Europe's Evangelical Head Offers a Message of Courage to General Assemblies

WARSAW, Poland -- Evangelical leaders in Europe were encouraged to persevere in following God's promises, despite the challenges they face daily in building up their ministries and living faithfully in an ever-secularising environment.

|PIC1|"Take courage here and now; let the Lord lift that burden." Gordon Showell-Rogers, the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) General Secretary, told the 150 leaders gathered in Warsaw, Poland, for the EEA and EEMA (European Evangelical Missionary Alliance) General Assemblies on Wednesday night. "Because of the resurrection, everything has already changed, even if it is not yet obvious - cosmic change is on the way."

Since God is in charge, Showell-Rogers said, evangelical leaders should fearlessly live out God's Kingdom vision both for our present world, and the world to come.

"We are living between the resurrection of Jesus and the recreation of the universe," Showell-Rogers explained. "In the meantime, the people of God is called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus fearlessly and enthusiastically, to live and speak prophetically, to be prayerful, and to be transformational - because this life is not the end, and nor is the grave."

Showell-Rogers, who has served as the General Secretary for eight years, also stressed the importance of balancing both the spiritual and a clear evangelistic proclamation, as well as maintaining a strong commitment to meeting real needs in the material world.

"We need to beware turning good things into idols and living like secular materialists, or, on the other hand, withdrawing from large areas of life, because we think that will help us to stay 'spiritual," the General Secretary explained. "Staying out of business or politics, does not make us holy: our sin is in our hearts, which go with us whether we stay out or not!"

His address came on the second day of the weeklong assembly, which featured speakers addressing both spiritual and physical dimensions of ministry. On Tuesday night, the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Dr. Danuta Huebner, exhorted attendants to participate in the dialogue about the future of Europe by supporting the pan-European values reflected in the European Union. Each morning, Ajith Fernando, the National Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka, has been reflecting theologically on effective ministry, reminding delegates that suffering is not to be feared, but even welcomed.

The conference continued on Thursday evening with a focus on youth, led by the EEA Youth Forum, and a dialogue about current events in Russia. The EEA and EEMA Assemblies and EEA Youth Forum has been running since Tuesday 17 October and will conclude Saturday 21 October.


[Source: WEA]