The long and winding road of leadership

While the call to leave local church to join the Evangelical Alliance was a very clear one, it was also a strange one. I love local church; I believe that local church is, as Lesslie Newbiggin pointed out, ​“the hermeneutic of the gospel”. We understand and experience the gospel best in the life and practices of the local church, as it witnesses and worships continually among a community. I am passionate about that, so for God to call me away from the daily work in one place to a role that would take me across hundreds of churches throughout the UK was a big step.

However, looking back now I can see the Lord’s plan and His faithfulness – it has been a really wonderful and sometimes challenging journey. There are certain things that have been consistent throughout, God’s goodness and me wondering what I am doing here! 

Several years ago I filmed two Bible study courses for the Evangelical Alliance. One was called ​‘What kind of church?’ and the other, ​‘What kind of follower?’ I wanted to create discussion about the future of the church and discipleship. 

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I decided to make short films as introductions to each theme. For one of the themes we decided to go up a hill to shoot. Before long, it started snowing, it was freezing and I think I almost got hypothermia! In another, I was to walk along the beach near St Andrews. It was a beautiful shot taken with a drone and a camera. But what you can’t see in the video is what was happening ​‘behind the scenes’; the tide was starting to come in and my new shoes were getting soaked – I was really suffering for my art! Fortunately the material proved to have great impact and was widely used and inspired conversations way beyond what I could have imagined.

The gift of unity

However, I could never take total credit for such amazing opportunities and victories without acknowledging God’s hand in all things. And in doing so allowing me to collaborate and work with some amazing people. Firstly, the staff team at the Evangelical Alliance have been fantastic to work with. They have all been on a journey with Jesus, some fairly new to faith, others further on in their walk. Staff represent various denominations and don’t all agree on every point of theology, but they are all striving to serve Jesus together. I am always struck by the genuine desire of the staff to serve their Lord, to do the best they can and see transformation happen.

Of course, we are more than a staff team; there are our board and council members and thousands of individual members, organisations and churches. One of the great privileges has been to learn, grow and walk alongside the breadth of our organisation, and to see the people of God coming together in unity with a purpose. 

The vision that God has called us to, unity and action, is a powerful witness of grace and transformation. There is something wonderful when believers in Jesus come together as family and worship, pray and work together for justice and mercy. That was forcibly brought home to me when I was invited to spend a week on the isles of Lewis and Harris. I had a wonderful time preaching for a few nights at my friend’s church in Stornoway – the sense of the Lord’s presence was especially close as people worshipped their King. 

On one of the nights I was asked to go and speak and pray at another church prayer meeting. I love prayer and looked forward to it. When I got there the room was packed and the the night was to begin with an open time of prayer. As we started it became clear that this was a Gaelic language prayer meeting and I was the only one in the room who did not speak it. I tried to look holy and say amen at the right points and managed to get through it, while the people smiled graciously.

The beauty of leading as God leads us

I have been blessed in a position of leadership. Christian leadership has had a bad time over the last few years, but there are amazing leaders serving Jesus across the UK, serving in churches, but others in business, the arts, sport, education and politics – the list is endless as Christian leaders work quietly and effectively to try and bring about nations of justice and mercy. It has been great fun, although everyone doesn’t always agree and meetings have their challenges – the work of the kingdom is serious stuff! But as we try to discern what the Lord is calling us to, the desire is always for the glory of the Lord. There was also lots of laughter, collaboration and prayer too.

I am especially grateful that the various heads of the Evangelical Alliance also became friends: The late Joel Edwards, Steve Clifford and Gavin Calver. All had different styles and gifts, but all had a passion for Jesus, had honest, caring hearts and believed in unity and the power of the gospel to transform lives and communities.

Leadership comes in various forms. From those who lead well in their workplace or family to those who lead in church, or sometimes maverick people who follow a vision. When I think of maverick people who follow a vision I think of Craig and Denise Mackay. They are a couple from the Highlands who felt that God was calling them to start an open air Christian holiday/​festival in the highlands to promote unity. At first, they had little encouragement, but they had prayer, tenacity and a willingness to commit their own time and energy. Now, eight years on, 1,000 folks meet in the beautiful Castle Gordon gardens in Morayshire to worship, pray and encourage one another. It may not be the way some people want it, but it took vision and leadership and we need more of both in Scotland.

Any given week, I could be leading prayer at an event for thousands of people, sharing the gospel for a church of 20, or writing about mission and culture. My work of the last 20 years has been varied. Sometimes it has meant being in challenging meetings with politicians or doing radio and TV interviews. My first radio interview didn’t go great when the host announced me by the wrong name, then called me Frank all the way through!

The work changes day by day. In the midst of it all I have found remembering a couple things really helpful. Firstly, God is the God of eternity. This meeting might seem important now, but keep an eternal perspective on things. Secondly, remember that in the Bible there is a story of God talking through a donkey (Numbers 22:21 – 41). He still does, so never think you are more important than you are!

Another area that I have witnessed is the area of pressure, particularly spiritual pressure and opposition. This has come from both inside and out of the wider church, primarily through social media, but also clear spiritual attacks. It is not easy standing up for an evangelical worldview in the UK today. Even if your posture is one of openness and care, there can still be serious opposition. The Evangelical Alliance staff need continual prayer for encouragement and protection. They do amazing work, but sometimes it is challenging and responses can be harsh. I know they would value your prayers.

I am grateful to God for my time at the Evangelical Alliance. However, we are in a changing season in the church. For some God is still pruning and it is painful and there is decrease and loss. For others there is growth and great encouragement. It is a time for unity, creativity and bold mission. As I move back into local church I will be praying that the Lord will continue to use the Evangelical Alliance to help strengthen the church.