Learning as we go
Examples of the Holy Spirit leading believers to reach out
Are you familiar with the work of the Tyndale Intercultural Ministries Centre in Toronto? Practical and, well, what could be more Canadian? Welcoming cultures without absorbing them. Encouraging congregations to go beyond their typical understanding of multiculturalism to create an even wider hospitality. Coaching ethnic church leaders as they grow.
A few months ago when Narry Santos, a Filipino church planter in Toronto, shared with our staff how these ideas were reshaping his ministry, we knew this could be written in a way that would bless many of our readers.
His story of starting out with one great idea but ending up elsewhere – because he first studied his local community and culture – that’s an experience we can all benefit from reading about. His cover article is the first of many in this issue that share an outward-looking theme.
The “FT Interview” this issue is with Marilyn Draper, an assistant professor of practical theology (and also another church planter). “The key question I ask a group thinking about planting a church,” she says, is “What is God doing in this area and how can we participate?”
That question leads church plants to develop in completely different ways. “Often the church service ends up becoming, you know, maybe step five. Or step six as opposed to step one,” she says.
The challenge of welcoming strangers is a major part of “Practising the Practices of My Faith” by senior writer Patricia Paddey. She shares how she started with a heart change that actually led her, an introvert, to answer God’s call to hospitality in ways that work for her.
In “Church in Community” you’ll read about a church in Angus, Ont., that found a Super Bowl Sunday outreach helped them reach out successfully to their neighbours.
And “At Issue” introduces a new engagement kit you can download from The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, full of practical tips on improving society by sharing constructive, biblical views with your MP or other political representative.
Mixed in are articles about ministry and personal growth – a pastor coping with all the deaths he faced in his ministry, an essay on how we can make our churches and Christian organizations healthier, a reflection that compares birdwatching with trying to observe where God is at work – as well as fresh news, reviews and opinions.
Enjoy the issue. We hope it inspires you to tune in to whatever God might be inviting you into this fall. /FT
The cover article is the first of many in this issue that share an outwardlooking theme.