Vision has been described as a picture of a preferred future that produces passion in others. It sounds easy and yet there is an inherent danger in casting vision; What if no one gets it? What if we fail? What if I have got it wrong? For those who have spent time shaping and crafting vision, it creates a level of vulnerability. However, none of these things are a good reason for not leading with vision and clarifying the common goals we can all get behind. Therefore, let’s opt for a more positive approach to casting vision; What if everyone gets it? What if we succeed? What if we have got it right?

So, what are we going to go for? One of our longstanding values has been to surrender to the Spirit and then from what we see and the stories we hear of what God is doing globally, this gives us an idea of where we need to surrender and follow.

With this in mind, we are increasingly aligning what we do as Elim family around the vision of being ‘a catalyst for movements of Gospel Communities in every nation’. The videos on this page begin to unpack what it is we see unfolding over the next decade and beyond, as we take seriously our Reaching Nations priority.

Through identifying, equipping, and sending missionary leaders in partnership with our Elim Global family we will work towards sending missionaries ‘from everywhere to everywhere.’ Of course, we want to play our part as Elim UK through sending missionaries cross-culturally, and work with Elim Global regional teams and our Partners to pioneer disciple-making movements.

TO BE A CATALYST FOR MOVEMENTS
OF GOSPEL COMMUNITIES IN EVERY NATION

Over the next 18-24 months, our goal is to either have sent or be preparing to send missionaries to establish Gospel Communities in the following nations:Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, Finland, Greece, Botswana, Lesotho, Fiji.

As we move forward together we will intentionally identify, equip and send missionary leaders to train thousands of disciple-makers into the nations.

GOSPEL COMMUNITIES

What do we mean by a Gospel Community and how are they defined? A working definition of a Gospel Community is this; ‘A community of people who are living as disciples of Jesus and seek to multiply through disciple-making.’

Gospel Communities led by trained leaders are committed to identifying, equipping, and sending leaders from their groups to form new Gospel Communities in previously unreached areas. As leaders are trained and demonstrate gospel faithfulness and fruitfulness, we would seek to identify potential missionary leaders with the capacity to oversee a network of Gospel Communities, and to also send to neighbouring nations.

Gospel Communities will not get stuck on programming but will work together to identify access points so that they are a blessing to their neighbours, prayerfully and sensitively seeking out those in the wider community who are open to them and their message.

Ultimately, Gospel Communities are mission and discipleship orientated and seek to operate more like a family on mission rather than corporations doing business. Gospel Communities operate with flexible structures, with a small team of elders overseeing the community making decisions locally that are best for the mission and not personal gain. So, if you imagine people gathering in houses rather than cathedrals, acting like family more than strangers, passionate followers of Jesus rather than passive consumers of religious services, everyone involved in service and mission in all of life, rather than just the professional few, then you have caught the vision for Gospel Communities.

As Gospel Communities multiply, the pioneer missionary will need to establish an apostolic team who will oversee the network of Gospel Communities in that nation and set up lightweight structures to ensure accountability, development of leaders and facilitating movement of God’s people on mission from everywhere to everywhere.

The four key values of Gospel Communities:
Equipped LEADERS
Dynamic WORSHIPPERS
Passionate DISCIPLES
Radical MISSION

We recognise that different cultures and people will organise themselves in ways that are best for their growth and mission engagement, but we believe these are values that express who we are as Pentecostals committed to the mission of God. We believe that Gospel Communities should be the place radical missionaries are formed and then sent out from, to go and do likewise.

MOVEMENTS

Steve Addison in his book ‘Movements that Change the World’ describes movements in this way: “Movements don’t have members, but they do have participants. The goals of a movement can be furthered by organisations but organisations are not the totality of the movement. A movement can have leading figures, but no one person or group controls a movement. Movements are made up of people committed to a common cause.”

Our Gospel Communities may come in all different shapes and sizes but for there to be movement, we have to be committed to the same vision and values, which are all derived from the Great Commission and the other commissions that Jesus gave to his Church. Common cause – make disciples and equip them to make more disciples.

CATALYST

Why catalyst? We recognise that God is already active in the nations of the world and has His people strategically placed working to make disciples and take the good news of Jesus to those who have not heard. We want to avoid power imbalances, call out white- saviour complex missions and end colonial approaches that give the impression that our way is the best way! With that said, we recognise that we have gifts to contribute to the global Church (and much to learn and receive) and want to bring these where we are invited to, that we might make a positive and empowering contribution to our global family in Christ and for the furthering of the mission of God.

So, we will seek to be a catalytic ingredient for radical mission in every nation where the Holy Spirit creates an opening for us to go.

HOW?

We have to think beyond the UK and mobilise our missionaries to create training hubs that will be centres for receiving missionaries ‘from everywhere to everywhere.’ We will do this through:

Partnering with Elim UK churches and Elim Global family to identify, train and release hundreds of missionaries.

Equipping pioneer missionary-leaders to train thousands of disciple-makers in every nation.

Sending thousands of disciple-makers to reach millions of people...

Until there is nowhere left to go!

A BIGGER VISION OF THE GOSPEL

HOW WE CAN SATURATE THE EARTH WITH DESTINY- CHANGING REALITY

A new book by Iain Hesketh

"God's vision for the world stretches far beyond the capacity for us to conceive it. God’s vision for the world breaks through our small-minded and ill-conceived desires for fancier buildings, greater attendance, good programmes, and life centred around the upkeep of a building and a paid church staff."

A Bigger Vision - Iain Hesketh