‘Evangelicals Now’ interview the Director
0 comments
EN: Can you remind us of the function of BEC and how it came into being?
JS: The British Evangelical Council was founded in 1952 in response to the false ecumenical movement - which was on a roll following the establishment of the World Council of Churches four years previously. Among other things, BEC was intended to provide mutual support and a representational voice for churches that wanted to affirm their fellowship in the truth of the gospel. Currently, there are thirteen evangelical church groupings affiliated to BEC plus other independent congregations, making about 1200 churches in all.
EN: You have been quite a sharp critic of BEC in recent years - why was that?
JS: Mainly, out of frustration. For far too long, BEC has occupied the best ground on the battlefield but hardly left its tent. In my experience, many Bible-centred, gospel-driven churches, whatever their traditional, denominational label would love to declare and demonstrate their oneness with each other. They understand it as a New Testament imperative, and they see the huge benefits to the gospel of a united witness and of the sharing of information and resources.
But where do they turn? I have godly friends who think their only viable option is to work under the banner of the Evangelical Alliance. They might agree (privately, at least) that EA is doctrinally weak, ecumenically compromised and charismatically dominated but ‘at least it’s doing something’.
And what has been the alternative? I have accused BEC in the past of appearing too narrowly Reformed, culturally disengaged and defensively negative. Whether or not those perceptions are accurate, they have prevented many healthy evangelical congregations from looking in BEC’s direction. And all the time, the gulf between EA and BEC has been widening so that, increasingly, good churches have felt they couldn’t find a home in either camp.
EN: Having been a critic, you have now taken this job. How did that come about?
JS: Well, no one’s more astonished than I am! In 2001, we were polling the churches in FIEC, which incidentally comprise over a third of the BEC’s membership, as to whether there was any point in retaining the relationship. That low point was the culmination of repeated FIEC appeals over the years for BEC to reform its structures, ethos and approach in order to meet the needs of the present day. At the same time, for the impending 50th anniversary of the founding of BEC, I wrote some Jubilee Proposals, outlining some of the principal changes that many of us felt were essential. But our expectations at that point were virtually zero.
Then an amazing thing happened. The BEC Executive called a residential conference in March last year to which quite a wide array of interested and concerned parties were invited. It was evident from the start that there was an unprecedented openness to change. Within 24 hours, there were new vision and mission statements prepared, new structures proposed, and a total re-launch, with a new name and refreshed priorities, firmly on the agenda. The responses from the constituent bodies were warm and encouraging. The next I heard was that they were looking for a Director, to replace the role of General Secretary, and people were urging me to apply.
I didn’t take the suggestion very seriously at first. Who in their right mind would want to take that on? But then I began to see the possibilities. Maybe the Lord was in it, after all. I made it as plain as I could that I had not changed my position. I told them I had absolutely no leading to leave my wonderful family of believers at Carey and that I would only therefore consider a part-time situation. In fact, I made it as easy as I could for the BEC Executive to take a safer and more comfortable option. But in the end they pledged me their unanimous support if I would take the job. That is a real tribute to their grace and courage - and with God’s help I’m determined not to betray their trust. So here I am, as many have said, ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’.
EN: What do you hope BEC can achieve in the future?
JS: I believe passionately that Christian unity is a vital tool for promoting the gospel, and, because Christ intends to build his Church through his churches, their united witness is essential. The new BEC will tread lightly. There is no intention of constructing ponderous, bureaucratic structures, let alone some imperial Super-Church. All that is required is a loose but visible network that creates a mutually-supportive sense of community, and a platform for purposeful partnership whenever required. There needs to be a trusted forum where churches may learn together and promote one another’s initiatives for God’s kingdom. The ideal is that churches see the new BEC not as something to which they belong, but as something which belongs to them.
My longing is that a revitalised BEC can be a significant catalyst in the formation and reformation of vibrant, evangelical churches throughout the UK and Ireland. So we hope to be into church-planting in a big way - and also promoting the restoration to spiritual health of drifting and failing congregations. If I were to choose a new strap-line, it would be something like ‘Church-centred Partnership for Bible-centred Christianity’. I would like the new BEC to be seen as an increasingly valuable facilitating and coordinating resource with which all classic evangelical churches would want to identify.
Incidentally, it often surprises people to learn that Anglican or Baptist Union churches, for example, could have joined even the old BEC without leaving their denominations - provided they were clearly not involved in fellowship with those who were unfaithful to the gospel. This position will remain unchanged. The main difference will be that we shall now be actively inviting such churches to express their true affinity by partnering with us. I believe there is a tremendous opportunity here for dismantling ancient, but nonetheless wrong and artificial barriers between genuinely Bible-centred churches, whatever their churchmanship. The potential simply for clarifying the essence of what it means to be a truly evangelical church is a thrilling prospect in itself.
In the public arena, the new BEC will seek to do all it can to shift popular perceptions of Christianity, and in particular, of evangelicalism. The average non-believer only knows of two extreme perversions of the Christian faith: the ever-shifting liberal establishment and the emotionally-charged, self-indulgent wackiness that dominates the satellite channels. The new BEC will seek to restore a general awareness of biblical Christianity, the kind that once shaped our nation - and could yet again. It will do this in association with various specialised para-church agencies which we hope will be a new feature of BEC in the future.
There are a number of detailed proposals in the pipeline in connexion with all the above and in line with other BEC mission statements. As they are in the process of negotiation, it wouldn’t be fair or helpful to mention them here. I don’t officially begin my role until September 1st, but obviously a number of things are being attended to over the summer. The aim is to re-launch the BEC no later than the spring of next year, by which time we hope to have several significant initiatives in place.
Discussing ‘Evangelicals Now’ interview the Director
Be the first to comment on this entry.