was recognisable
as our Lord and Saviour. As we respond let
us first listen well, and then speak truth, full of
grace and seasoned with salt.
Alongside a biblical perspective, let us
remember that all truth is God’s truth and that
there are also “non-religious” arguments from
specialists which can be compelling.
20

TRANSGENDER
Last year over 2500 children and young
people were referred to the UK Gender
Identity Development Service, up 25% from
the previous year.
Transgender is an umbrella term for people
whose gender identity/expression differs from
that typically associated with their biological
sex. Gender dysphoria is a condition where
a person experiences discomfort or distress
because there is a mismatch between their
biological sex and gender identity.
There is an increasing push to make
changing one’s gender a streamlined and
de-medicalised process based on selfdeclaration.
We should be questioning whether pubertyblockers,
hormones and irreversible surgery
are the most beneficial way to address gender
dysphoria.
God created us male and female but we live
in a broken world filled with disease, distress
and disorder.
What hope can the gospel provide to those
affected as we sensitively engage? Let’s
speak of the real hope in the face of suffering
and brokenness offered by Jesus Christ.
This is grounded in the arguments of
relieving the distress caused by the conflict
(compassion) and allowing for self-definition
based on a person’s own self-defined truth
(autonomy).
Some with gender identity incongruence
experience real distress from this and
evidence also suggests that these individuals
are more likely to have other psychological
conditions. De-medicalising this complex
condition could deprive these individuals of
crucial assessment and advice from mental
health professionals. One study found
that thirty years after undergoing medical
transition, the suicide rate was 19 times higher
among transgender adults than among the
non-transgender population.

EUTHANASIA
Euthanasia is where someone intentionally kills a person
whose life is felt not to be worth living. Although illegal in
the UK, there has been increasing pressure from various
groups to change the law. The main arguments are: “It’s
my choice” (autonomy), “my suffering is unbearable”
(compassion) and “care costs too much” (economics). The
prominent cases in the media are often complex and do
not represent the average dying patient.
As Christians, we are to uphold the sanctity of human life
made in God’s image, and to have Christ-like compassion
for those who suffer.
Suppose your grandmother was diagnosed with a terminal
illness such as cancer. The law currently protects those
who are vulnerable (such as the elderly, the disabled, and
those unable to speak for themselves), but if the law was
changed to legalise euthanasia, there could be undue
pressure on your grandmother and the family to hasten
death.
Employing faith-based arguments with non-Christians is
often not immediately effective. Nevertheless, we can
still talk about (on terms they might accept) the excellent
provision of palliative care (‘killing the pain, not the patient’)
and the current protection of the law for the vulnerable.
Opinion polls suggest that many are unsure about this
issue and so may be persuaded once they’ve heard these
arguments – so let’s be encouraged to speak out credibly
as Christians for those who can’t speak for themselves.
POINTING TO JESUS
With advances in healthcare and medical technology, we
are coming across more ethical issues. The prevailing
secular principles (to the exclusion of all others) of
individualism and autonomy mean that we cannot ignore
these conversations as followers of Christ.
In our conversations, we can with joy and conviction point
to a creator God who made us in his image and values life;
a God of justice who cares for the weak and vulnerable; a
relational God who loves us and gave his only Son for us.
Jesus came to reconcile us to God, empathise with our
sufferings, comfort us through the Holy Spirit and point to the
glorious future hope we have where there will be no more
pain or suffering.
How can I be better equipped to engage?
Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) unites and equips
Christian doctors, nurses and midwives to live and speak for
Jesus Christ.
CMF gives a united, powerful and credible voice for Christians
in healthcare to speak out in society. If you work in healthcare,
CMF can help you serve your church by equipping you to
explain these issues overcoming any fear or anxiety in
engaging in these conversations for the sake of the Gospel.
CMF also produces an excellent range of easily accessible
online and print resources for all ranging from contraception,
infertility and abortion to transgender and euthanasia
cmf.org.uk
DR. RACHEL OWUSU-ANKOMAH
is a Surgical Doctor, CMF Head of Student Ministries and
part of Brixton Local Church
DR. FELICIA WONG
is a General Practitioner, CMF Head of Graduate Ministries
and part of Christ Church Earlsfield
Although living in an increasingly hostile and Godless
culture, we should not despair and withdraw but rather
welcome these as incredible opportunities to speak
into our society with words of wisdom and hope, with
graciousness and pastoral sensitivity, remembering that
people may be personally affected by these issues.
22

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L O V E
A N D
MONEY
“The people of this world are more shrewd in dealing
with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell
you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so
that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal
dwellings.
‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be
trusted with much, and whoever is worldly with very little
will also be worldly with much. So if you have not been
trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you
with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with
someone else’s property, who will give you property of
your own?
‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the
one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one
and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.’
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were
sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, ‘You are the ones
who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God
knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable
in God’s sight.”
LUKE 16:8-15
24

What I’m about to write is pointless and unhelpful unless
it’s from the Lord. So stop for a moment and meditate
on these words of the Lord Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit
to convict you and change you to be like Jesus in
your heart for the lost and your attitude to money.
Go on, pause, re-read and pray!
RADICAL GENEROSITY IN PRINCIPLE
Maybe you’re wondering why I’m connecting your heart
for the lost and your attitude to money. That’s because
Luke 15 is all about God’s heart for the lost (lost sheep, lost
coin, lost son), and now Jesus is saying ‘prove you have
God’s heart for the lost, by the way you use your money’
When I preached on this passage I summarised it with the
title See the future, act now! and then broke it down into
3 points:
1. Money is a tool for eternity (v8-9)
2. Money is a test of trustworthiness (v10-12)
3. Money reveals your heart’s desire! (v13-15)
Then I concluded by saying “Teach your money a lesson:
give it away!”
Basically, money used with worldly motivation is detestable
to God (v15), but money given for eternal purposes is a
wonderfully liberating gift from God! Jesus says God
will entrust you with more and more (money and other
responsibility) if you trust him enough to give it away.
You can be just as worldly with “very little” (v10) as you
can with “much”. Jesus is not only calling the wealthy in
the church to radical, entrepreneurial generosity, but also
those living on the poverty line, or living on student loans.
If we highly value worldly wealth by hoarding or craving it
then, according to verse 15, we are detestable to God. We
are self-justifying, self-reliant sinners who are so spiritually
poor that we need to be rescued. But if we realise that the
Lord Jesus Christ poured out his wealth to pay the price for
our poverty and to make us spiritually rich (2 Corinthians
8:9) then we can commit to giving away the money we
have (and even the money he hasn’t yet given us) for the
sake of winning other lost sinners to that amazing gospel.
Jesus challenges us to see if we can out-give God. Be as
shrewd as you can to live on less, so that you can give
away more. Then you can begin to experience the joy of
verse 9: “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for
yourselves so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed
into eternal dwellings.” For example, you give money to
buy Bibles for missionaries to distribute in Burundi and
when you enter eternity you’ll be greeted by Burundians
who thank you that your money played a key part in them
coming to know Jesus – what a joy!
IT’S NOT JUST THEORY - IT WORKS
One of the reasons I’m writing this article is because the
Lord has made giving a source of great joy for me and I
want to share the love! He did that by getting people to
speak into my life about radical generosity at a young age
and then giving me a diverse range of opportunities to put
it into practice. Over the last 20 years, I’ve been able to
see what it’s like to apply these principles in almost every
wealth bracket (except super-rich and extreme poverty).
As a 17 year old, I read a testimony about a young student
who found that as he gave 10% of his miniscule income he
went from always drifting into debt to finding that he had
money left over each month which he could give away. I
tried it out and found exactly the same thing happened
as I lived on £6000 (actually £5,400!) a year as a student.
Then I moved to London in 2003 and visited a big city
church one Sunday hoping to meet some bankers who
could help me find a job quickly. I met a guy from Merrill
Lynch – I can’t remember his name or what he looked like,
but he said something that changed my life. He said, “You
don’t need my help finding a job, but what you do need is
to know that a graduate salary is enough to live on for the
rest of your life, so start by giving a good chunk and then
as your salary increases, give it all away”. At a similar time, I
heard a talk to workers by a non-pastor who said, “A Pastor
earns £X, so if you earn more than that, give all the extra
to gospel work, and if you’re left with too little then make
sure your church pays your pastor more!”.
As I started living by these principles, like many others
I’ve spoken to, I found that as I gave money away more
came into my account unexpectedly, enabling me to
give even more. I have also experienced times when
the Lord has withheld more money but the general trend
didn’t stop when I left my well-paid city job to train for
ministry. By then I was married and we had more than
we needed to self-fund the next couple of years, so we
got rid of the excess. Yet after two years of self-funding
we had the same savings we started with – which I really
can’t explain! Now that we’ve got three kids, living on a
pastors’ salary means we’re treated by the government
as if we’re below the poverty line. That means we can
apply for tax credits so that when we give more away,
the government tops it back up to the tune of £10,000/
year! This is an area where wealthier church members
could team up with poorer families to provide a safety net
if they ended up accidentally giving too much away. This
is part of living out biblical church life: “All the believers
were together and had everything in common. They
sold property and possessions to give to anyone who
had need.” (Acts 2:44-45)
ARTICLES 25

With your help, we are aiming to raise £20,000 this weekend.
These funds will be split two ways:
PRACTICAL IDEAS
Here are some other entrepreneurial suggestions to consider:
• Try spending no more than £1 on lunch when at work. Compared to the £5+ that many workers
spend you could save up to £1000 a year to give away. Use Gift Aid and it will be worth even
more. (Don’t do this if it stops you making friends with colleagues you could be witnessing to!)
• Use an accountant. For under £200 I have someone who can answer my questions to make my
giving and expenditure £1000s more efficient and tax effective.
• When a church needs a house for the Pastor I’ve seen people increase the % mortgage on their
own house to lend the money to the church at an interest rate much lower than church could
borrow. This makes it far cheaper for the church to buy than to rent.
• Insure your life. I realised that giving all our savings away might leave my family destitute if I died,
so I’ve insured my life for £450k at a cost of £14/month until our youngest is 21. Now we can get
rid of the burden of more worldly wealth without being irresponsible!
• Give radically into a new ‘shrewd dealing’ gospel fund. My sermon in Luke 16 happened just as I
came into some inheritance – so in application the Lord promted me to set up a Charitable Fund
designed to invest assets entrepreneurially for kingdom purposes; a kind of gospel hedge fund.
Normally these funds are exclusive to the super-rich, but my aim is that anyone with a windfall,
some inheritance or excess savings (however small or large) can give into it. You can give cash,
shares, a garage or a plot of land etc into this Fund and the trustees will use their financial
expertise to invest it profitably. You maintain ongoing influence on which charities/gospel projects
the profit goes to, including your local church (which should be your first priority).
If you’re interested in finding out more about this Fund or want to talk through how to be more
entrepreneurial with your own money, email me via giving-article@co-mission.org
- Acts 4:32-35 is possible!
ALEX LYELL
is Senior Pastor at Streatham Central Church
26

Co-Mission is about reaching London for Christ. It’s why we exist. We
desperately want to reach the wonderful diversity of contemporary
Londoners with the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
W E R E A C H
L O N D O N
F O R
C H R
D O
H O W
I S T ?
We’d love for them to know who Christ is, what he’s done and why he
matters. We’d love them to put their faith in him and experience the
forgiveness of their sins. We’d love them to follow him as Lord and
discover for themselves his liberating way of life. And we’d love to do
that together, rather than as independent, disconnected churches.
But how are we going to do that? It’s a good question.

The simple answer is ‘planting churches’. But that’s a ‘tip of
the iceberg’ answer. There’s more that needs to be said:
How are we going to plant? Which type of churches are we
going to plant? Where and when are we going to plant?
These are the kinds of questions that land on my desk. We
want to be responsible stewards of the people, money,
time, energy and opportunities that God has entrusted to
us.
In the past, our church planting has been primarily organic
and opportunistic. God has presented us with gift horse
opportunities. And wonderfully he’s given us the faith
not to look them in the mouth. Recently, we’ve made
concerted efforts to be organised in our church planting.
Let me explain what I mean:
ORGANIC
Our organic church planting has come through the
numerical growth that God has given to some of our
ministries. For example, planting Fairfield Community
Church (that went on to be renamed Cornerstone Church
Kingston) from Dundonald Church in Wimbledon. A
significant crowd of people travelled to Dundonald from
the other side of the A3, largely from New Malden and
beyond. So it made good sense to start a new congregation
in the Kingston area.
We continue to help church leadership teams think
through opportunities both for internal multiplication of
congregations and for planting into areas untouched by
gospel ministries. Some of my time is spent working with
Senior Pastors and local church elders as they consider
nearby opportunities to plant new congregations.
Obviously, if this were our only model of church planting
then the rate at which we could plant would be limited by
the growth of individual churches.
OPPORTUNISTIC
Our opportunistic church planting has taken the form of
revitalizing churches and pioneering planting. Revitalization
has been especially fruitful in the Church of England
through the Diocese of London. For example, Rupert
Standring and a team from Emmanuel Church Fulham
were sent to revitalize St Peter’s Fulham. We continue to
liaise with organisations like the Church of England, the
FIEC and the Grace Baptist Association to identify and
act on opportunities. Increasingly, such organisations are
approaching us to ask for our help.
Pioneering planting is the adventurous, high risk but
potentially high reward church planting trialled in the
Antioch Plan project launched in 2014. Pioneering planting
is really congregation planting in embryonic form. Usually,
we’re talking about an entrepreneurially minded planter
with a willing and able wife who seek to recruit a launch
team from their existing networks and evangelistic activity.
It’s bold. BLoC epitomises this approach. Jay and Julie
Marriner were willing and able to plant a church in Brixton,
and were convinced that God would provide them with the
resources to do so.
ORGANISED
In addition to growing organic church plants and grasping
opportunities, we also want to be getting more organised.
Co-Mission is a network co-operating together to plant
churches rather than simply a collection of churches
who once were planted. Therefore, we co-ordinate
our resources and think about how to launch plants
collaboratively. For example, Christ Church Earlsfield was
planted by Christ Church Mayfair, Dundonald and Christ
Church Balham working together. We’re currently involved
in a consultation with a handful of churches in South East
London to try to plant a new church in a significant Greater
London suburban town.
OBSTACLES
As you might expect, there are many obstacles to our
planting endeavours. Church planting on paper is very
easy. But church planting in practice is a very different
beast, and not only because it involves people! There
are things that make starting new churches difficult to do,
and we’re working together on trying to overcome those
difficulties.
For example, church planting costs money. There are
always two questions to answer and we’re keen to
distinguish them. First, what will it cost to plant this church?
Secondly, how are we going to pay for it? The answer
to the first question is well established and understood.
Assuming a planter earns the average national wage, has
a pension and rents a three-bedroom house then there
is little change from £60,000 a year. We can tweak the
arrangements but that won’t fundamentally alter the costs.
The answer to the second question has many forms,
but the issue is one of fundraising. And God has been
consistently good to us through the sacrificial generosity
of many who’ve contributed their financial resources.
29

Church plants need pastors who can get churches up
and running and are willing to live with the uncertainty
involved in planting. That’s a different skillset to being a
church pastor. And so we need to keep recruiting men
who have the ability and capacity to survive and thrive
under a different set of pressures to a more predictable
pattern of ministry.
Finally, church plants need church planting teams. If we are
to extend our activities beyond the neighbouring suburbs
of our existing churches, we need people who are willing
to be enterprising, and willing to move. That’s going to
be easier for those who rent and who’ve yet to put down
roots in a local community. But hopefully the gospel needs
of our city will make some of us face the possibility of
relocating to help get a new church up and running.
These are some of the obstacles we face. There are
others. But let’s move on to the outcomes of our prayerful
deliberations.
OUTCOMES
What’s happening behind the scenes? As you might
expect, it’s an ongoing conversation. We’ve learnt lots
over the last 15 years and continue to learn. Whilst we’re
not quite yet in possession of a faultless grand plan, we’ve
moved beyond the back of a paper napkin with which Jay
Mariner and I sketched out a five-year plan for BLoC.
There have been some encouraging outcomes from our
prayerful consideration and ongoing discussion, including:
1. We’re paying renewed attention to our training
pipeline. We want to keep encouraging men and
women to consider our Ministry Training Scheme.
We’re hoping that from within this group some will
emerge who are keen to be involved in planting. In
addition, Andy Harker has been beavering away
behind the scenes planning the launch of a London
Church Planting Academy which will build on our
collaboration with existing church planting partners
and foster greater coordination and cross-fertilisation
of best practice.
2. We’re identifying potential locations that could become
church planting hubs, much as Raynes Park has in
South West London. And so we’re doing what we can
to understand the social geography of our city. We want
to build up a picture not simply of which churches are
where, but who is where, how long they’re there for,
where they go next and so on. For example, a central
London church like Christ Church Mayfair can plant,
every few years, into a zone 2 or 3 suburb 20 minutes
tube journey away. They’ve done that in Haringey in
the North East and they’re planning to do it again in a
different location in 2-3 years’ time.
3. We’re working with like-minded, Bible-believing churches
and organisations to deepen our gospel partnerships. I
spent a very enjoyable morning in April with a group of
church leaders in a Co-Mission regional cluster exploring
possibilities in their patch of London. We’re liaising with
organisations like the FIEC, the Church of England and
London City Mission to open up opportunities. It may
be that the churches we help plant aren’t Co-Mission
churches. That’s alright. But some choose to be so. We’re
helping to plant new churches in a couple of London
locations right now with church leadership teams who
are on the same page as us (theologically speaking) and
who would like the church to be a part of our network of
churches. That’s exciting.
Our tagline is A Passion, for Planting, for London, for Christ.
We know why we’re planting churches: for the glory of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We know where we’re doing it: this great
diverse and densely populated capital city of ours. And
we’re getting better at how we’re doing it: we’re focussed
on planting because although we’ve got lots to learn, we’re
aware that the Lord has already given us experience and
expertise in developing successful strategies for planting.
We’re asking people to hang around and be part of something
bigger than their own Christian lives, than even the life of
their local church. And for that to be a credible ask we’ve
got to show them the plan. This brief article can only scratch
the surface of what’s going on behind the scenes. I hope
it’s encouraging. Please pray for us as we work on planting
RICHARD PERKINS
is Director of Church Planting for Co-Mission and lead
planter at Bridge Church Peckham.
30

A N D
J O S H
R A JA
, E S T H E R
R I C K
Rick is married to Esther and they have a 6-month
old son, Joshua. Rick and Esther first met at a
Co-Mission Mission Breakfast in October 2013
with a joint desire to share the gospel with those
who haven’t heard.
Rick became a Christian in 2007 from a Hindu
background at Christ Church Balham. Having
practised as a medical doctor for a number of
years and having worked in a mission hospital in
Madagascar, he saw the desperate and urgent
need for people to hear the good news of Jesus.
He completed a ministry apprenticeship, the
Cornhill training course and studied theology at
London Seminary.
Esther grew up being taught about Jesus by her
parents and grew to love him for herself as a
child. She worked as a PE teacher for 12 years,
served as a missionary in Ethiopia for 3 years,
completed the Cornhill training course and is
currently on maternity leave from being the Youth
and Children’s Worker at Grace Church Worcester
Park.
Rick is currently doing a part-time masters
in theology at Puritan Reformed Theological
Seminary, USA and working as a doctor. Both
are getting their heads around parenting whilst
preparing to plant a church in North East London.
A meeting with London City Mission (LCM)
identified Clayhall and Barkingside in North
East London as high priority: It is culturally and
ethnically diverse but a spiritual desert. The 2011
census revealed 61.1% Asian/Asian British make
up with 21.5% Hindu, 25.7% Muslim, 10% Sikh,
9.2% Jewish.
A group of four churches (Woodford Evangelical,
Grove Hill Evangelical, Salway Evangelical and
Grace Church Wanstead) who have worked
together in mission for many years have been
praying for a new work to be established in
the same area. Rick and Esther have been
in discussions with these four churches,
Co-Mission and LCM about how they could work
together to establish a culturally diverse church
plant in Clayhall and Barkingside. A church that will
glorify God, proclaim the gospel, make disciples,
train up leaders, send out gospel workers and,
God willing, plant more churches.
They are looking to move in January 2020, to
connect with people and the communities there,
to establish a leadership team and recruit a core
team from the four partnership churches. Weekly
meetings would begin at their house as a “house
church” as they study God’s Word together,
pray and plan. Members of the core team
would be looking to get involved in community
activities as a means of establishing and growing
relationships within the local area. This is all with
a view to launching a public Sunday gathering
within 12 months. You have read the desperate
need and overwhelming passion for the gospel
but their ultimate motivation is to obey the Lord
Jesus’ command to “Go and make disciples of all
nations”. For Rick and Esther that starts with our
own nation and our own city of London.
ARTICLES 31

DA N I E L
E VA N S
&
W E S T
T H O M A S
“We are the West and the Evans families and
we’re moving to London to join the church
planting efforts of Co-Mission. We look forward to
learning from the Co-Mission family and working
together to reach the unreached living in London.
Quite simply, Jesus has made all the difference in
our families and we look forward to sharing the
transforming story of the Gospel with Londoners
in the years ahead.
“Our families met through our common church
home: Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh,
North Carolina. We have become good family
friends over the last five years and enjoy
watching our kids be rambunctious together. Our
families dreamed up the idea of planting together
three years ago while on a short-term mission trip
in Canada. God has worked in our hearts and
everyday circumstances to lead us to this point
where we are en route to London. We are excited
about the potential of London. As well as being
one of our favourite cities in the world, London
is uniquely poised as a place of global influence.
“We are heading to Queen’s Park with the hope
of planting a new church. The Borough of Brent
is the most ethnically diverse Borough in all of
England - the nations are here. Queen’s Park
is a neighbourhood full of families and young
working professionals. We are eager to reach the
unreached and make disciples.
“Leaving home, friends, and family is no easy
task. There is so much that we love about life
in Raleigh. God has been very kind to us there
and we have so many memories of how God
has worked among us so graciously. Yet there
are times when God leads us to let go of some
things we love in order to take up other things we
love even more. In this new season, we set aside
certain comforts and conveniences to embrace
a new way of life among people we are quite
excited to be with.
“For some family and friends this seems like a
foolish decision. Yet, we believe God sent his Son
to be our Saviour so we gladly pack up and move.
The cross is our motivation in moving to London.
God’s commitment to getting glory for his name
is our assurance as we dig in with this new work.
“We are so grateful for the leadership and
hospitality of Co-Mission. We connected with
Richard and Perks over a year and a half ago
and have found them to be two of the kindest,
most challenging, and most encouraging men we
know. We love the work of Co-Mission, the heart
to reach the unreached and make disciples,
and steadfast commitment to fulfilling the Great
Commission. We are looking forward to learning
from the good work that is being done within the
network and doing our best to join the cause. We
look forward to getting stuck in with you.”
“While we are Southern Baptists by tradition,
we simply hope to plant a church rooted in the
gospel, founded upon the authority of the Word
of God, focused on the Lordship of Jesus Christ in
all of life, and committed to multiplying disciples.
32

MIDWEEK
LUNCHTIME
WORKPLACE
MINISTRIES
JIMMY BELL
From my little pocket of South West London
I’ve noticed something: Men and women seem
disaffected. Whatever the reason, they’re just
not sure that life is working out as they expected.
Perhaps they’d been told that they could achieve
anything with enough effort (the ‘Olympic
promise’: what elite athletes say when they’ve
just won a medal). Perhaps they’ve been lead to
believe that they’re the most special person who
ever lived, and they just have to stay alive for
total success to occur (the ‘X Factor syndrome’).
Or perhaps they’ve given life their best crack and
now find that they’re less...less...well, just less!
Whatever one’s experience and stage of life,
there comes a time when one reflects and asks
questions of one’s own worldview. Whether we
are just starting out or retiring, our worldview
matters because our life adorns it or hangs off
it. For some, a significant life event brings them
abruptly to a place of questioning, for others it’s
just the passage of time that prompts them to
rethink. Sadly, some carry on defiantly, without
questioning their worldview, even when it’s
clearly not living up to expectations.
As Christians, we already know that it’s not about
us. Our unbelieving friends may also know that.
However, the massive thing that sets us apart from
them is not our particular ‘take on things’ but the
gospel. It’s the gospel that has informed us of our
true identity (forgiven sinners) and brought us into
the Kingdom of the Son he loves (Colossians 1:13).
It’s the gospel, therefore, that gives and maintains
a right perspective on the things of this life.
Whilst some of our friends may be pondering
whether their worldview is one worth keeping,
they don’t know the gospel yet and so can’t
choose it. The god of this age has blinded the
minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see
the light of the gospel that displays the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians
4:4). They may tweak things, see a Life Coach,
‘take ownership’ etc. but not even really, really
clever folk can work out for themselves that they
need the gospel. How can they believe in the one
of whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14b).
The gospel message is simple and unchanging.
The challenge for believers is to work out how
our friends can hear it. One of our aims must be to
give everyone (school gate parents, sports club
friends, work colleagues, clients, contemporaries,
family members and neighbours) an opportunity
to hear the gospel.
We, as Christians, can serve our friends by
enabling them to hear the gospel. That may be in
a 1:1 setting, a community forum like church or (for
workers in Central London) through a midweek
lunchtime workplace ministry. There are initiatives
happening throughout London, many of which are
affiliated to Gospel at Work; a group of (currently
19) lunchtime talks, providing a platform for public
gospel proclamation and encouraging gospel
ministry in the workplaces of central London.
The really terrific thing about these initiatives
is that, whilst being united in the gospel, the
individual groups are free to adjust to their
immediate culture (Farringdon is different to
Mayfair, for example). Gospel at Work also helps
to stage a mission fortnight each year, called
Questions for Life, where Christian workers can
bring their friends to a variety of weekly and oneoff
events across London.
Midweek lunchtime ministries don’t only provide
gospel proclamation. They can also offer training,
discipling, 1:1s (using Word121 or A Better Hero,
etc.), prayer groups, Christianity Explored courses,
group bible studies and the superlative joy that is
fellowship.
Find your nearest midweek ministry at
gospelatwork.org.uk
ARTICLES 33

WHEN
EVANGELISM
FEELS
IMPOSSIBLE
COMING TO JESUS BEFORE GOING TO MAKE DISCIPLES

I
Imagine giving a child a bucket and
commanding them to empty the ocean.
It’s a ridiculous request and way beyond
the realms of possibility. But if the child is
young enough they’ll get started with a joyful
enthusiasm and give it a go. But that won’t
last long. They’ll soon get tired and realise
that the work is futile. And give up.
Jesus gives a command to his disciples that
sounds equally improbable. The sheer scale
of what Jesus demands is breathtaking in
its scope. Jesus is about to leave the earth
and return to heaven. He is standing on
a mountain with his disciples. There are
only eleven of them left, and they are still
psychologically reeling from watching their
friend be arrested, crucified, and now be
alive again. Some are doubting, most are
confused, some are worshipping. Hardly the
sort who can change the world. But Jesus
looks at this unlikely bunch and says:
Go and make disciples of all nations
MATTHEW 28 V 19
The sheer enormity of the command is
staggering. He isn’t asking them to simply
go to their family, or village or even their
country. He is talking about nations that they
don’t even know exist. By any stretch of the
imagination, this is not possible. But this is the
plan. And it has always been the plan. Right
from the beginning God’s intention was to
bring his blessing to the whole world. All of it.
Jesus understands that plan and so he issues
the command.
DAUNTED
That command continues to ring out to this day. Down through the
centuries Jesus commands his followers to:
Go and make disciples of all nations.
When I hear that from the lips of Jesus, I feel just as weak and
overwhelmed as the first eleven disciples standing on the mountain.
I’m daunted as I look at the sheer numbers of people who have never
heard about Jesus in our world. In fact, come to that, I’m daunted by the
number of people who live on my street. The task feels too big. Some
people are really good at doing that, we think, but not me. Added to
that I have another problem. Often I don’t feel very excited about the
task of making disciples. I know I’m supposed to be doing it but I find it
is really hard to speak about Jesus to my friends. I feel constantly guilty
that I should be doing more. And even if I manage to reach one or two,
it is hardly reaching “the nations”. It can seem fairly futile and pointless.
Like emptying the ocean with a bucket… I think lots of Christians find
themselves in a similar situation and the guilt goes on increasing. We
think we must have gone wrong somewhere. Is it really supposed to
feel like such a burden?
LET’S GO BACK A BIT
The last command Jesus gave his disciples was to GO. But what was
the first command Jesus gives them in Matthew’s Gospel?
Come follow me ... and I will send you out
to fish for people
MATTHEW 4 V 19
His final command was to GO. But his first command was to COME. This
is essential for us to understand if we are ever going to be the joyful
disciple-makers that Jesus is calling us to be. The relationship that
exists between coming to Jesus and going out from Jesus is critical.
The plan to reach the nations does not rest on our shoulders but on
his. It isn’t me and my bucket. It is Jesus and his great power. And that
changes everything.
ARTICLES 35

COME AND JOIN ME
So when Jesus calls his first disciples to come to
him, he is calling them to come and join in this
great mission. Jesus clearly thinks that being
involved in this mission is a great, great privilege.
That is why he doesn’t bury disciple-making
somewhere deep in the small print of following
him. Rather he starts with that as the number one
reason why his disciples should come and follow
him in Matthew 4 v 19. It is so striking. I think if
I was trying to persuade people to leave their
livelihoods and their homes then I would think
long and hard about what I was offering. I would
want to make sure that they could see all the
benefits that were in store for them. So we might
expect Jesus to say, “Come follow me and I will…
forgive your sin. Or I will… give you life. Or I will…
take you to heaven”. But instead Jesus says,
Come follow me ... and I will send you
out to fish for people.
In the way that Jesus sees the world, disciplemaking
is not the downside of being a Christian;
it is the great privilege. Perhaps we need to ask
God to change our perspective on evangelism…
So when Jesus issues the command to “go
and make disciples” it is wrapped up with great
statements about the nature of Jesus.
All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.
MATTHEW 28 V 18
COME TO ME
There is a relationship to be cultivated, there is a
King to be followed, there is a rest to be found,
before we ever run off to get on with obeying.
Jesus is not raising an army of activists. He is
calling an army of disciples who will delight to
follow him. You see exactly the same thing in
Matthew 11:
Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light.
MATTHEW 11 V 28-30
Jesus is contrasting himself to the religious
leaders of the day. They loaded people up with
heavy burdens that they could not carry and then
refused to lift a finger to help them. They told
people to Go and do. The result was that people
were left defeated and crushed. Jesus hated that
attitude. So it would be extremely strange, and
frankly wrong, to imagine that as Jesus left this
earth his final command was designed to burden
his disciples with a crushing weight that they
had to carry. There must be more going on. The
reason that we come to him is that his shoulders
are broad enough to carry the burden. He is able
to take responsibility. The task that is impossible
for us is absolutely possible for him.
Jesus is the rightful King. We do not need to
feel as if we are trying to persuade people to
join a club, or change their lifestyle a bit. We are
calling people to leave one kingdom and be part
of the Kingdom of Heaven. It could not be more
significant.
JONTY ALLCOCK
is Senior Pastor at The Globe Church,
Southbank. This article was first published online
by The Good Book Company.
Surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.
MATTHEW 28 V 20
As we engage in making disciples, we know that
Jesus is with us, equipping us and fishing through
us. This really is a privilege.
36

WHAT DO WE DO WHEN GOD’S COMMANDS SOUND IMPOSSIBLE?
Most of us find opt-outs and excuses, or pretend we’re doing better than we are.
But what if obedience could be a life-giving joy rather than a job, a delight instead of duty?
“This uplifting and challenging book will
liberate believers from the despair and
frustration of feeling that God asks us to
do the impossible. Whilst God does give
us humanly “impossible” commands, the
glorious good news is that he makes it
possible for us to obey them!”
JOHN STEVENS
National Director, FIEC
“Here is an encouraging and digestible
book about obedience! Grounded in
Bible truth, these chapters give not just an
argument but a call that’s clear and full of
hope.”
KATHLEEN NIELSON
Author, speaker
“Writing with the same thrilling clarity as in
his preaching, Jonty offers us a fresh and
exciting perspective upon the apparently
impossible commands of God, giving
us real hope of experiencing the joy of
obedience that Christians long for. ”
RICHARD COEKIN
CEO, Co-Mission & Senior Pastor,
Dundonald Church, Raynes Park

A PASSION FOR PLANTING, FOR LONDON, FOR CHRIST
16
22
28
17
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21
23
27
10
13
A
20
4
9
14
1
6
8
11 15
18
19
24
26
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25
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2
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38

OUR CHURCHES & PLANTS
ESTABLISHED CHURCHES
PIONEER PLANTS & REVITALISATIONS
L U
A
W
1
ST MICHAEL'S FULWELL
16
GRACE CHURCH, MUSWELL HILL
B
M
2
KING'S CHURCH WALTON
17
CHRIST CHURCH MAYFAIR
3
CORNERSTONE CHURCH KINGSTON
18
BRIXTON LOCAL CHURCH
4
5
6
7
8
KEW BAPTIST CHURCH
GRACE CHURCH WORCESTER PARK
ROEHAMPTON STUDENT CHURCH
DUNDONALD CHURCH, RAYNES PARK
THE BOATHOUSE CHURCH, PUTNEY
19 STREATHAM CENTRAL CHURCH
20 HOPE CHURCH VAUXHALL
21 MOSAIC MULTICULTURAL CHURCH, ELEPHANT & CASTLE
22 ST PAUL’S HARRINGAY
23 THE GLOBE CHURCH, SOUTHBANK
9
ST PETER’S FULHAM
24
BRIDGE CHURCH PECKHAM
10
ST JOHN’S CHELSEA
25
LONGHEATH CHURCH, CROYDON
11
CHRIST CHURCH EARLSFIELD
26
NEW LIFE CHURCH, CATFORD
12
HOPE CHURCH SUTTON
27
LONDON SLAVIC FELLOWSHIP, SILVERTOWN
13
ST ANDREW’S CHELSEA
28
BECONTREE CHURCH, DAGENHAM
14
THE BRIDGE, BATTERSEA
15
CHRIST CHURCH BALHAM
L UNCHTIME MINISTRIES
A
B
WESTMINSTER @ ONE
MIDWEEK IN MAYFAIR
E
ARTICLES 39

EVENTS CALENDAR
28 JULY - 9 AUGUST 2019
Contagious Camps
contagious.org.uk
5 JANUARY 2020
Co-Mission Sunday
25 JANUARY 2020
Co-Mission Women's Day
29 FEBRUARY 2020
Co-Mission Men’s Day
19-21 JUNE 2020
REVIVE
at The University of Kent
in Canterbury
Keep up to date with Co-Mission events
co-mission.org/events
40

THIS MAGAZINE,
BUT ON THE
INTERNET
-
co-mission.org/articles
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co-mission.org
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