Last Saturday’s Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3561-2458965.html brought to many people’s attentions the plight of three University Christian Unions [CUs]. Birmingham, Edinburgh and Exeter Universities are thinking about, have threatened or have instigated legal proceedings against their Student Unions [SU] and their Universities as a result of what they regard as unlawful discrimination.

• At Exeter University the CU has been suspended from the SU because they insist that all speakers must sign a declaration of belief. And they have been told to disaffiliate from UCCF, which they’ve refused to do.

• At Birmingham University the CU have been expelled for not changing their constitution to allow non-Christians onto the CU committee.

• At Edinburgh University the CU has been banned from running a course that teaches the traditional Christian view about sex and marriage. The ban comes as a result of pressure put on the SU by people who oppose this view. The pressure has come essentially from the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Society who regard the material homophobic.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that these cases could have a significant effect on religious freedom in the UK. This discriminatory treatment by the SUs undermines three important liberties freedom of religious belief, freedom of religious expression and freedom of religious association.

In Acts 22 Paul appealed to the Roman Authorities on account of his Roman citizenship. The CUs are following his example in initiating legal proceedings.

What can we do?

Pray, asking God for three things

1. That He would continue to grant freedom to proclaim the gospel on University Campuses so that people of all religions or non can hear the gospel and respond to it

2. That the CUs and perhaps especially their leaders would stand firm under great pressure, contend for the truth and be gracious in the face of personal attack

3. For those involved with the legal proceedings

Write to the press and express support for the students, to the University authorities and our local MP explaining the situation at one or more of the targeted institutions.

For more information visit the UCCF web site at www.uccf.org.uk/news

Many women in our congregation would like to be married. As they get older the possibility begins to seem increasingly remote. Social convention, parental expectations and individual aspirations combine to put them under unwelcome pressure. Sustained reflection on their situation in life can lead to profound disappointment. The opportunities for sin to seize upon this disappointment and for it to become an occasion for resentment and bitterness are very real. In addition some may be tempted to try what has characteristically become known as ‘missionary dating’ in the hope that an unbelieving boyfriend will respond to the gospel and become an eligible option for marriage. A number in our congregation have either tried this, are in the middle of them or face increasing pressure to pursue these types of relationships. It would not be fair to suggest that the men in our congregation are guiltless in this matter though the problem is not as prevalent.

What principles ought to govern our thinking on a matter of great sensitivity?

1. Singleness is not inherently worse than marriage

The Bible teaches that both marriage and singleness have a central part to play in God’s purposes. It’s worth remembering that Jesus was single. In Matthew 19 Jesus says that some will remain unmarried because they were born unable to marry, some will have singleness forced upon them by circumstances and still others will renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom. Paul takes up this theme in 1 Corinthians 7.

2. Believers should not marry unbelievers

The Bible is very clear on this matter. The Old Testament pattern was never to permit intermarriage with people who were not part of the old covenant people of God. The New Testament applies the same standards to the new covenant people of God. The reasons for this are obvious. The believer and the unbeliever do not share the same spiritual status, the same spiritual priorities or the same spiritual destination.

3. Going out is a preparatory stage

‘Going out’ is not the same as marriage. Whilst the biblical prohibitions against ‘mixed’ marriages do not govern a period of ‘going out’ we must not be naïve about where these relationships could be heading. ‘Going out’ is a culturally acknowledged convention in which marriage is being considered. It’s also a context within which there is increased temptation for inappropriate sexual activity. If there’s no intention of marrying a partner it raises the issue of why an exclusive romantic relationship has been formed at all.

4. ‘Mixed’ marriages are fraught with difficulties

At the outset of marriage few people are able to look into the future and predict the problems that will arise. Paul alludes to the existence of tensions in 1 Corinthians 7 and church leaders would be able to flesh out the details from couples they’ve advised throughout their ministries. People need to see beyond the first few years of marriage and reflect on how life will operate once there are children. It’s often the case that our women have not thought beyond the first five years of marriage. When the implications of a mixed marriage are spelt out they find it emotionally distressing. We need to help them appreciate the difficulties ‘ahead of the game’.

5. Compatibility is overplayed but wise

We should avoid denying that compatibility has some merits. Sometimes in a knee jerk reaction to the stringent standards we can demand from a prospective marriage partner it’s suggested that as long as the person is a Christian, of the opposite gender, unmarried and not a close relative we should go for it. I’m not sure that wisdom would drive us in that direction. However, it would be worth remembering that no one is able to predict with any accuracy how circumstances will shape the development of our characters. Therefore what appears to be overwhelming compatibility in our twenties can become an occasion for disagreement and dissension in our forties.

How should we respond?

• It’s a matter of repentance and faith

The Christian life can be summarised as responding to the Lord in repentance and faith. We need to encourage those in this situation to repent if they have started inappropriate relationships. We also need to encourage them to entrust their futures to the Lord. Most of us find it difficult to trust the Lord when our lives are not going the way we would have designed them. But that’s when trust starts. Anyone can trust the Lord when things go as we’d like. We need to help people to resist the temptations to wallow in self pity, to harbour bitterness and resentment when they don’t.  

• it’s a matter worthy of great compassion

Without being patronising we ought to sympathise with the situation some of our women find themselves in. We’re not a congregation awash with young men and there is a cost to staying and contributing the gospel work of CCB. We should be careful in the terminology we use, the expectations we may fuel of the pattern of the normal life and the acknowledgement we give them that. Without wishing to pander to the sinful thoughts of others nevertheless those of us who are married ought to avoid complaining about our marriages. There are a few in our congregation who’d love to have a go at making a better stab of it than we are!

• it’s a matter that provokes male evangelism

There can be times when the emphasis given to male activities or male evangelism in our congregations is unwelcome. However, this view is short-sighted and ultimately un-loving. The statistics of male to female proportions in local churches make depressing reading. In general our churches are not reaching men. One of the ways in which we can show love to those who struggle with this is to support and encourage male evangelism. There are better reasons for male evangelism than providing blokes for our sisters in Christ to marry but it’s not an awful one. Without at this stage being clear on the specific implications of this it may mean that CCB cultivates a slightly more male friendly atmosphere.

• it’s a matter of great opportunity

Paul doesn’t share the negative view of singleness of our culture. Although we may mock the concept of ‘the spinster’ he thinks she’s in a fortunate position. She has opportunities for ministry and undivided devotion to the Lord not enjoyed by those who are married. In our churches those who are single perform much of the influential ministry. It’s no coincidence that Dick Lucas, John Stott, Jonathan Fletcher and Vaughan Roberts have influential ministries and they are single. The same could be said for Elen Elias, Helen Sheridan, Rosie Dunn & Carrie Sandom in the Co-Mission Initiative. It’s perhaps the case that some Christian women assume that life starts when they get married. We must encourage them not to waste the opportunities that God is giving them for useful service. The transformation that could be wrought in the women of CCB who struggle with this issue by the godly example and open acknowledgement of struggles with temptation in this area could be hugely beneficial. We ought to pray that God either gives us or grows amongst us a mature woman to help our women flourish in the situation God has called them to.

The following books and articles have been helpful on this topic

• ‘Don’t Date a Corpse’, Tom Seidler, Evangelicals Now July 2003

• Relationships Revolution, Nigel Pollock, IVP

• Hanging in There, John Dickson

• God, Sex & Marriage, John Richardson

• The Single Issue, Al Hsu

You’ll notice that men have written all of them so if there are others known to you written by women that would be helpful. In addition the chapter in What Could I Say, Peter Hicks, had some useful things to say. For example, the texts cited in Tom Seidler’s piece 1 Kings 11:1-6, Numbers 25:1, Nehemiah 13:23-27, 2 Corinthians 6:14&15, 1 Corinthians 7:39

A short talk given to encourage us half way through a busy year.

Knowing God Leaders Encouragement

Some of us have perhaps got to that stage in the year when preparing our studies, attending a Knowing God [KG] prep session, spending a Sunday evening at Female Co-Leaders, meeting up with our group members or looking out for them on a Sunday evening has become a chore and not a privilege. Let me read to you from 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3 and say 3 things to encourage you in your work.

1. You’re appreciated more than you realise

Most of us labour in ministry completely unable to judge the appreciation that those who we serve have for us and our ministry. I want you to know that in particular that you’re appreciated by two groups of people.

First, the elders appreciate you. We’re very British and very reserved and you may not have worked out that our silence on the matter speaks volumes for our appreciation for all you do! We couldn’t run KG without you and given that our small group work is essential to congregational health we’re very grateful for the sacrifices that you make throughout the year.

Secondly, the group members appreciate you. It’s likely that your group members rarely let on how much they appreciate the work that you do. It’s not obvious from their faces, their participation or their attendance at KG. But they do. In recent days, completely unprompted, two people have expressed how much they’re enjoying their small group and I think that’s a representative view. You’re appreciated more than you realise.

2. You’re achieving more than you realise

Most of us labour in ministry without a long-term perspective on what we’re accomplishing. Much of what we do is assessed by short-term improvement and that’s the way of discouragement. We’re dealing with people and there’s immense inertia that operates when it comes to changing the direction of life. We do have the exciting privilege of dealing with younger people for whom the tracks of life are not too deeply formed. And so for example I’m able to have conversations with people about leaving their secular work and becoming apprentices in the expectation that they might just go for it. They’re at a stage in life where the world hasn’t fatally bitten them and they don’t have to worry about huge mortgages or their children’s schooling. Most importantly their wives still work and can pay for the whole experience! But nevertheless we’re still by nature conservative creatures. And so I want to encourage you that through your labours God is at work in people’s lives though it may not be immediately obvious to us. People are becoming Christians, people are growing in their Christian faith and people are remaining Christians. We usually completely underestimate the importance of the latter category. But we’ve done a magnificent work if at the end of the year people still believe the gospel and follow Jesus Christ because it means we’ve helped them defeat the pervading and insidious influence of the world, the flesh and the devil. And that’s no small victory. You’re achieving more than you realise.

3. You’re needed more than you realise

Most of us labour in ministry believing that the congregation is full of people who could be doing a better job than we are. That is simply not true. But we don’t believe it. And so as someone expressed on the weekend away many of us ought to leave and help struggling works in other parts of the country and others will simply replace us. Let me reiterate what I tried to make clear then. Our ultimate aim is to help resource gospel churches as best as we’re able. But we need to be realistic about where we are in terms of our growth as a church. Though we have some very able people we’re still very young and we’re still trying to establish two congregations. The best way to help gospel churches in this country and abroad for the next few years is invest in helping CCB to grow. We desperately need people to stay, get involved in evangelism, run Christianity Explored and KG groups and build the work up. It’s by reaching Balham for Christ and watching God save people through our evangelistic endeavours that we’ll be in a position to be able to be generous with our people. We desperately need our leaders to stay. Your work is helping mature the next batch of group leaders. It’s helping those on the point of giving up the Christian life. And it’s helping those who struggle to understand the gospel at all. If you go then we’ll struggle to replace you. The truth is that there aren’t lots of other people who could be doing what you now do. Though few of us feel up to the task we’re at a level of Christian understanding, godliness and maturity that qualifies us to lead others. In addition you’re doing what the pastor cannot. Even at the size that we are now he cannot hope to see everyone regularly and encourage others in their Christian lives. I can try to see the leaders. I try and see some who I think show leadership potential. And I try and see those who are struggling for whatever reason. But I depend on you to be encouraging the members of your small group. We could not run CCB without your work. We’re involved together in gospel partnership and CCB needs you more than you realise.

Factors affecting growth of the evening congregation

I’m not absolutely sure that I’d plant the way we did four years ago. It’s hard to plant evening congregations within commuting range of central London for the following reasons.

1. The quality alternatives on offer in London

We were working against the grain with our evening congregation but that is less the case now. People tend to commute for work and they’re happy to commute to church. Central London congregations offer quality preaching, music and often most importantly an active social scene. At least that’s the common conception. I don’t want to bash the big churches and reveal my envy! I’ve become more ‘bullish’ about what God offers through our small local church ministry: quality relationships, opportunities for ministry and training and personal care throughout the week. But people are happy to commute to church for a number of legitimate reasons. I don’t wish to denigrate those that make this decision. I do however want to encourage people to consider the alternative. I also want to extol those who’ve forgone the larger churches in order to lend their support to a new gospel initiative. Those who’ve made the decision to join us have often done so for gospel reasons and that’s been a cause for rejoicing. As we get larger we will probably become more attractive to those who are slow to appreciate the benefits of joining a congregation like ours. Over the years we’ve had loads of people look at us and then go elsewhere, sometimes because they want a charismatic alternative but usually because we’re not big enough. That ought to change.

2. The ability and opportunities to do evangelism

Many of our evening congregation simply do not know people in the local area. Why should they? They commute to work and play sport or socialise with friends who live all over the capital. As people move into the area we’re beginning to develop pockets where people congregate to buy or let properties. Streatham Hill, or the Balham Borders as Foxton’s allegedly like to call it has become popular in the last year. And rightly so! But some within our congregation have exhausted their evangelistic opportunities among their more local friends. They’ve had years of trying to persuade friends to come to gospel events with little to show for their efforts. It may well be that the work place and lunchtime ministries prove to be more fruitful. That’s one reason why we’ll go on encouraging our people to get involved in those. There is the potentail for a mutually beneficial reciprocal arrangement between midweek gospel worls and local churches. But overall, I think that many of our crowd have been battered into submission by an increasingly hostile and antagonistic world. And so the value and necessity of regular apologetic preaching to win the lost and strengthen the regulars has been highlighted.

3. The mobility of people in at this stage of life

Inevitably job offers come along, people make career changing decisions or they go off travelling and so we lose people. That is a feature of London life and one of the frustrating factors in trying to build a gospel work. Very few people in their twenties are able to say what they’re doing in the summer let alone in a years time. That’s perhaps a little unfair but I’m prompted to follow Andy Fenton’s example who spoke to his South African contingent at St Andrew’s. He argued that for the sake of their long term usefulness back home they should extend their stay in Wimbledon for a couple of years. That way they receive training that will benefit people back home. It’s necessary to talk to people about staying for the sake of the gospel. We must not only welcome people in the front door but cut off their exits!

And so, under God, CCB was launched in October 2002. A group of committed people from Dundonald prayed for a year whilst I completed my training at Oak Hill Theological College. We began meeting in St Mark’s Rowfant Road. We started with an evening meeting about 25 people and I’m thrilled that the vast majority has stayed with us rather than move out of London. We moved to Chestnut Grove School a year later. By this stage we’d experienced modest growth and the proximity of this school to transport links, the ample car parking space and the flexibility of internal space made relocation of the evening meeting an obvious move. The Lord has been very good to us, the evening congregation continues to flourish and we regularly get over 70 people. Praise God!

The Idea for CCB

Richard Coekin the Senior Pastor at Dundonald Church Wimbledon had the idea for a church plant in 2001. We spoke about it whilst I was at theological college. I had done the Cornhill training Course, an Apprenticeship Scheme at Dundonald for 3 years, and a degree at Oak Hill Theological College. I knew Richard well and had established a close working relationship. He knew my strengths and weaknesses and I knew his. Co-Mission has received some criticism for taking back some of its apprentices and some of that is well intentioned. I have to say that during our recent search for an Assistant Minister the value of a ‘known player’ has been highlighted. The flip side is that those of us who lead will never let them mature and view them only ever as very junior colleagues!

We knew that the evening congregation in Wimbledon had reached such a size that they could contemplate launching a church plant in a new geographical location. There were a number of people travelling from the Balham area to Dundonald. This became an obvious place to consider. Balham has good transport links with the surrounding areas. Evening congregations, even those in the suburbs tend to be eclectic and so people could travel to us easily.

The Vision for CCB

The vision behind CCB is to develop a Bible teaching church in Balham to reach the young adults and families who live in this area. We were keen not to undermine the ministry of other like minded churches and we felt that we were far enough away from similar gospel ministries. There were already a number of other local churches. Some like Trinity Road Chapel, St Nicholas’ Tooting and Holy Redeemer Streatham Vale would stand with us theologically but others would not. There was some local opposition from the Charismatic Evangelical Anglicans in the area. Most of their concerns have proven to be unfounded. We’ve not been guilty of ’sheep stealing’ and their churches have continued to grow. I can think only of one person who came to us from a local Charismatic church. 

There are thousands of people not currently attending church. There is no doubt that good gospel work is being done through the ministries of some local churches. Yet more needs to be done to give a population who’ve grown up never attending church accessibility to the gospel.

The Mission of CCB

Balham is a rapidly changing suburb with an expanding young adult population. The area is undergoing rapid change as indicated by the recently opened M&S food, Waitrose, Pizza Express and Starbucks! Ten years ago it would have been an area where the predominant ethnic group was Afro-Caribbean. That’s no longer the case. It’s now full of trendy yuppies. According to figures from the 2001 census ¾ of the population of Balham are aged between 20 and 44. A further 10% are younger than 10 years of age. It seems that people move to Balham when they come to London. They buy their first flat when they gain a partner. They leave after a couple of children and move to the suburbs or out of London where they can get more for their money.

The Launch of CCB

We launched in October 2002 with 25 people from the Dundonald evening meeting. We started meeting in Chestnut Grove School very close to centre of town. We moved into St Mark’s Rowfant Road because we ending up meeting at the same time as another church! We began with an evening meeting and an independent mid week programme of small group Bible study, weekends away and evangelistic courses. We took the decision to become independent of Dundonald very early on in order to foster a distinctive CCB identity. That may have been a mistake. It meant that we felt small and vulnerable for a long time. It increased the preaching and preparation workload and that’s lots for an inexperienced pastor to deal with. We became weary and some began to wonder how God would bring growth. We should have kept small group Bible studies at Wimbledon and had a combined CE course. Interestingly with the launch of the All Age Congregation very few of us are anxious about the future. We’ve seen God grow us through an imperfect Bible teaching ministry once already!

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?

Our instinctive reaction is probably something like, ‘of course, why wouldn’t we, everyone else does?’ However, some of the European Reformers of the 16th Century and the English Puritans of the 17th Century refused to do so. They were right on most things and so at the very least we ought to approach this subject with some caution. It may interest us to know that Jason Robinson, the ex-England rugby player and committed Christian doesn’t celebrate Christmas either. At this point some of us will be worried. We know that Christians are already viewed in a negative light. The possibility of adding a ‘Stop Christmas’ campaign to the reasons why our friends are reluctant to give Christianity a hearing seems like shooting ourselves in the foot. You’ve got a point.

But there are two main reasons given for not celebrating Christmas.  

1. Christmas Day is not Jesus’ birthday

In his gospel, Luke tells us that Jesus’ birth took place at a time when the Judean shepherds kept their flocks in the fields. Winters in Israel can be very severe and so it’s unlikely that these events took place at the end of December. In addition Luke also tells us that those fastidious administrators, the Romans, organised a census for the entire population. It’s unlikely that they’d decree this during a time when it was difficult to travel. Therefore it’s very unlikely that Jesus’ birth took place in winter. It probably occurred after harvest and before the bad weather set in. Autumn seems our best guess. Although it gives us these clues, the Bible gives us no date for Christ’s birth. The Early Church doesn’t offer us any clues either since the earliest Christians don’t appear to have celebrated the event. The first evidence for the celebration of Jesus’ birth is found in a Roman document dated AD336. The inauguration of Christmas day appears to have been an attempt to ‘Christianise’ a pagan festival. Under Pope Julius 1st the Roman Church decided to replace the traditional pagan midwinter festival in honour of the Sun with what we celebrate as the birth of God’s son.

The 2nd reason given for not celebrating Christmas is

2. Christmas customs do not have Christian origins

For example Father Christmas is not related to God the Father. The original Father Christmas was St Nicholas a 4th Century Asian Bishop. He was a generous and anonymous [though clearly not that anonymous!] supporter of the needy. One day he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney of a family of needy girls. The purse landed in the stockings that the girls had hung up by the fire to dry. In his memory it became customary to give gifts on the eve of St Nicholas’ day. In our culture this tradition was transferred to Christmas day.

Christmas trees originate with an 8th century English missionary called St Boniface who went to Germany. He apparently encountered a group of people standing beneath a large oak tree ready to sacrifice a child to please their god. Boniface rescued the child and chopped the oak tree down. At its foot was a small fir tree and he gave it to the people as a symbol of life. In the 16th century Martin Luther, the German reformer, cut down a fir tree and took it home in the December of 1940. In the middle of the 19th century, Queen Victoria’s husband the German born Prince Albert introduced the Christmas tree into England. Woolworths have been doing the same ever since.

Christmas cards originate in the middle of the 19th century when the first one was made by Sir Henry Cole the founder of the Victoria and Albert museum.

Turkeys were introduced into Europe in the 18th century by an officer called Sebastian Cabot. He had been part of an expedition to the New World. This native South American bird was called a turkey because it was popularised by merchants from that country.

Most of our Christmas customs do not have Christian origins. But should that mean we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas? Not at all, for the following 3 reasons.

1. Christmas is part of our culture.

Most people are completely unaware of its origins and therefore what it represents today has little to do with where it comes from. If we were being cynical we’d suggest that Christmas has to do with materialism but that’s just an inherent danger and not the reason we celebrate it. I think that in most people’s minds Christmas is about with families, generosity and rest. Christians are all for those things and so we can be positive about Christmas.

2. Christmas is an opportunity for the gospel.

There are few times in the year when our friends seem to be as willing to come to church as Christmas. When they come they taste Church and they hear the news of God’s Saviour given for sinners. Why would we ever want to threaten that opportunity?

3. Christmas is especially significant for Christians

Christians get the best of both worlds. We can enjoy the emphases of families, generosity and rest as well as remember the birth of our Saviour. This makes it all the more meaningful.

So I’m all for it. Have a merry one.

A Covenant for the Church of England

On 14th December the Daily Telegraph reported that an ‘unprecedented coalition of evangelical organisations and networks’ had plunged the Church of England into a fresh crisis through the publication of ‘A Covenant for the Church of England’. The story can be found here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/14/nchurch14.xml.

The publication of this document is an exciting step forward. For those of us longing for a biblical Church of England it’s a thrilling read. However, it’s unlikely to prove popular. Vociferous opposition should be expected from organisations like ‘Inclusive Church’ and ‘Fulcrum’. Nevertheless, this is an exciting development. If the commitments are maintained it should mean that the Church of England will be more welcoming to the exercise of biblical ministry.

1. The signatories to the Covenant

The list of signatories can be found at http://www.evangelicals.org/news.asp?id=570. It includes those from a Reformed, Charismatic and Anglo-Catholic position. But it consists mainly of Evangelical leaders and representatives from a widespread coalition of Evangelical Organisations and. And so it reads like a who’s who of contemporary Anglican Evangelicals. We won’t have to search to spot familiar names. It’s reported that over 30% of the Church of England are represented. The churches represented account for over 40% of the denominational finances. This is a significant group of people.

2. The aim of the Covenant

The aim of the Covenant is ‘to set out where we as orthodox Anglicans stand and to invite others to join us’. However, in the light of the ongoing schism in the Anglican Communion there is a clear wish to align with those who seek to uphold biblical truth against those who represent the liberal revisionist movement.

3. The content of the Covenant

The content of the Covenant can be found at http://www.evangelicals.org/news.asp?id=565.

It essentially divides into two parts.

a. The first part is concerned with defining the identity of the signatories. They are those who ‘are committed to faithful biblical orthodoxy as defined in the classic formularies of our tradition’.

b. The second part is concerned with identifying the implications of seeking to maintain biblical orthodoxy at the present time. It outlines five commitments

First, there’s a commitment to innovative church planting across parish boundaries. The parish system is an inadequate by itself to reach a post-Christian society. Therefore it should no longer be viewed as an exclusion zone. Instead, quoting from a Church House Publication, The Mission Shaped Church, ‘ecclesiastical legal boundaries should be seen as permeable’.

Secondly, there’s a commitment to restoring the rightful significance and role of local churches in recognising, training and deploying new leaders. Ministry should no longer be constrained by increased centralisation and control by the institutional centre. Alternative Anglican recognition will be sought for those whom the Diocesan Bishop unreasonably withholds authorisation.

Thirdly, there’s a commitment to encouraging fellowship based on confessional faithfulness to biblical truth rather than simply administrative and structural involvement. Support will be offered to the vast majority of Global Anglicans will no longer tolerate association with those who refuse to uphold biblical belief or behaviour.

Fourthly, there’s a commitment to directing financial resources to biblical ministries in this country and abroad rather than subsidising the ungodly ministries of those who seek to reinvent the faith.

Fifthly, there’s a commitment to seeking biblically orthodox Episcopal oversight. Support will be offered to those who justifiably find themselves in positions of impaired communion.

The Covenant closes with these words, ‘We are committed, as authentic Anglicans, to praying, believing and working for a restored, reformed and renewed Church of England, holding its traditional convictions: confidence in the truth of God in his Word, in the sacrificial death of his Son for his world, and in the power of God’s Spirit to fulfil his mission’.

4. The impact of the Covenant

There’s always a danger that these will prove to be mere words and that when ‘push comes to shove’ nothing will happen. There’s also a danger that the intention of this Covenant will be misunderstood and perhaps even twisted. So that we’re prepared to know how to answer its critics the signatories have compiled a list of likely questions and provided short responses. This can be found at http://www.evangelicals.org/news.asp?id=570.

5. Our response to the Covenant

Those who would wish to express their support for the Covenant can do so in a number of ways

• We should pray that these words lead to action and that the commitment expressed in this Covenant develops into resolve and decision when it matters.

• We can e-mail one of the signatories, for example Paul Perkin, the Vicar of St Mark’s Battersea Rise on paul.perkin@stmarks-battersea.org.uk

• We can become informed about the issues and be prepared to discuss them with others when they ask. To this end Richard Coekin, the Senior Pastor of the ‘Co-Mission Initiative’ will be writing an article in the forthcoming Pulse magazine.