28 Apr 2023, 11:41Jimmy BothaDundee Seventh-day Adventist Church
Building a Bridge to the Gospel
School of Evangelism Training with Dr Jeff Couzins
Pr Wil Masih | SM Evangelism Department
Kleber D Gonçalves, the director of the Centre for Secular and Post- Christian Mission of the World Church, says, in Adventist World (19th April 2023 edition), “The mission is the same, but the people with whom we must share the good news of the “eternal gospel” (Rev. 14:6, NIV) are not. Sociocultural shifts during the past few decades have profoundly affected how people view and practice religion worldwide…At the same time, many have developed attitudes of rejection of Christianity and the church as a whole—particularly against institutionalized religion." He continues to add that “In some ways the issues related to irreligiosity in Western Europe are much more complex. Very few people attend church regularly in what was once a Christian continent. The number of Europeans who are indifferent to Christianity and who consider religion irrelevant is constantly growing.”
On Saturday, 22nd April, the second event from the School of Evangelism training programme was held at Dundee Seventh-day Adventist Church with guest speaker Dr Jeff Couzins. The theme of the whole day was 'Culture, Worldview & Faith'. The presentations were geared to highlight the disconnect that is observed between the predominant UK culture and the church. The post-Christian culture in the UK does not recognise truth claims and does not entertain traditional public evangelisation. There is a new cultural majority emerging in Britain that has no connection with organised religion. However, the good news is that even though church attendance may be dwindling, spiritual hunger is still part of the human condition and the vast majority of people are still searching for spirituality. It is only by understanding the predominant UK culture and befriending people wherever they are in their life journey, that we can invite people to be disciples for Christ.
Pr Neil Robertson, a retired Pastor at Dundee Church assisted in facilitating the event and we were graced with the presence of Pr Jimmy Botha, President of the Scottish Mission, and his wife Cedrene. After a lovely lunch the afternoon presentation allowed for a vibrant Q & A session with many challenging questions about how we “do” church and whether the church is still relevant. In the Scottish Mission, our emphasis is on creating a multi-generational disciple-making movement that understands the local Scottish culture.
“The evangelism training event was such a blessing. It provided us with many points to consider when reaching out to the communities around us. It helped me better appreciate the need to adapt to the vast cultures that surround us when spreading the gospel.” said Elder Rector Mukwiri from Dundee Church.
"We were reminded of how Jesus reached out to others - in deep sincerity and love. We learnt that we need to take a much deeper interest in the Scottish culture, as this will help us to develop a true love for the Scottish people. If, for example, someone asks me about my own background and the country I originally came from, about the foods we typically eat, the desserts that we enjoy, what we do in the summer time, etc, my heart immediately starts opening up to the person who is showing an interest in me... And likewise it makes sense to me, that if I should take the time and listen and become interested in another individual, their heart may open up to what I have to say. With us being committed to God, knowing Jesus and having the Holy Spirit abound in our hearts, we can be sure that the Scottish people will be blessed when we connect with them sincerely. God is the one who directs the process and He needs us to keep connecting with those around us who don't yet know Him in a positive manner.” said Elder Jennifer Mendez from Edinburgh Church.
Many of those registered with the School of Evangelism attended the event, alongside with the regular members of Dundee Church and visitors, totalling over 90 people in attendance. We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue using the School of Evangelism and inspire it’s students and others attending it’s various training events to think outside the box and ask those difficult questions about how to reach out to our post-Christian communities.
Pr Wil Masih | SM Evangelism Department
Kleber D Gonçalves, the director of the Centre for Secular and Post- Christian Mission of the World Church, says, in Adventist World (19th April 2023 edition), “The mission is the same, but the people with whom we must share the good news of the “eternal gospel” (Rev. 14:6, NIV) are not. Sociocultural shifts during the past few decades have profoundly affected how people view and practice religion worldwide…At the same time, many have developed attitudes of rejection of Christianity and the church as a whole—particularly against institutionalized religion." He continues to add that “In some ways the issues related to irreligiosity in Western Europe are much more complex. Very few people attend church regularly in what was once a Christian continent. The number of Europeans who are indifferent to Christianity and who consider religion irrelevant is constantly growing.”
On Saturday, 22nd April, the second event from the School of Evangelism training programme was held at Dundee Seventh-day Adventist Church with guest speaker Dr Jeff Couzins. The theme of the whole day was 'Culture, Worldview & Faith'. The presentations were geared to highlight the disconnect that is observed between the predominant UK culture and the church. The post-Christian culture in the UK does not recognise truth claims and does not entertain traditional public evangelisation. There is a new cultural majority emerging in Britain that has no connection with organised religion. However, the good news is that even though church attendance may be dwindling, spiritual hunger is still part of the human condition and the vast majority of people are still searching for spirituality. It is only by understanding the predominant UK culture and befriending people wherever they are in their life journey, that we can invite people to be disciples for Christ.
Pr Neil Robertson, a retired Pastor at Dundee Church assisted in facilitating the event and we were graced with the presence of Pr Jimmy Botha, President of the Scottish Mission, and his wife Cedrene. After a lovely lunch the afternoon presentation allowed for a vibrant Q & A session with many challenging questions about how we “do” church and whether the church is still relevant. In the Scottish Mission, our emphasis is on creating a multi-generational disciple-making movement that understands the local Scottish culture.
“The evangelism training event was such a blessing. It provided us with many points to consider when reaching out to the communities around us. It helped me better appreciate the need to adapt to the vast cultures that surround us when spreading the gospel.” said Elder Rector Mukwiri from Dundee Church.
"We were reminded of how Jesus reached out to others - in deep sincerity and love. We learnt that we need to take a much deeper interest in the Scottish culture, as this will help us to develop a true love for the Scottish people. If, for example, someone asks me about my own background and the country I originally came from, about the foods we typically eat, the desserts that we enjoy, what we do in the summer time, etc, my heart immediately starts opening up to the person who is showing an interest in me... And likewise it makes sense to me, that if I should take the time and listen and become interested in another individual, their heart may open up to what I have to say. With us being committed to God, knowing Jesus and having the Holy Spirit abound in our hearts, we can be sure that the Scottish people will be blessed when we connect with them sincerely. God is the one who directs the process and He needs us to keep connecting with those around us who don't yet know Him in a positive manner.” said Elder Jennifer Mendez from Edinburgh Church.
Many of those registered with the School of Evangelism attended the event, alongside with the regular members of Dundee Church and visitors, totalling over 90 people in attendance. We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue using the School of Evangelism and inspire it’s students and others attending it’s various training events to think outside the box and ask those difficult questions about how to reach out to our post-Christian communities.
