Evangelical Alliance launches new evangelism hub

The good news of Jesus is something we all have a role in sharing. That's the message from the Evangelical Alliance as they launch the Great Commission website to help Christians talk about their faith in Jesus.

Greatcommission.co.uk is designed to inspire greater passion for evangelism and empower churches and individuals to do more about it. The site brings together a variety of stories about people who have come to faith and also stories of different ways Christians are sharing their faith in their everyday lives.

Gavin Calver, director of mission at the Evangelical Alliance, said: "We are passionate about seeing every person in the UK given an opportunity to follow Jesus. That's why we've created the Great Commission website with stories, reflections and resources designed to inspire, equip and empower every individual Christian, and every church to be able to reach out to their community with the good news of Jesus Christ.

"Let's together make Jesus known."

Balbinder's story, shared in the run up to the site's launch, shows the power of the good news, she says: "Because I had been a Sikh for 50 years plus when I turned to Christianity my daughter, she sort of retaliated and she started going to the Gurdwara, which she never did before, just to annoy me. It used to upset me and then God spoke to me that I have to show her love. If I get angry, that's not showing her [love], so I used to say okay, but I continued to pray for her. Secretly she was reading on her phone the Bible and the verse that came to her was about Nicodemas talking to Jesus, and when Jesus said you have to be born again and she said it would not go from the app and it spoke to her and she was ready to give her life to Jesus."

The good news is at the centre of the Evangelical Alliance, the very word 'evangelical' comes from the Greek euangelion, which means 'the good news', and the Great Commission places it at the heart of the Alliance's activity, helping churches and Christians talk more about the good news of Jesus throughout their lives.

Graham Miller, chief executive of London City Mission, commented: "The Great Commission website is a wonderful resource for Christians in the UK. The thing about the UK is that we're a multicultural society. How do we reach all these different kinds of people, how can I be equipped to reach out to the Chinese international students near me, and the elderly, but also the youth and the kids? What a help that is, what a use that is, that the internet instead of just being a distraction can be a help for the Church."

Donald Bolt, administrative bishop of the New Testament Church of God said: "In general the Great Commission excites me in that we have an opportunity as Christians to be co-workers, so to speak, with God in the ministry of reconciliation. Helping to share with humanity that they have a way back to their heavenly Father, their creator and that, that broken relationship can be mended."

Lynn Green, general secretary for the Baptist Union of Great Britain, said: "We need to equip one another to share our faith and to be witnesses wherever we are. I'm really excited about the Great Commission website. It's wonderful to see all the resources that are available there; things to watch, things to read, practical things to do – I love practical things! We want to equip every Christian and churches in their witness, increase their confidence and help them."

On the site users can search for resources to use dependent on who they want to reach, what type of activity they'd like to start or using a specific season or festival in the year.

There are resources designed to meet a range of understandings of Jesus – for those who know a lot about Jesus but haven't made a commitment to become a Jesus-follower, and for those who are just beginning on their journey of discovery of the Christian faith.

Andy Frost, director of Share Jesus International, commented: "I meet many Christians who are passionate about sharing their faith but often don't know quite how to do it. So this website is one place they can go to where they can get a whole bunch of different ideas, different resources, able to be used in their context. They can be empowered to make Jesus known."

Tani Omideyi, chair of the Evangelical Alliance board, and senior pastor of Temple of Praise church, Liverpool, shared his excitement about the new resource hub: "What excites me about the Great Commission website is that finally there will be a hub that has resources there that are relevant to us. We've struggled to find the right kind of resources for the people we engage with, so we're looking forward to having a place where we can go and get resources, materials we can use for our training and equipping. Also for directly engaging with people who can't read, visually it's critical for them to hear the stories in picture, so the videos on the site will be brilliant for that. It's going to be great!"

You can keep up with the Great Commission via the Facebook page and on Twitter, and sign up to receive updates here.

greatcommission.co.uk