Evangelism is not solution for Church pensions bill worries, says Church Army boss
8 July 2007
Tomorrow (Monday 9th July) the General Synod of the Church of England will be told that a concern for evangelism should not come from fear.
Mark Russell the new Chief Executive of Church Army and member of Archbishops' Council,will say that a drive for mission should not be motivated by worries that the church can't pay its pensions bill, or by fears that there will not be a church in 20 years time.
33-year-old Russell, who was a guest on the BBC's Heaven and Earth show today, is described by the Church Times as the Wayne Rooney of the Anglican church. Russell is passionate about restoring a strong focus on mission and evangelism here in the UK and Ireland. In a rarely granted address to Synod, he will be speaking on the impact of Church Army, the Anglican mission agency celebrating its 125 anniversary this year, and will focus on how his organisation is meeting the challenge of sharing faith through words and action in an increasingly secular society.
He will also call for a renewed focus on unity of purpose for the church around mission and say that; "In this modern world, this Google generation needs different models of church...our agenda, our passion, our zeal is what the Church so desperately needs."
The talk will cover the need for compassion, co-operation and the desire for church to be contemporary which Russell outlines as the 3 big c's at the heart of the work of Church Army sharing the Christian faith beyond church walls. He will mention the need for evangelism to start with people at the place they'd like the conversation to begin from.
The talk will also see the premier of Making History Bringing Hope - a new DVD on the work of Church Army which is available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/churcharmy
Church Army will celebrate its 125th anniversary later this year on November 15th with a service held at St Mary Abbots in Kensington where Church Army was founded by Wilson Carlile in 1882.
For more on Mark Russell see Twitter or web pages www.churcharmy.org.uk/markrussell
To view Making History, Bringing Hope see www.youtube.com/churcharmy
