Making a “fresh and creative commitment to revitalise churches and plant new congregations” is one of the invitations featured in the Lambeth Call on Mission and Evangelism. The Call will be explored in webinars run by the Anglican Communion Office on May 14 and 15, leading up to Pentecost Sunday, on June 8.
The webinars will coincide with the 10th anniversary of Thy Kingdom Come – a global ecumenical prayer movement. Thy Kingdom Come will invite people to pray for five people to know the gospel this Pentecost.
The evangelistic focus of the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative will be discussed in May’s Lambeth Call webinars, as it resonates with section 4.4 of the Lambeth Call, which invites “Every Christian joyfully to embrace the calling to be a witness to Jesus Christ, praying that through this at least one other person each year might come to faith and grow as a disciple.”
Considering the breadth and diversity of the Anglican Communion, May’s webinars will showcase the different ways Anglicans are living out the Five Marks of Mission in their settings. Contextual models of mission, evangelism and church planting will be explored. The Rt Revd Moon Hing will share how his ministry in evangelism and church planting has seen the church multiply and grow. Catechist Fraser Mzungu in the Diocese of Niassa in Mozambique will discuss African models of rural mission, sharing his passion for Jesus to be preached through small group teaching opportunities within his community.
The Lambeth Call on Mission and Evangelism was shared by the bishops of the Lambeth Conference in 2022. Since then, the Anglican Communion Office has run regular webinars on each of the Lambeth Calls, to assist their reception and adoption by Anglican churches around the world.
The Lambeth Call on Mission and Evangelism references church planting, evangelism training, and the need for persecuted churches to be “supported in their witness, so that they may be protected and stand firm in the faith”. The Lambeth Call also suggests that: “Each diocese and every church to commit to prayer, listening and discernment, in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we might live to bear faithful witness to Christ and authentically proclaim the gospel… In obedience to Christ’s own charge, every church to commit itself to actions which intentionally present the good news of Christ so that all might hear the call of Christ and follow Him.”
Speaking of the Lambeth Call, the Reverend Canon Stephen Spencer at the Anglican Communion Office said: “In the gospels Jesus says: ‘Come and see’ (John 1.39). At its heart, mission is about joining him in his saving work. Our hope and prayer for the webinar in May – and the wonderful outreach initiatives it will feature – is that it will inspire Anglicans around the world to consider what the Lambeth Call on Mission and Evangelism might look like in their own life and setting and through prayer and creativity, not least in the weeks following Pentecost, to come and see Christ’s saving love and share that love with all who they encounter.”
Bishop Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop for Episcopal Ministry at the Anglican Communion Office and Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, said: “Mission and evangelism are not optional extras; they are the heartbeat of the Church. As we share stories from across the Communion, I hope this series will encourage every disciple to be a living signpost to Christ’s love, compassion and hope in their local communities and beyond.”
Participants on the webinar include:
- The Rt Revd Moon Hing –former archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of South East Asia.
- The Rt Revd Dr Vicentia Kgabe–Bishop of Lesotho, Anglican Church of Southern Africa.
- The Rt Revd Paul Swarup –Bishop of Delhi, Church of North India.
- The Rt Revd Dr Francisco Silva – Bishop of Sul-Ocidental (Southwestern), Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil.
- Rev Fraser Mzungu - Diocese of Niassa, Igreja Anglicana de Mocambique e Angola.
- Deaconess Melissa Theng – Diocese of West Malaysia,Church of the Province of South East Asia.
- Kemi Bamgbose – From the Thy Kingdom Come initiative, Church of England.
For more information
To find out more and register for the Lambeth Call on Mission and Evangelism webinars, visit the Lambeth Conference website.
The Lambeth Calls are being discussed as part of Phase 3 of the Lambeth Conference.
The Mission and Evangelism webinars will be held on Wednesday 14 May at 18:00-19:00 UTC+1 UK and Thursday 15 May at 10:00-11:00 UTC+1 UK, with simultaneous interpretation into several languages.