Christendom is over in the West, says new ICC principal

The new principal of the International Christian College says the end of Christendom is the biggest challenge facing the church in the West.

Richard Tiplady started in his new role as principal of ICC this month after departing from European Christian Mission, where he had been British Director for the last six years.

He spoke of the need to re-think church in a post-Christendom and increasingly plural context.

“The biggest challenge we have to face in the West in our mission is to accept that Christendom is over.

“That we are no longer in a privileged position of power in society and that we do ourselves no service – we do the gospel no service – to clamour to bring it back.

“I think that means we need to think again about how we live as Christians, the purpose of Church, discipleship, and the function of church leadership,” he said.

Tiplady spoke of his passion to see a new generation of Christians released and growing in ministry and even more lives transformed by the Gospel.

“The heartbeat of my Christian life and of my spirituality is mission ... the gospel is good news and I want to see more lives turned around. So it doesn’t matter where I am or what job I do, that will drive me in any ministry, or in anything.”

He continued: “We need to be training Christian leaders who are going to be able to navigate that environment, able to lead God’s people to be comfortable with it and faithful to God in a new landscape.

“We have a fantastic opportunity and an enormous privilege and a huge responsibility to do that as a college.”

Speaking of his vision for ICC, Tiplady said he wanted to see the college develop a stronger missional tone “so that when students leave here they know who they are in Christ and what he has equipped them to do”.

He outlined his plan to hold a consultation with staff to define what “missional” would mean for the college.

“I suspect it is a very diverse expression,” he said.

“For me, the core meaning is that of ‘being sent’. As Christ was sent by the Father so he sends us.

“That is fundamental to our Christian identity, to be sent into the world, all the worlds that we inhabit – because there are many worlds that we are part of and should be part of.”

Tiplady said that another challenge lay in reducing the “psychological distance” between Scotland England and bringing more attention to ICC.

He succeeds Tony Sargent, who retired as principal of ICC last year after 11 years in the post.