2006 the AGM report after the irregular ordinations and subsequent ecclesiastical storm and inevitable and unwelcome media attention. The personal low point was my name being put under a photo of Richard Coekin in the Daily Telegraph. My mother commented that the furore had clearly aged me!

Dear Friends

One of the new ‘innovative’ features of cross channel ferries in the last few years has been the addition of the progress chart that crops up on the screens to inform you just how far you’ve travelled on your journey. They’re a bit like the ones you get on long flights but travelling at speeds of 20 knots (or thereabouts) means that the cursor movement is almost undetectable! However, at the end of the 3 hours that it’s taken to cross that stretch of water it’s reassuring to look out of the window and see we’re in Cherbourg and not Portsmouth.

This letter is an opportunity to do just that, to look out of the window and see where we are. It’s usually hard to spot any progress in church life week by week but over a 12-month period it’s so much easier to take stock. It’s possible for us to become despondent and discouraged about how little progress seems to be made. That’s especially true if we have very high standards or temperamentally we come out of the same box as Eeyore. But it’s also understandable because so much of what we do isn’t done as well as it could be. How could it? Most of us aren’t professionals we’re just willing volunteers with an enthusiasm for following Christ as best we can. But, under God, we’re about to discover that we’ve accomplished so much more for His glory than we ever would have imagined. Be encouraged and don’t be downcast! I hope that you find it as thrilling as I have done to look back and see where we were a year ago and then to realise what God has enabled us to achieve in the intervening period. But as we look back over the year I think there have been three dominant features to our congregational life.

1. It’s been a year in which we’ve had to endure suffering

We don’t have to look far in our congregations before our eyes alight on an individual, a couple or a family who’ve had to endure personal suffering of one kind or another. Some have lost loved ones this year. Some without the opportunity to form the relationships with children for which they’d hoped. Some continue to face the uncertainty of very serious illness that’s either life threatening or shows no signs of abating. Others deal with traumatic events from the past, ongoing hostility in relationships or alienation from family. And so we’re not a congregation with whom a ‘triumphalistic’ approach to life sits comfortably. It’s hard to speak of the positive side of suffering but there have undoubtedly been benefits arising from what the Lord has sent our way. In particular we’ve had to learn what really matters in church life. We could run the very impressive evangelistic programmes and our handling of the scriptures could be exegetically perfect but we would not be a church worthy of the name if we failed to provide the personal support that many of our number have needed this year. We’re a long way short of being the finished article in ‘bearing one another’s burdens’ but one of the things most frequently said by those ‘under the cosh’ has been how much they’ve appreciated the commitment and compassion of others in their suffering. Long may it remain the case.

2. It’s been a year in which we’ve had to contend for the faith

It’s not every year that a church like ours is a matter of discussion in the national newspapers or the church press, gets discussed on Radio 4 and becomes a hot topic on numerous web sites. There’s an unattractive love of notoriety that can develop in some of us but much of the stuff said about us has been less than complimentary. I’m not aware that any of us has enjoyed the attention. The cause of this disquiet was the declaration of ‘temporarily impaired communion’ by the Co-Mission Initiative Partnership with the Bishop of Southwark. This led to the ‘valid but irregular ordinations’ that took place subsequently. Mercifully we’ve copped very little of the flak that’s been flying around. Most of it has been directed towards Richard Coekin and we’re grateful to God for his courage and graciousness under hostile and provocative accusation. But some of us may have had to justify the actions of our elders and the Co-Mission Initiative to angry work colleagues, to concerned parents or to unbelieving friends. Some of us have not found that easy because we’re not by nature people who like a fight. In truth few of us are. The positive side to our act of principled disobedience has been that we’ve sought to obey the scriptures, trusted God, sought His vindication, prayed and in His kindness he saw fit to grant us victory. We’d be foolish to think that the battle has been won and the slide of our denomination into liberalism has been halted but hasn’t it been great to see God uphold us in our prayers and encourage us to go on taking decisions for the good of the gospel?

3. It’s been a year in which we’ve had to persevere in evangelism

Our great longing is to be a church whom God uses not only to build up Christians but also to reach the lost. And so this year we decided to ‘go it alone’ and run our own mission. In the past we’ve piggy backed on the Wimbledon events. In truth it never really worked for us and we weren’t hugely successful at persuading friends to make the journey to the Polka Theatre. We’ve also developed an increasing sense of identity in Balham and so we sought to capitalise on that. It’s hard to imagine how we could have been better prepared. We produced a comprehensive mission handbook, we had a series of instructive doctrine slots and the whole of the autumn term in Knowing God was spent training one another to explain the gospel. And so we went into the mission with high hopes. We had visitors at each of the evening events and a small Christianity Explored course was started soon afterwards. That’s terrific isn’t it? Of course we can do better but what a privilege from God to be used as an instrument in bringing the gospel to the nations on our doorstep. Rather ambitiously we sought to include the all age congregation and ran two morning events. It’s fair to say that these were not as successful as we would have wished with almost no unbelieving friends attending. But we prayed and we invited friends we weren’t sinfully disengaged from the opportunities. It’s just our friends ‘blew us out’. That might be because we didn’t sell it as strongly as we might but it’ll take a while for regulars to gain confidence in the quality of events that we seek to run. We need to remember that it’ll take time to build up friendships with neighbours and with acquaintances in local antenatal and toddler groups. And we rightly feel that we probably ought to invite them to supper before we invite them to church! The positive side of our experience of evangelism is that we’ve learnt to persevere. Even though it’s true that London has become increasingly hostile to the gospel and some people are willing to be vocal and antagonistic in their opposition we continue to meet people who are surprised and intrigued by the content of the gospel. That’s hugely encouraging to keep going.

Conclusion

I think church planting is a little bit like trying to ride a bike for the first time without stabilisers. I can’t find a Bible verse to justify that assertion but bear with me! There have been definite times this year where we’ve been making what can only be described as genuine progress but there’ve been one or two occasions where we’ve wobbled and perhaps fallen over. But the key thing in learning to ride a bike is not to quit but to get up and get going again. In establishing and growing the work of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ at Balham praise God that we’ve not proved quitters.

The other reports thus far

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2007-a-year-at-ccb/

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2005-a-year-at-ccb/

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2004-a-year-at-ccb/

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2003-a-year-at-ccb/

This was the 2005 version, a little less ‘angry’ than 2004! I’d obvisouly just had a great holiday!

Last month I had the privilege of talking to the Cornhill Training Course about the work of the Co-Mission Initiative and our own church planting in Balham. I hope it was fruitful, though I fear it wasn’t. It all seemed uncomfortably self-promotional and I went away completely dissatisfied with how the afternoon had gone. I’m therefore wary of making the same mistake as we reflect on the last year and consider our own church life. It would be very easy to be self-promotional about the work of the gospel in Balham because it seems to me that things have gone really well for us this year. That’s not to say that things have been easy. We’ve worked hard and some have had to do so as they’ve endured tough times. Nevertheless as we look back on the past year it’s hard not to feel anything but hugely encouraged by all that God has done for us, in us and through us. We established at the start of the year that our ongoing aim for congregational life at CCB would be to love God, love one another and love the lost. We can praise God for answering our prayers because…

1. God has increased our love for him

It’s hard to objectively measure our love for God though it ought to be evident in the obedience that it produces. But if we were to ask one another most of us would acknowledge that subjectively we feel that we know and love God better than we did a year ago. There’s no doubt that the Hebrews project has been instrumental in this. Setting our minds and hearts to learn from this magnificent book has been a demanding but rewarding venture for us all. However, God has richly rewarded us as our understanding of God’s work in Christ has been deepened. It’s also clear that studying Luke’s gospel in the morning congregation or in Knowing God has rekindled our love for Christ. As we’ve been confronted with Jesus’ activity during his incarnate existence we’ve been struck by the contemporary implications of his teaching and his gracious activity towards the undeserving.

2. God has increased our love for one another

If we were perhaps a little slow to get out of the blocks in our commitment to one another after the launch of CCB that’s no longer an accusation that could stick. God has answered our prayers about community life and it’s wonderful to see the ways in which small groups have come together, prayer triplets have formed and friendships have been established and strengthened. The ongoing personal care for those who’ve experienced testing times this year through things like serious illness, bereavement and childbirth are testimony to God’s work among us. In many small and unseen ways God has used us to care for and support one another. As CCB continues to grow and God brings new people to us we’ll need to keep asking him to help us open up our hearts, our diaries and our homes to these newcomers.

3. God has increased our love for the lost

As I reflected on the year I wondered whether in the busyness of an ever-expanding church programme we might have taken the foot off the evangelistic gas. Transfer growth of Christians from other congregations can deceive us that we’re growing the kingdom rather than just shifting Christians to a new venue! It’s certainly true that this year God has grown us as Christians have moved into the area and joined CCB from other churches. The truth is that we’re very grateful for the enthusiasm and encouragement that fellow workers often bring. But have we been guilty of freewheeling a little this year? Whilst individually we nearly always feel exposed and convicted by that question we can take great encouragement from our corporate evangelistic efforts. The Bedford Pub in Balham was played host to some of the most successful events that we’ve run in the last three years. Over 170 people heard a clear explanation of the gospel at the Carol Service. Inevitably the ‘Cracking the Code’ mission event that explored the claims of the Da Vinci Code was less well attended but nevertheless it was a great evening. And we’ve now held three quiz evenings at the Bedford that have sought to identify ‘The Brains of Balham’ and worked as social events at which gospel issues have been introduced. But perhaps the thrill of the year has been the launch of the new morning congregation. Our longing for this tiny little congregation is that God uses us to reach the lost families of the ‘Nappy Valley’ who materially have so much but spiritually are utterly impoverished. Despite being few in number this new gospel initiative appears to have a viable future. Though we feel vulnerable we’re confident in God’s goodness that he will prosper our efforts to teach our children, feed our adults and reach the community.

Therefore, I think it’s been a great year for us. Praise the Lord!

The other reports

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2007-a-year-at-ccb/

The 2004 appraisal for the annual Church AGM

On holiday, whilst constructing the sandcastle to outdo all competitors, I became aware that our progress was not all that it should be. Whilst we were building up the ramparts to withstand the incoming Atlantic tide a small Dutch boy decided to dig away at the foundations with a small plastic spade. I’ll admit to being a little frustrated that what I thought was developing all the magnificent qualities required wasn’t taking shape as quickly as I would have liked. In fairness to the little boy I don’t think he realised what he was doing. I’m also not convinced that Rufus showed the appropriate level of enthusiasm required of a sandcastle builder, but that’s a whinge for another time!

I think this snapshot of the Perkins family holiday provides us with a good analogy of where we are as a church at the moment. When I look back over the year and try and assess what God has accomplished among us we have to recognise that it’s been hard work for many of us and none of us is labouring under the misapprehension that church planting is a walk in the park. Nevertheless there are undoubtedly many things that have taken us forward, helped us to build momentum and created genuine gospel growth. But there have also been things that have hampered progress and we ought to be honest about those. God has been wonderfully generous to us this year with one of the most valuable resources he could give us, people. It doesn’t take long to think of 10 people who’ve made CCB their home in the last year. That has been great thing that God has done for us for the following reasons.

1. People bring their God given gifts and abilities, which we can put to use in the service of others. God has brought to us many able people who have contributed to congregational life in a variety of ways.

2. People bring their God given network of friends, which bring new opportunities for the gospel. God has provided people to join our Down2Earth groups who are eager to think about the implications of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.

3. People bring their God given financial resources, which we’re happy to redirect into gospel ministry to others. God has increased our level of giving this year so that the notion of being self financing and indeed being generous in support of other gospel ventures is not as unlikely as it was.

All of these have combined to bring a sense of confidence in what we’re doing. People think that what we’re trying to do for the gospel is worth joining in and we should take great encouragement from that.

However, I suspect that there are a few ways in which we’ve been guilty of frustrating church growth. I’m not suggesting that any of us have deliberately sought to undermine the gospel. Our error is probably like that of our little Dutch excavator. I’m sure we’ve done so unwittingly. But it may be that we’ve not thought through the implications of our actions. These are two of the factors that have undermined our intention to grow a gospel church in Balham.

1. Consumerism

The ongoing influence of our sinful nature means that characteristically we are people who consume rather than contribute. Our decision making is shaped by this pervading influence. The area in which it became most obvious is in our attendance. Therefore our decision to turn up at church is often governed more by personal desire than by our obligation to serve others. I suspect many of us underestimate just how discouraging it is to others when we choose not to turn up at church. This is one area where we can each make a massive contribution to other people and the great thing about it is that it requires no great ability! Do not underestimate the significance of just being at church.

2. Conformity

We are under immense pressure to conform our decisions to the expectations of those who matter to us. When those that matter are not people whose thinking is shaped and nurtured by the Kingdom of God we’ll make worldly decisions. This is perhaps most prevalent in the decision making we make regarding career moves and in time the type of property that we’d like to live in. It has been absolutely thrilling to hear of people in our congregation who’ve made the decision to stay locally and help out with the work of the gospel at CCB. There are a number of people who’ve let the Kingdom of God shape their thinking and that is evidence of a great work of God among us.

In conclusion God is building his church through us and despite us. Let’s give him thanks for all that he’s accomplished. Let’s repent and ask forgiveness for standing in the way of progress. And let’s pray that next year we witness God doing even more wonderful things among his church in Balham.

The other reports

This was our first ever AGM report, in 2003, the grammar is awful and I’m not that I agree with everything I wrote back then. But hey, we learn. And who knows, there is also a slim possibility that I could also be wrong now!

Christ Church Balham (CCB) was officially launched in October 2003 under the leadership of Richard Perkins with a group of 25 committed individuals from Dundonald. We have been joined by a few who have relocated from The Bible Talks, Mayfair (TBT) and have been delighted to welcome them. Richard is employed by the Dundonald Churches Charitable Trust and therefore is accountable to the Senior Minister, Richard Coekin and the Dundonald Partnership. The priorities for this year have been attempting to maintain the high standard of Bible teaching that many had valued at Dundonald and TBT and to develop an evangelistic outlook. The intention has been to begin as we mean to go on and place these twin aims at the heart of congregational life.

As we look back over the last 9 months and reflect on what God has accomplished through us and what he has taught us I offer the following observations.

1. we’re beginning to form our own identity

Whilst we benefit enormously from being a ’networked congregation’ and the mutual resourcing that this arrangement makes possible, we have begun to attempt some things on our own. We have run two ‘Food for Thought’ courses [forerunner to Christianity Explored], we have a separate ‘Knowing God’ programme, we hold our own Prayer Meeting and we have had a couple of independent Men’s Breakfasts. Though the activities we run are smaller we have realised that we can be independent and we have begun to appreciate that we are church as the Bible describes it.

There are some areas where it will remain beneficial for us to work together with Dundonald. This is especially true in ministry training since it gives us access to a first rate trainer in Richard Coekin. For example, our apprentices have benefited enormously from his input in the Apprentice workshops on Wednesday mornings. In addition the Dundonald Apprenticeship Scheme has both financed Ben and Rat and provided them with practical experience and a broader variety of ministry opportunities than they would otherwise have had with an evening congregation. Richard has also run ‘Prepared to Serve’ where he has provided ministry training for some of our leaders.

God has richly rewarded us in our joint involvement with large-scale events such as Revive, the Dundonald Churches Bible Convention and ‘Cold Feet’, the mission events. The quality of such events is notably higher than anything we could contemplate at the moment and it has been a joy to labour in the gospel side by side with them. The challenge as we grow will be to find ways of encouraging those who have no previous contact with Dundonald to appreciate the spiritual benefits of our association with this mature and established congregation. Given their extraordinary generosity to us, both spiritually and financially, we have an obligation to them to encourage them and join together whenever that is possible.

2. we’re beginning to experience the cost of sacrifice

Initially we were fuelled by the thrill of starting a new venture and enjoying the challenge and excitement of anticipating what God might accomplish through our efforts. However, the realities of being few in number have begun to become more obvious in recent months. There are inevitably some things that are hard to do when we are small, the workload is shared between a committed but increasingly tired group and it can be discouraging to meet together when people are away. However, it is hard to think of God accomplishing anything of significance without the accompanying reality of sacrifice. In a triumphalistic age we perhaps do not think about this uncomfortable truth as often as would be helpful. The honeymoon, if there was one, is over and we are learning to trust God and depend upon him. This is no bad thing. It’s forcing us to express our dependency on our Father in prayer. There have been occasions where we have been very aware of our vulnerability as a congregation and it may have been tempting for many if us to look at other larger churches with envy. After all, the quality of almost everything that they do is greater whether it is their evangelistic events, their music or their active social scene. However, God has been very good to us and comforted us when we’ve needed it. There are clear benefits in being small. The quality of relationships continues to improve and our personal care for one another is a cause for rejoicing. We must remember that as we grow under God, the problems will not go away, they just may not be the same ones as we’re experiencing at the moment!

3. we’re beginning to see signs of growth

We have not experienced the wholesale relocation of young professionals who travel up to central London churches that some thought might occur. Growth has therefore had to come from personal invitations to friends to join us at guest events and ‘Food for Thought’. Evangelistic growth is often slower than transfer growth. However, it’s genuine growth because it’s not simply shifting Christian people around existing churches but through evangelism God adds people to his kingdom. This is after all one of the reasons we were planted in the first place! God has blessed us with good attendance at guest services, and a particular cause for thanks was the two Christmas Carol Events. We have had over a dozen people come for part of our ‘Food for Thought’ courses. There have also been large numbers of irregular visitors at our Sunday meetings.

One of the unexpected excitements this year has been identifying and training a new group of leaders for our various groups. It has been thrilling to see many of us grow in maturity, make significant leaps forward in our Christian lives and take on new responsibilities for Bible teaching, administrative duties and personal care. We ought to be aware that this may not have happened so quickly in a larger church. God really has equipped us for the tasks he has given to us.

I want to express my own personal joy at being able to lead this church and work side by side with fellow partners in the gospel. It has been a steep learning curve since leaving Oak Hill. No doubt I have made many mistakes. I thank you for your patience and your willingness to forgive my many errors.

Several people have been a great help this year but I feel it would be inappropriate not to single some out for special praise. Ruth has been a great help this year and as she rightly takes on the responsibilities of becoming Neil’s wife I want to thank for her immeasurable support in countless unseen administrative tasks. In addition I want to thank Ben and Rat for their tireless labour, their willing service and enthusiastic support. They have enjoyed the privileges of ministry and I suspect Corinne and Michelle have borne the costs so to them I ask your forgiveness and can promise that it may never change this side of glory! I look forward to the opportunity to celebrate, God willing, our first year together at our Church Dinner. It will be a delight to reflect on God’s goodness to us, his commitment to us and his guidance of us in our first faltering steps as a new young church. May God go on blessing us.

The other reports

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2007-a-year-at-ccb/

This was my letter for the annual Church AGM. It’s prompted me to dig out the old ones and see where God has brough us in nearly five short years. You’ll find them here

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2006-a-year-at-ccb/

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2005-a-year-at-ccb/

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2004-a-year-at-ccb/

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/05/2003-a-year-at-ccb/

Dear Friends

2007 will be remembered as the one in which we lost a friend and a brother. This year has been overshadowed by the death of James Meagher. Because of the side effects of his drugs and the debilitating influence of his tumours James was not able, in the last year of his life, to participate in church life as fully as he would have wished. Therefore some of us may not have known James very well. You missed out. James was one of the original group that prayed for and planted CCB in October 2002. From the outset he was an integral part of everything that we did. I especially appreciated his servant hearted willingness to get involved in activities for which he possessed no real appetite! James unfailingly turned out for footy on our tiny church weekends away so that we could make it five a side. He did this even though his preferred mode of sporting participation was to be sat in front of Sky Sports! The most praiseworthy thing that I can find to say about James is that, like his Lord, he was a servant. Though none of us miss him like Sarah does, we all mourn his absence.

I suspect that for many of us James’ death has put many things into perspective. The following four lessons are those things that I think the Lord has taught us through this sad event.

1. Life is rarely without trouble

Very often life does not turn out exactly as we’d hoped. Many of us learn through painful experience that the unexpected is often just round the corner. Some of us have had to cope with big burdens this year. Not all of us, but some have. The anxiety, despair and emotional energy expended in trying to ‘soldier on’ are exhausting. Some of us have had to deal with the death of loved ones, painful personal relationships with family members or colleagues, sickness and health issues with our children, the ongoing consequences of incidents in our past and the crushing disappointment of unfulfilled hopes and expectations, to name but a few. Christians are often accused of being so weak that they need God as a psychological crutch to cope. You’re telling me we do! But how much better to lean on the Lord and avail ourselves of His help than to deceive ourselves into thinking that everything is OK and we can manage on our own. James’ death is one incident amongst many that reminds us that life is rarely without trouble.

2. Church is not a hobby

Being part of a church because we’re into Christian things is not like joining, for example, a knitting group because we’re into knitting. Church is not a gathering of people with a similar interest in Christianity. It’s a family. And God is our Father. Some of us have perhaps begun to realise that this year. We’re a part of a group of interdependent people who give and receive support and encouragement. We’re not supposed to be a collection self-sufficient individuals who just happen to meet together on Sunday and in a small group. The Bible’s image of the body is such a helpful one because it makes plain that the different members of the body are supposed to rely on one another. The mutual support Church provides isn’t just practical expressions of love. It must never be less than that. But it’s more than that. For example, in the light of James’ death many of us have needed to be reminded of the big truths of God’s word. We’ve needed to know about God, Jesus and the Bible, about life, death and resurrection and about sin, suffering and persecution. In the everyday ongoing battle to be Christ’s disciples Church is supposed to provide us with everything that we need to keep going. No knitting club could ever provide that sort of help!

3. Evangelism is urgent business

It’s a continual battle to maintain gospel priorities as individuals and as a church. There are so many things that distract us from Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. Many of those things that distract us are good and worthwhile. But we need to go on remembering that there’s nothing as worthwhile as offering hell bound sinners, as we once were, the hope of eternal life held out in the gospel. Sometimes to convince us of something we need the Lord to make things unmistakably clear. James’ death had the effect of doing just that. God reminded us of eternal realities. If James had not been a Christian he would not now be with His Lord. It is that clear. We do not become followers of Christ by accident. The Lord chooses those who are His. But the means by which he saves those whom He has chosen is through the faithful prayerful evangelistic efforts of weak people like us. As we stumble our way through our gospel outlines and half baked apologetic responses to people’s questions God is saving people from hell for heaven. Evangelism is urgent business and must remain our ongoing priority.

4. Christ is a wonderful saviour

As distressing as we may have found the events of James’ death, our grief was eased by our gospel hope. The gospel promise of life, both in this world and the next, is founded on the glorious work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our eternal rescue is assured because Jesus’ ability to save is unsurpassed. He is the consummate rescuer. In His life, death, resurrection and return Jesus has accomplished everything that had to be done to save us from the pervading influence of the world, the internal inclination of our sinful flesh and the external provocation of the devil. Christ has overcome all our spiritual enemies. The gospel is the declaration of his triumph and the invitation to share with him in it. James’ death is a reminder that left to ourselves, in the words of Gadsby’s great hymn we face ‘death, destruction and despair’. But it’s a reminder supremely that Jesus is a wonderful Saviour. Knowing James I’m confident that this is what he’d like us to remember, not only in 2007 but for the rest of our lives.