Looking to the Future
Author: Paul Bennett (Published: )
MCEA - looking to the future
Ten people attended the lunch on January 30th 2025, representing seven churches or organisations; a number of people sent apologies. I have met with one other church leader but had to cancel two other meetings due to illness. The group was made up of people with a longstanding connection to the MCEA and some with more recent experience.
It was asked what my vision for the MCEA was. Ultimately, the vision and direction need to be set by the working group and the members of the MCEA, but the question was reasonable. I will attempt to sum up my thoughts in a brief sentence or two.
My vision for the MCEA is to once more become a group that inspires its members into mission, not just as a group, but also individually. This is built on the back of strong supportive relationships, with prayer being a key part. The outcome of these relationships and prayer would be the facilitation of mission opportunities. These mission opportunities could be local churches and organisations working together on neighbourhood projects, or across a wider area where relevant. It would enable churches to pursue mission opportunities and to share experience. We also need to resource members of our churches, not just the leaders.
Whilst not necessarily our answer, Together for the Harvest in Liverpool is a great example of this and how a local EA group can make a big impact.
During the meeting, discussion was had about the unifying banner of the EA, most particularly a unifying statement of faith. The EA statement of faith is a wide statement of faith that keeps the central points of theological belief. As a result, it is a widely accepted statement as demonstrated by the wide range of churches that adopt it. It holds people together, whilst allowing a wide range of difference. It was expressed that having a group held together by a central statement of faith is important and is a real strength.
Since the formation of the MCEA, a number of other groups have started; Love Cheltenham being the most notable. Love Cheltenham is town centre focused. There are other groups, such as Evangelical Anglican groups, but nothing that is built purely on a statement of faith that is non-denominational, and covers the whole of Cheltenham and its surrounding towns and villages. It was felt that something united by a shared statement of faith is not operating in competition, but providing something different.
In order to make something in the future a reality, we will need people to step forward to form a working group. This would require 4-5 people who would be willing to give a small amount of time to plan for the future and work on proposals for the future direction of the MCEA. Without these people, we will not be able to move forward. My question, is would you be willing to consider this?
Paul Bennett