Presbyterians measure growth of their church through ‘Mission in Ireland' evenings
With nine of this year’s Irish Presbyterian Church's ‘Mission in Ireland evenings’ completed – and five to go - there is still time to get a flavour of the inspiring missional outreach that is taking place across the church and throughout the island of Ireland.
Organised by the church's 19 regional Presbyteries, the events, which began in early March, are supported by the Council for Mission in Ireland. Each has involved sharing stories of fresh growth, new church planting and recent missional development across the island, showing how PCI is active in mission on the home front. They have also been designed to encourage and inspire those attending, while reflecting on how they can be used in God's service.
Encouraged by the numbers attending so far – with several meetings attracting in excess of 300 people - Mission in Ireland Council secretary, Rick Hill, explains the thinking behind the annual events. “As Christians, we are called to share the timeless message that Jesus loves us, has redeemed and saved us, and we need to find fresh ways that connect with the community and culture around us to share His message.”
Mr Hill adds: “God declared that He is making all things new, a declaration that was also captured poignantly by the prophet Isaiah, when he wrote - 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the
wilderness and streams in the wasteland'."
"While society often caricatures the church as an old thing, we believe that God could be doing a new thing among us, in our time and in our land.”
With 14 'Mission in Ireland' evening events in total, the most that have taken place in recent years, the meetings draw on Isaiah’s words inchapter 43:19, and have given the series their name and theme: ‘New Things’.
The final events will take place in Millisle/Ballycopeland church; Craigyhill church, Larne; Maze church outside Lisburn, and Smithborough church, Co Monaghan.
Times of the events vary and more information can be found at www.presbyterianIreland.org. The last event takes place in Glendermott church, Londonderry on May 18.
Rick Hill explains: “These evenings, with talks from a host of home mission ministers, church planters, chaplains, deaconesses, mission workers and our new mission pioneers, are wonderful opportunities to hear about their ongoing work as they tell the story of what God is doing through the church, while sharing the message of Jesus today.”
Over the years there has been much commentary that likes to highlight Christianity's decline, or predicts the death of the church. While statistics offer a broad summary, they rarely reveal the whole story. Even though the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has seen some reduction of church members, it has become clear that, by God’s grace, there are also signs of growth and many ‘green shoots’ or ‘new things’ in various parts of our island.
"Often it is happening in the most surprising of places, and many of these stories form part of the Mission in Ireland Evenings.”
Mr Hill adds: “Statistics show that of our 19 presbyteries, there is only one where the total number of families in existing congregations has grown numerically in the last decade. That is the presbytery of Dublin and Munster. Congregations such as Mullingar, Drogheda and Kilkenny have had to build new church buildings in recent times as the old ones had become too small.”
“Last August our congregation in Maynooth officially opened their first purpose-built building. In places like Donabate, PCI’s youngest church is growing and thriving, and prayerfully in recent years another community of worshippers has begun in Balbriggan. Church plants in Northern Ireland are also taking place in Belfast and counties Armagh and Down and are at different stages of development, which is so encouraging. A great adage of church mission is that we don’t ask God to bless our efforts, but we look to find where God is at work and join Him there. That is what we are seeking to do, to bring the 'Good News' to people who need to hear it – at home.”