In the UK, the peoples of the world are on the doorstep. How do OM's Disciple Making Ministries reach out to them?
In many of the UK’s urban communities, neighbours could be newly-arrived from Hong Kong, or a young man with great-grandparents from Pakistan and a new wife brought from there who speaks little English. Maybe Kurdish guys from Iraq and Syria are working all hours at the local ‘Turkish barbers’, while Afghan and Eritrean families live in the asylum hostel nearby. It’s easy to believe that London and Birmingham, for example, boast over 300 spoken languages between them.
Jesus – unknown to so many
Many people are least reached, with no gospel witness in an accessible community, language or style; they may also feel marginalised as minorities within ‘majority’ British culture. Conversely, in areas where their own language and culture predominate, they can feel isolated from the rest of the UK. Hence not speaking English can be a major ‘felt need’; others might include social isolation after breakdown of an extended family network, concerns about a child’s progress at school or emotional stress during the asylum process.
Many of the teams comprising OM in the UK’s Disciple-Making Ministries (DMM) respond through projects offering practical service and care, partnering with local churches and other mission agencies. Andrew Berry, Director of DMM, describes these as ‘access ministries’. They give Jesus-followers, over time, a platform of hospitality and friendship from which to share the truth about Him — respectfully and sensitively to those who ask. But what’s the bigger picture?
A heart for new-born churches
As they serve, DMM teams pray hard, and dream big, of a church-birthing continuum: to see new-born believers in love with Jesus, growing in Christian character through the Spirit and the Word as they gather in a life of worship and hospitality. Truth about Jesus will spread among their peers and emerging leaders will seize training opportunities. They will be eager to see God glorified not only amongst their own people group, but through bodies of believers representing every background in their locality. Growth and maturity bring natural progression towards reproduction – new churches planted, the Kingdom being extended in a cyclical fashion.
OM puts it thus : “…to partner with the Church to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers (VCJFs) among the least-reached people groups (of the UK)”. How do different DMM projects fit into this continuum between ‘access ministry’ and ‘vibrant community’? Andrew first describes three community drop-in projects run by local church trusts but managed and/or staffed by OMers. Each is slightly further along the continuum:
Three developing ‘access ministries’….
One project serves the long-term needs of both asylum seekers and refugees from across one region of the Midlands, focusing on humanitarian assistance and emotional support, whilst a new initiative in a very deprived area nearby, offers English lessons to isolated women refugees.
Meanwhile, another urban Midlands drop-in has become an oasis of care for many South Asian ladies and their families over the years, through ‘tea and chat’, English classes, sewing classes and after-school clubs. Building on these relationships, a Discovery Bible Study has been running once a week for the past year.
In a mainly South Asian community in London, a similar centre (co-led with another mission) assists isolated elderly people (mostly men) to navigate contacts with ‘officialdom’ like health services, utilities and local government. From friendships formed, a weekly Bible study has been established. Twelve new believers from South Asian backgrounds gather twice-monthly on Sundays for worship and fellowship, being discipled by the drop-in’s leaders into a budding community of Jesus-followers.
….and two ‘VCJFs’
Andrew next describes two young assemblies with OMers in leadership. The first, in London’s Turkish-speaking community, began small, as a house-church group out of a larger ‘mother church’. Through discipleship and training of the leaders by senior members of OM’s Turkish ministry, the church has grown to over 30 believers, and actively reaches out to Turkish people in surrounding neighbourhoods.
The second, in the West Midlands, was founded during COVID-19 lockdown by experienced church-planters. Through active outreach since then, the leaders have gathered and discipled over 50 people from a dozen nations into a growing body, focused on small groups, actively exploring a plant-out through twin strands of evangelism and ‘access ministry’.
Over 40 members of OM are serving hundreds of least-reached people through these and other Disciple Making Ministries. Please pray that these ‘access ministry’ projects and young ‘vibrant communities’ will bear much fruit for the Kingdom.