Justin Welby was once a member of HTB and knows there is great potential to be found in the Church of England. He sees the need for change if it is to not just survive, but flourish. He also knows that for that to happen, things most definitely cannot stay as they are, and after decades of denial and procrastination, some urgent measures are needed. He describes himself as a spiritual magpie, drawing inspiration in his faith from different Christian traditions. He is equally happy to take the best of what he has seen outside of the church and adapt it for the needs within it. These are not the dealings of a misguided amateur. Those who doubt what he is working to achieve or demur from some of his more unorthodox methods should think carefully about their own understanding and motives before issuing harsh judgements.
If it is a stark choice between Linda Woodhead’s prosaic plan for the Church of England or the Welby-Gumbel vision for holiness, transformation, revival and growth, I know which I prefer.
I was delighted to see this piece with its description of the evangelical revival taking plac.e in Britain – or at least in England – under the radar. I have been struck by the same thing many times, even although it is a different tradition to my own.
But can it thrive in the toughest territories? From the few examples of church planting in poor urban areas, it seems that even when outside its middle class comfort zone, church planting works. See, for instance, for one of the poorest areas of the East End of London:
http://www.allhallowsbow.org.uk/