Future Church

Daniel Ghinn leads Worship Works, formed from a passion to see business transforming lives and the kingdom of God going beyond an hour on Sunday. 

Paul wrote to the Colossians that when we work with all our hearts as though God is our boss, it's worship. 

Listen in as Anthony finds out more and they discuss the theology of work as a blessing - not a curse, as a calling - not a chore and as God's secret weapon to reveal His ecclesia to the world that everyone can be a part of! 

Find out more about Worship Works at worship.works

Find out more and sign up to LAUNCH at https://www.launchcatalyst.org/

Steve Small is passionate about Jesus and mission, especially in our urban estates and schemes. Steve is part of the staff team at Ivy Church leading us on deployment for mission. He has three young boys and is married to Sarah and together they head up the Eden Network for the Message Trust.   

Anthony says... “When I first came back to Manchester, Steve was one of the first people I met at Ivy Church where he had been a member for some years. From day one, the way he’s always shone is through servanthood. Anyone who knows Steve will tell you he epitomises the phrase ‘servant leadership’, always first to step up and bless others somehow. That kind of leadership is all too rare and that’s why at Ivy we have a phrase that we all want to ‘Be More Steve.’  

God gives grace to the humble and I know you’ll enjoy learning about the call and journey of Steve’s life and ministry to where together with Sarah he now leads the Eden Network, going to the places of greatest need, where the church is in deepest decline, urban missionaries are raised up to live sacrificially, share Jesus joyfully, and build true community.”  

Mary Thomason is the WTC Theology Hub Director in Manchester. She is passionate about theology, people, God’s presence and the Kingdom of God. Born and bred in Manchester, but has lived in Uganda, the U.S, and even venturing down south near London for many years. Mary has a BA and MA in Theology, and has worked in mission, church ministry and in business management. Over the years she has been involved with youth outreach, vulnerable women, the homeless and drug rehabs. Mary is a trustee for Amana, a charity focussed on education and food relief in Uganda.  

In this wide ranging discussion we learn about Mary’s life and call which has led her to not only study theology but live out her faith in numerous challenging and faith stretching environments and roles in various parts of the world.  

Anthony says, “I’m sure you are going to enjoy this one as much as I did! It was great to pick Mary’s brain about her time working with some very broken people in tough places, her heart for the supernatural and prophetic to be the church’s norm for ministry and her infectious enthusiasm that theology be accessible for everyone to help us learn to love and lead better.” 

Check out WTC Here: https://wtctheology.org.uk/  

And their events page here: https://wtctheology.org.uk/events/  

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Today Anthony is the guest, and he asks himself various questions including:

Will the local church make the world go WOW this Christmas (I mean in a good way, not ‘Wow – that’s so lame!’)

How can we make the most of the opportunities of this season?

Can you give us some practical ideas on how to preach and invite a response to God’s greatest gift.

How can we follow people up well and be welcoming to all?

What are the reasons and consequences of getting this wrong?

What are the biblical marks of a church that makes the world go WOW with regard to the Word, Worship, One Another, Wealth and where Wonders never cease?!

If you are interested in joining Anthony on the 6 week coached SUPERNATURAL CHURCH journey with Movement Leaders Collective follow this link - https://t.ly/lvEDg

My friend Patrick O’Connell is the Global Director of NewThing, the network which I and Ivy Church are privileged to be part of, which exists to partner with movement makers and catalyse reproducing disciples, leaders, churches, networks, and movements. 

Here he tells the story of how he came to faith, having met his wife in a punk rock mosh pit, joined the army, he went into business and while finally successful in worldly terms when he finally after 4 years accepted an invitation to go to church and everything changed! 

He went from church goer to church planter, now serving thousands of church leaders and planters worldwide through NewThing’s dream - to see a church planted in every community around the world.

We discuss, among other things - 

How might we help connect people far from God so they don’t just learn to cope, but receive hope. 

What army life taught him about teams and sacrifice, and how that applies to the army of God and ministry ‘in the blood and the mud.’ 

How do we collaborate and form networks that are all about the Kingdom not our own castles? 

The 4 Rs of NewThing 

Relationships

Doing this alone is next to impossible, so we have intentional rhythms for being friends on mission together.

Reproducing

From disciples to leaders, churches to networks, creating and catalysing reproducing movements is at the centre of everything we do at NewThing. 

Residency

This is what NewThing churches call our commitment to train and invest in the next generation of church planters, creating apprenticing pipelines for future church planting.

Resources

Networks pool their people, pennies, and platform to plant church planting churches together.

Come along to launchcatalyst.org and connect in person with NewThing so you’re not isolated and frustrated but encouraged and celebrated for all you’re doing for the Kingdom! 

I met Julian Richards at a wedding recently, and as we chatted immediately he felt like 'a brother from the same Father...'! 

He's the National Leader for New Wine Cymru (that means Wales in case anyone wonders), working together with over 700 other churches to collectively and collaboratively grow to help leaders develop healthy churches to win the nation. 

With his wife Sarah he leads Cornerstone, a high impact church  they founded in 1991 Swansea with a handful of young people in one of the most deprived areas of the city.

Today this thriving church is known across Wales for its community work, people finding Christ regularly and many physical healings. In 2014 they opened Venue2, a former supermarket, as a second Cornerstone site, which is where I met him.

Julian co-founded Gweini (meaning ‘to serve’ in Welsh), representing Christian, faith-based community work to the Welsh Assembly Government and wider society.  

He tells the story as we meet of how from very small beginnings but a commitment to missional growth and effectiveness, many other churches and ministries have been birthed, leaders equipped and local communities  transformed through the power of Christ and his kingdom.

This is a story of miraculous provision and remarkable spiritual openness in our culture that they are seeing more than ever (3700 people prayed to receive Christ in 9 days), but Julian is convinced the answer for Wales (and everywhere else) is NOT for 'another Welsh Revival' dropped down from above, but by disciples faithfully serving, loving and winning their neighbours and nation for Christ. 

We discuss; 

How what you learn as a skint church planter can set you up for a life of faith and impact rather than having it all set up in advance. 

What Bible college never taught you about faith. 

The difference between optimism and faith. 

Why we need courage as well as faith! 

Why we need to change our model of mission and ministry. 

New Wine Cymru - how it's similar and different to New Wine in England and elsewhere, as a non government collaborative model for effective mission. 

Connect with Julian - https://newwinecymru.co.uk/about/whos-who

Or via: 

https://www.cornerstonechurch.co.uk

Julian is going to join us at https://www.launchcatalyst.org and it's not too late for you and your friends and team to book in and join us too whether in the North or the South of England. 

I met Chris Wickland last year when he came as one of the guest speakers at a leader's retreat. I’ll never forget his incredible story of how he went from witchcraft to Christ. 

Having been aware of the supernatural realm and its realities more than most, Chris described seeing and hearing visions and dreams which have led to him publicly declaring major words regarding the church and the nations ahead of time. 

These include the rise and fall of various political leaders, Church closures across the world (publicly declared April 2019) to humble the church, providing insight to governments re natural disasters, and predicting economic upheavals and collapse both present and to come;

However as a Pastor-Prophet Chris says he always wants to bring hope not fear, so God’s people can be ready! 

As we talk I learn more about his story, his life (and deaths), hearing about how he was saved from a suicide attempt when as a new Christian he drove his car off a cliff, and how he has died and been resurrected (not just once, but twice!) 

You don’t want to miss this one!

Chris and Tracey Wickland pastor the Living Word Church Network in Hampshire.

Read more about Chris and his more recent prophetic words here -https://www.heartpublications.co.uk/why-we-need-a-joseph-generation/ 

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Join us at LAUNCHCATALYST.ORG 

An apostolic missionary to the UK, Jonathan came from Nigeria in 1991 to the UK for three weeks - when God told him he is here 'by divine design' - so he stayed! 

Having planted many churches and movements including the Global and National days of prayer, filling stadiums and raising faith - he focuses on claiming the rejuvenation of the church to continue the story from the book of Acts in our day! 

He is a deep well - so during our time as always I learned so much and I know you will too! Among other things we discuss what the gospel means and what it contains - going beyond cognitive to seeing miracles and full transformation. 

How do we grow in faith and power? 

What about excesses or character failings? 

What does it mean to not only ask in prayer but to with authority? 

Practical tools re fasting and focusing our churches in unity to mobilise and reach out and shine your light this Christmas. 

Jonathan will be a keynote speaker at LAUNCHCATALYST.ORG Join us! 

Connect with him and his ministry directly at ndopw.com 

I met today's guest when I overheard him in a coffee queue sharing in a very understated way how miracles started happening more and more, when he actually started praying for them! "I'd never seen a blind person see, but now it's happened quite a lot." I rather rudely interrupted - desperate to find out more, and if you are too you'll love to meet Thomas. 

He will be joining us at LAUNCHCATALYST.ORG this year (Starts at the end of October into November don't miss it) but here we discuss issues such as: 

Seeing the supernatural as a natural part of life 

Praying for friends and people in our neighbourhood

How his church plant, due to start just as Covid kicked in, ended up making global news bringing hope instead of stalling or stopping.

How our theology might unintentionally rule out the power of God operating in our churches, and how to steward those times when the Spirit is moving.

Find out more and connect with Thomas at https://aabenkirkekbh.dk/english

EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, KNOWING JESUS.

Well talk about a big vision! How can it become a reality? 

Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf will be joining us at this year’s LAUNCH (See launchcataylst.org for the best deal available for you and your team.  

Rachel is executive director of HOPE Together in the UK, having worked closely with the initiative since 2010, when she was the Church of England’s National Mission and Evangelism Advisor, and this episode is FULL of encouragement that you may not be aware of, and doesn't tend to get spoken about anywhere near enough. 

“I’m committed to evangelism being at the heart of the church,’ says Rachel, “Committed to mission and to the local church in villages, towns and cities, and committed to do this together across denominations and across ethnicities to make Jesus known with words and action. We are also committed to a new generation, engaging with Millennials and with digital culture as well.

You’ll hear how as well as being an expert on the stats and demographics from surveys she has commissioned we can have a great deal of hope for the future church.

Rachel as a passionate evangelist herself is seeing God move in exciting ways as she personally finds opportunities because people are way more ready to hear the good news of the gospel than most Christians are to pass it on!

This podcast serves to help you to do that, and help others to do so too - so please rate it, share and subscribe, and connect with Rachel in person at LAUNCH or at hopetogether.org.uk and please check out talkingjesus.org to not only be encouraged but equipped!