UK: ReNew Conference draws Hundreds of Clergy and Lay Leaders to Evangelize England
By Jules Gomes
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
October 8, 2015
Over 450 clergy and lay leaders came together for what is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of conservative Anglican evangelicals in recent years. The 2015 ReNew Conference was held at Chesford Grange in Warwickshire, UK, from 21st to 22nd September 2015.
The centrepiece of ReNew 2015 was the rallying together of conservative evangelicals through the chairmanship of Revd William Taylor who provided a stirring Chairman's Address outlining the history, necessity, and strategy of ReNew as he called for churches to work 'shoulder to shoulder' for the evangelisation of England.
One of the highlights of ReNew was the presence and video message of Revd Rod Thomas, Bishop-designate of Maidstone, who promised to uphold the cause of Anglicans who held to a complementarian position on the issue of women in leadership. Bishop Rod noted the situation of evangelicals as 'feeling rather on the back foot in the Church of England and being aghast at some of the changes that are taking place. By having a place in the episcopacy we can make sure that our voice is heard,' he said. 'Time will tell whether it can be done,' he added. 'We believe very firmly in the confessional basis of the Church of England,' he emphatically stated. He went on to discuss how churches could opt into his oversight.
The delegates rejoiced at the good news of churches that had been planted or revitalised across England, and healthy churches that were being established in different contexts and communities. However there was also the sad news of clergy who were facing obstacles and impediments placed before them, sometimes by bishops and archdeacons. In one case a cleric talked of how he had applied for 36 incumbencies and had never been appointed, sometimes explicitly told because he held to a complementarian understanding of ministry.
In a highly troubling report, Susie Leafe, director of Reform, provided research that collated instances of the liberal direction the Church of England had veered in over the last two years. Delegates were concerned by her analysis of the move to 'plural truth' that was being adopted at the highest levels of the hierarchy of the Church of England, particularly with regards to the issues of sexuality.
She spoke of how General Synod this year had invited a Muslim to open its session and how the Muslim began in the name of Allah and mentioned Mohammed and Jesus in the same breath as prophets downgrading Jesus from his position as Son of God.
Mrs Leafe produced a second piece of research that demonstrated the geographical location of conservative evangelical churches throughout the UK and called for church planting in areas that were lacking such a presence. More than 42,000 people attend churches linked to ReNew each week. The median ReNew church is also larger, younger, and growing faster than those in the rest of the Church of England, the research noted.
The Rev'd Dr John Woodhouse, former principal of Moore Theological College, delivered two robust theological addresses on 'what is a healthy local Anglican church'. He stressed that Jesus is building the local church, not the denomination and that the greatest value of a denomination is that it connects churches to one another. He outlined the biblical basis for a renewed Anglican ecclesiology that would remain faithful to its mission 'to call others to the worship of God.' God's purpose for the congregation was to make known the manifold wisdom of God, he pointed out from his exegesis of Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Various workshops and coaching sessions on planting, establishing and securing congregations that were biblically rooted and remained conservatively evangelical in their theology and understanding of ministry were an important part of the conference.
There was a buzz of excitement as old friendships were renewed, new contacts were made, and further possibilities were explored. Some of the participants said that, "It was a conference that combined delight and disgust--delight at what God is doing and disgust at the ultra-liberal direction the Church of England is taking."
Another cleric who was blessed by the exposition of the book of Haggai said that "For the first time in over ten years of my ministry I heard the term 'expository preaching' used over and over again."
A vicar who had a CDM against filed him said, "I'm glad I came to ReNew 2015 and discovered how many clergy were having problems with their bishops. I was encouraged that I'm not the only one!"
The opportunity to hear and meet Jonathan Fletcher "an elder statesman of conservative evangelicalism," was welcomed by the gathering. Jonathan spoke warmly and with a good deal of humour of his ministry and there was a deep sense of gratitude to God for his leadership over the decades at the conference.
This was the third conference that Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), Church Society, and Reform had organised together with the purpose of encouraging church leaders to pioneer, establish, and secure healthy local Anglican churches throughout England.
The Rev. Canon Dr Jules Gomes is Vicar of the Parish of Arbory and Castletown and Canon Theologian St German's Cathedral, Peel Isle of Man